18. The Environment and Us PDF

1 18. The Environment and Us Can you tell? With the help of the questions below, explain what would happen if forests are cleared on a large scale. 1. Will water and food sources for living things grow or dwindle? Why? 2. Will the living things look for she...

1 18. The Environment and Us Can you tell? With the help of the questions below, explain what would happen if forests are cleared on a large scale. 1. Will water and food sources for living things grow or dwindle? Why? 2. Will the living things look for shelters elsewhere or stay on? Why? Railway 3. Will the space occupied by the plants The environment provides shelter to and animals increase or decrease? different kinds of living things. There are Why? many types of plants in forests. Birds 4. Will the number of living things build their nests in trees. Animals like increase or decrease? Why? the bear, deer, monkey, elephant, tiger all live in the forest, i.e. they find shelter Deforestation in a forest. All their needs are met in the The population of the world is now close to six hundred crore. Man is forest. If forests are reduced, biodiversity is also depleted. developing new technology to meet the needs of all these people, and is using up Use your brain power ! more and more land and water resources for this purpose. If a damn is built at a particular place, Open spaces are required on a very what changes will be seen in the large scale for agriculture, housing. environment? industry, and for building roads and railways. Forests are cut down to make place for them. Can you tell? Time and again, we hear news of certain animals and plants facing the threat of extinction. Reasons for the threats are also given. Collect such nevws items. Fill in that information in the following chart and display it in your class. What was Reasons Animal or the given in the A road plant ill effect ? news Marshy or low-lying areas are filled to reclaim the land. 89 Pollution Can you tell? You have seen how water sources get polluted if waste water is let into them (1) What could be the reasons of air without processing. pollution? (2) What are the different purposes for which fuels such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, natural gas, coal and wood are used? Fuel is used in all homes. Besides, there are big industries and factories in which fuel is used in great quantities. Waste water flowing out from a factory into the surroundings Waste water is also given out from factories into their surroundings. If water from such polluted sources keeps soaking into the soil, the soil becomes infertile. Poisonous gases spouting out of chimneys of factories On the one hand, tremendous quantities of carbon dioxide enter the air due to burning of fuels. On the other hand, due to large scale deforestation, the number of trees available for absorbing this carbon Waste water from factories enters water bodies dioxide is dwindling. As a result, the proportion of carbon dioxide in the air is Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are rising continuously. When the proportion used on a large scale for agriculture. of carbon dioxide in the air rises, leads They seep into the soil or finally flow to rise in temperature. We see such a into rivers with rainwater. temperature rise in all parts of the world. Due to several such reasons water Besides, when fuels are burnt in and soil get polluted. This is dangerous for the plants and animals there. Their vehicles, they give out certain poisonous number reduces and eventually they die gases as well as smoke. Industries also let out some poisonous gases into the air. This out altogether, that is, they become extinct. leads to air pollution on a very large scale. 90  Can you tell? You see a food chain in the picture above. One of the links is missing. What effect will it have on the grasshopper? Indian cheetah - An extinct animal On the bird? What picture should there be in the blank space? If this living Our needs and the environment thing really died out, what would be the threat to the entire living world? Food, water and clothes are the needs Discuss your answers in the class. of all people. We use a lot of things to The need to maintain environmental meet these needs. Besides, we use many balance means and devices for the purpose of studies, sport, hobbies and entertainment. Due to human intervention in nature, We even stock up these things so that they large scale changes are taking place in will be available to us whenever we need the air, water and land. Also, these non them. AII these things are obtained by living or abiotic components are getting using materials from our environment. All polluted. As a result, the existence of living the people in the world have similar needs things is threatened, while several living and desires. As a result, the environment things have already become extinct. If one is being degraded rapidly. factor of the environment damaged, its We need to be aware that we relationships with other factors also get ourselves are a part of nature. If the affected, and environmental balance is balance of nature is disturbed, it will disturbed. From time to time, some of the living things on the earth become extinct. adversely affect human beings, too. But today this process is taking place at We need to take steps to prevent the a much faster rate. This is a threat for the degradation of the environment. The steps whole living world. should mainly include using our means frugally and recycling used articles. Such Do you know ? measures should be practised sincerely by each and every person. If the different types of plants and animals become extinct one by one, Let us resolve ! many of the links in the different food Let us all ensure that no action on chains will be lost. Many scientists our part will cause pollution or cause believe that this will affect the entire harm to living things. Let us make all living world on the earth and the possible efforts for the conservation of balance in nature willcollapse. the living world. 91  Speak your mind and discuss. forests. If deforestation is stopped, and instead tree plantation is stepped up, How much stock of the necessary animals that depend on plants will get things should we keep with us? protection and thrive. " Discuss with respect to each of the following : water, food, clothes. Global efforts for protection of the environment Several projects are being implemented at the international level to maintain the balance in nature. It is important to raise the awareness of people all over the world about the threat to environmental balance. Many countries of the world are enacting laws that will help to prevent the pollution of air, water and soil. Efforts to maintain biodiversity Biodiversity parks : An area which is reserved for the purpose of protecting and conserving the biodiversity of a region is called a 'biodiversity park'. In these parks, biodiversity is both preserved and studied. People visiting such a park enjoy being close to nature. This leads to more concern for nature. National parks : Some areas which are important for the protection and conservation of wildlife are reserved for them. For example, the Kaziranga National Park, the Tadoba National Park. Sanctuaries : Certain forest areas are reserved for the protection and conservation of a particular animal or plant. Such a reserved area is called a sanctuary. For example, the Radhanagari Sanctuary for bisons. If the plants on the earth are destroyed the numbers of animals also fall. That is why it is necessary to protect plants in 92  Mayani lake has formed due to a dam There is a Maldhok (Great Indian built on the Chand river in Satara district. Bustard) sanctuary at Nannaj in Solapur Flamingos from the Siberia region in district. These huge weighty birds are northern Asia migrate to this lake. Here, famous for their graceful gait. These birds they build nests and lay eggs. Once the live in open grasslands. They feed on baby birds grow big enough, they return insects. with them to Siberia. In the recent past, as the water level in the dam had fallen, the flamingos had stopped coming. However, the lake has now been declared a sanctuary for birds. Great Indian Bustard - male As they are hunted for their meat and their eggs, their number is fast dwindling. Maharashtra State has declared the Nannaj area a sanctuary for the Great Flamingos and their nests Indian Bustard. Deer are also four these grasslands. 5  A female bustard and deer Devrais - a boon for all living About 50 km from Pune on the Pune creatures! Ahmadnagar highway. the village of Morachi Chincholi is famous for its Indian culture gives importance to the peacock population. The old, well-looked protection of forests. The Devrai is an after tamarind trees here have created example. People believe that a Devrai is a favourable environment for the birds. really a jungle reserved for god. No tree Peafowl have found sanctuary in or plant in a Devrai is ever cut. That is this village. why, all trees in a Devrai are safe even today. Maharashtra has many Devrais. In Madhya Pradesh, they are known as 'Sharanvan'. Devrais give shelter not only to the plants but also to the animals that live there. Hence, Devrais can be called the sanctuaries of ancient times. Devrai 94