Geography PDF - Relationship Between People and Nature

Geography Geography in Everyday Life Cluster Topic 1.1 - Relationship between people and nature in their neighbourhood Local Communities and nearby nature areas are dependent upon each other People are dependent on nature for many things ➔ Nature provides spaces for recreation an...

Geography Geography in Everyday Life Cluster Topic 1.1 - Relationship between people and nature in their neighbourhood Local Communities and nearby nature areas are dependent upon each other People are dependent on nature for many things ➔ Nature provides spaces for recreation and leisure activities which allows people to bond with their family and friends ➔ Thus, Helping to maintain humans’ physical mental well being For e.g, Nparks’ Therapeutic Gardens Some Nature areas are also dependent on local communities to thrive ➔ People in the neighbourhood may tend to the health of nearby nature areas ➔ Individuals in local communities encourage one another to enjoy nearby nature areas in a sustainable manner For e.g, Green wave campaign which aims to educate youths about the important of protecting our natural environment Local Communities and nearby nature areas mutually affect each other In a mutual relationship, the parties involved can bring about benefits to each other The presence of green spaces and urban wildlife in neighbourhood can enhance the mental health and well-being of local communities Human activities such as reforestation allows people to gain enjoyment and enhance their mental health and well-being The overall health of the natural environment is enhanced as more shelter and habitat for the urban wildlife to thrive are provided How do people and nature bring about benefits to each other Lowering Air Temperature Removal of Pollutants Provision of recreation space The presence of vegetation During Numerous photosynthesis, opportunities for Provides share and vegetation absorbs outdoor activities reduces the amount of carbon dioxide and Direct and frequent direct sunlight that other air pollutants interactions with reaches the surface and releases oxygen nature bring about Cools surrounding air During rain, small health and well-being through particle are benefits evapotranspiration intercepted by leaves, ➔ Good mental Release of water then washed to the well-being vapour through roots ground from surrounding, Wetland plants trap thus cooling it suspended materials and absorb excess nutrients in the water ➔ Improve water quality People bring benefits to nature through community activites that promote the importance of environmental protection Local communities can raise environmental awareness through encouraging positive behaviour that does not damage nature For e.g Nparks Citizens Science Initative Dragonfly Watch ➔ Greater protection of species ➔ Raise awareness of dragonfly’s importance in the environment Local Communities can also organise or participate in conservation efforts For e.g Actions by Waterways Watch Society creates opportunities for school to pick up trash from the Marina Reservoir What are the disadvantages people and nature bring to each other People bring disadvantages to nature by causing soil erosion Soil erosion and damaging vegetation When people hike along non-designated trails in nature areas ➔ Cause Soil Compaction ➔ Prevents rainwater from infiltrating the surface ➔ Leads to higher surface flows and soil erosion as the flowing water washes away the soil particle ➔ Trample on vegetation, damaging plants and affecting their growth Worsening pollution and disturbing wildlife Littering ➔ Worsen Pollution Animals harmed by metal can or become entangled in plastic Some animals may mistake the litter for food and consume ➔ Leads to injuries or death Feeding animals ➔ Change in habits and behaviours of wildlife ➔ Human wildlife conflict increases ➔ Relate food to people ➔ Attacking People Nature cause harm to people and limit development Human-Wildlife Conflicts increases due to an increase in human-wildlife encounters ➔ Increased wildlife population ➔ People unintentionally provoke them ➔ Leads to animals attack and harm humans  Urban Expansion People’s growing interest in Greening Efforts by the stat outdoor recreation Urbanise and Develop People spending Bring nature back into ➔ Leads to more time in nature the city natural areas ➔ Promote habitats ➔ Leads to an human wildlife shrinking increase of the encounters Wildlife venture out of frequency of nature areas human-wildlife ➔ For food or encounters shelter ➔ Leads to increase of frequency of human-wildlife encounters Environmental Protection ➔ Limit development Local Community protect nature at the expense of their needs For e.g The Cross Island MRT Line was proposed to be built around Central Catchment Nature Reserve ➔ Brings Inconvenience, Damage Property, Need to make way for construction Topic 1.2 - Sense of Place in Neighbourhood Sense of Place Sense of Place is developed when people associate meanings and memories with locations Acquire a sense of place 1. Repeated Encounters Recall the Character and Features of Places ➔ Leads to creating meaning and memories 2. Local Landmarks and Gathering Places Highly visible and easy to remember ➔ May serve symbolic or historical purposes Preserving memories and Build sense of belonging to our neighbourhood Representation of Sense of Place Forms of expressing Personal Sense of Place ➔ Texts ➔ Audio ➔ Graphics ➔ Still or moving images Types of media ➔ Print Media ➔ Broadcast Media ➔ Internet Bases Media Different emotions expressed in the media might enhance or contradict our sense of place Our sense of place shapes our identity Such representations add new layers of meanings ➔ Revealing interesting informations ➔ Thus enhancing our sense of place Relationship between locations in neighbourhood Regions ➔ Vary in size ➔ Area with similar physical and/or human characteristics Environmental Characteristics ➔ Nature or built-up areas Human Characteristics ➔ Commercial or residential areas Geographical Location ➔ East or West Region can also be the sphere of influence of services, events and objects on other locations in the area Spatial Patterns ➔ Non-random arrangement of services, events and objects in an area ➔ Can be arranged in recognisable shapes, geometry, clusters at regular intervals ➔ Easier for people Spacial Association ➔ Tendency of a pair of services, events, objects to locate near each other ➔ Suggest connections between services, events and objects 1.4 - Organisations of Neighbourhoods in Singapore Spacial Scales ➔ Extent of an area in which phenomenon or process takes place ➔ Can be at different hierarchies ➔ Including global, regional and local Nested areas are smaller areas within larger areas Spatial Scales in Singapore ➔ More than 20 towns spread across the country ➔ Cater to different lifestyles ➔ Town Centre may serve as commercial or social hub for residents Spatial Hierarchies In Singapore Residential Unit ➔ Neighbourhood ➔ Precinct ➔ Town Precinct ➔ 400-800 Residential Unit ➔ Facilities within close proximity ➔ Spread throughout precinct to meet residents needs Neighbourhood ➔ 4000-6000 Residents ➔ Form a few precinct Town Planning in Singapore Serves residents and provides for nature ➔ Enable towns to be self-sufficient and provide employment opportunities ➔ Often complement each other For e.g, Tengah ➔ Resolve around nature and the community Town Level ➔ Network ➔ Residents to travel conveniently within Tengah on foot or by cycling Neighbourhood Level ➔ Community gardens to farm together Singapore’s town planning creates connections and synergies across precinct, neighbourhoods and towns Connections and synergies are created to help achieve sustainability Optimising scarce land resources ➔ Cater to the diverse needs of current and future generations Topic 2 - Sustainable Development 2.1 - Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods Development Development refers to the economic, social and political process ➔ Result in an improvement of standard of living Economic Indicator ➔ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Per Capita Social Indicator ➔ Life expectancy and Adult Literacy Rate Sustainable Development Sustainable developement ➔ Meets the needs of present population by achieving high standard of living ➔ Ensures the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Economic Sustainability Social Sustainability Environmental Sustainability High Population Residents have 1. Ample protection for density sense shared identity nature ➔ Helps to Community spaces ➔ Wildlife can support local ➔ Promote thrive in our businesses regular social urban spaces ➔ Keep transport interactions and and Builds resilience and human-wildlife infrastructure positive relationship coexistence cost low between residents 2. Facilities that support Local Businesses are ➔ Reducing waste minimisation able to sustain misunderstand and recycling Employment ing and ➔ Encourage Opportunities conflicts residents to ➔ Earn income recycle ➔ Increase their 3. Energy and Water standard of efficient designs living ➔ Minimise use of resources 2.2 - Ecosystem services in urban neighbourhoods Ecosystem Ecosystem is a geographical area where living communities and non-living environments interact with each other ➔ Vary in Sizes Types of Ecosystem Services Ecosystem Services The benefits brought about by nature to people Provisioning Services ➔ Tangible resources that people can get from ecosystems such as food, water and wood ➔ Provided by nature ➔ Leads to agricultural activities and fisheries For e.g ➔ Urban neighbourhoods have community gardens to grow food ➔ On rooftops of Tampines’ HDB Blocks Regulating Services The benefits obtained from the regulation of various ecosystem processes Ecosystem processes work together to ensure ecosystem are functional, clean, sustainable, and resilient to changes For e.g Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park ➔ Regulate Local Climate ➔ Trees provide shade and lower surface and air temperature ➔ Regulate Water Flows ➔ Vegetation cover can reduce surface runoff ➔ Regulate Air Quality ➔ Trees regulate air quality by removing pollutants from atmosphere Cultural Services Intangible benefits people obtain from ecosystem ➔ Including aesthetic appreciation ➔ Opportunities for stress-relieving activities Improve physical and mental well-being and foster social belonging and group identity ➔ Strengthening Sense of Place For e.g Bukit Timah Nature Reserve ➔ Space for recreational activities ➔ Educational opportunities for fieldwork ➔ Gain aesthetic experience from nature Supporting Services Necessary services for all ecosystem services to function E.g Soil Formation ➔ Agriculture Pollination ➔ Crops are able to reproduce to provide food for animals and humans Photosynthesis ➔ Pants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen ➔ Maintains oxygen content of the Earth’s Atmosphere 2.3 - Common Hazards in Urban Neighbourhoods Hazards Process, Phenomenon, or human activity that may cause loss of life, other health impacts, property damage as well as social and economic consequences Can be natural or man-made Natural Hazards ➔ Earthquakes ➔ Volcanic Eruption Man-Made Hazards ➔ Traffic Hazards Fire Hazards and Impacts Fire Hazards Fire Hazards may occur in both residential and non-residential areas Common causes included unattended cooking and faulty electrical appliances and wiring which can ignite nearby flammable materials ➔ Resulting in a fire Impacts of fire hazards ➔ Health Impacts ➔ Property Damage Health Impacts People may suffer from burn injuries and severe burn injuries if they are unable to evacuate in time ➔ Leads to disabilities or deaths High Level of Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide released ➔ Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ➔ Leads to headache, dizziness, weakness and confusion ➔ May also lead to loss of consciousness and death Other irritants from a fire such as acid gases ➔ Permanently damage a person’s respiratory system Smoke inhalation ➔ Breathing difficulties and suffocation ➔ May lead to death Property Damage Fires can destroy commercial or residential properties ➔ Economic losses as goods, furniture and important documents may be destroyed ➔ Further cost may also be incurred after the fire as money is required to repair and rebuild the properties that were damaged Air Pollution and Impacts Air Pollution Presence of contaminant or pollutant substances in the air that do not disperse properly Common causes include burning vegetation ➔ Carbon dioxide and other pollutants are released into the atmosphere Industrial and motor emissions ➔ Vehicles produce significant amounts of exhaust emissions such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other pollutants Health Impacts Respiratory Infections, heart diseases and lung cancer Nitrogen Dioxide is emitted from areas of high vehicle traffic ➔ Higher risk of asthma in children ➔ Cause lung function to decline when PM 2.5 enter adult bloodstream and lodge deep in human lungs PM 2.5, Particulate Matter such as soot, smoke, dust and liquid droplets measuring less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter, may be produced in urban neighbourhoods Traffic Hazards and Impacts  Speeding Red-light running Drink-Driving These accidents often caused by irresponsible motorist who put other road users and themselves at risk Health Impacts People may suffer serious injuries when involved in a traffic accident ➔ May lead to disabilities or loss or life For e.g ➔ In 2021, There were a total of 100 traffic accidents in singapore that resulted in fatalities, 8 were caused by drink-driving Elderly pedestrians and motorcyclist typically account for a high percentage of traffic accidents ➔ Lead to injuries or deaths 2.4 - Building Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods Environmental Stewardship Actions taken by individuals or groups, to protect, care for or responsibly use the environment to pursue environment and/or social outcomes Practised by Individuals, organisations and/or governments Actions should ➔ Seek to conserve natural resources ➔ Preserve existing natural environment ➔ Repair the damages and reverse the negative impacts caused by humans to ensure its sustainability Promoting Volunteerism ➔ Share knowledge with others about the importance of healthy ecosystem ➔ Residents become more aware ➔ Responsibly use and protect the natural environment For e.g National Parks Board (NParks) ➔ Ground-led initiatives such as Friends of the Parks ➔ Gain greater community ownership and stewardship of parks Partnership with Private and Public Sectors Different stakeholders may have different perspectives, resources, and expertise to enhance the environmental stewardship efforts For e.g National Environmental Agency (NEA) ➔ Engage residents’ on importance of recycling Residents play a part in proper recycling of their waste ➔ Public agency enhance awareness and education ➔ Private stakeholders provide recycling facilities Disaster Risk  Disaster Risk refers to the likelihood of damage to properties, injuries, and loss of lives from a disaster in a given period of time Disaster risks are the product of the interactions between 3 main factors ➔ Nature of hazard ➔ Characteristics of the hazard ➔ Vulnerability ➔ The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors ➔ Exposure ➔ The situation of people and their belonging located in hazard-prone areas Disaster Risk Management Disaster Risk Management refers to plans and actions that are implemented to prevent new risks from happening, reducing existing risks and manage disaster risks This strengthens community resilience Disaster risk management strategies aim to reduce ➔ A neighbourhood’s exposure to hazards ➔ The vulnerability of people and properties to hazards Improving residents’ emergency preparedness to respond to natural and technological hazards ➔ The SCDF conducts a Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP), which focuses on key lifesaving skills and important emergency procedures Implementation of Monitoring and warning systems ➔ SCDF has a Public Warning System (PWS) which is a network of sirens placed at strategic points throughout the city. It warns the public of imminent threats that may endanger lives and property such as natural and man-made disaster Community Resilience Community Resilience refers to the ability of a community to rest, adapt to and recover from impacts of diasters in a timely and efficient manner Strengthen relationship with neighbours and raise awareness of potential hazards ➔ Residents are encouraged to get to know their neighbours so that they can depend on one another during an emergency For e.g ➔ The People’s Association (PA) organises a wide range of community activities aimed at fostering positive relationship amongst residents living in the neighbourhood Residents’ ability to organise themselves and equip resources to resist, adapt and recover from a disaster Actively participate in projects to minimise potential hards in the neighbourhood, they can better understand the risks and adaptation options to communicate to the planners and government For e.g ➔ In Singapore, Community First Responders (CFRs) volunteers are important in supporting the government in search and rescue operations, relief work as well as educating the public on simple first-aid and basic firefighting ➔ The total defence framework is an all-round response to threats and challenges involving everyone in Singapore. It emphasises that everyone has a part to play, individually and collectively, to build a strong, secure and cohesive nation Topic 3 - Geographical Method Crafting Research Questions or Hypotheses Research ➔ Used when there is little research or relationship between variables are uncertain ➔ Inquisitive in nature ➔ Many possible conclusions Hypothesis ➔ Large body of research available and relationship between variables are quite certain ➔ Predictive in Nature ➔ Definite Conclusion Types of Data to be collected Primary Data Secondary Data Data collected first-hand Data collected by someone else Photographs and sketches taken by Books, newspaper articles fieldwork researchers Quantitative Data Qualitative Data Data that can be quantified and Data that are not easily measured and measured are subjected to nature ➔ Responses from closed-ended ➔ Responses to open-ended questionnaire survey questions in semi-structured interviews Sequencing of data collection Quantitative Data first ➔ Identify Patterns and trends ➔ Examine the patterns and trends observed Qualitative Data first ➔ Make observations ➔ Verify the observations Limitations Data to be collected Time available Access to places Availability of equipment Manpower Risks in Fieldwork Falls, Cut, Minor Injuries ➔ Wear proper footwear and clothing ➔ Take note of potential hazards ➔ Uneven surfaces, steep steps Traffic Accidents, Collision with cyclists ➔ Take note of local traffic and road crossing procedures ➔ Avoid collecting data on the road or in the path of cyclists 3.2 - Collecting Primary Data Sampling Selecting a portion of a population being studied Probability Sampling ➔ Samples randomly selected ➔ Remove Bias ➔ More representative sample Simple Random Sampling Easy Lack of bias Time Consuming Every member of population is given a number ➔ Random number generator to choose Stratified Random Sampling Increased precision ➔ More representative Randomly select sample but have proportionate make up to the population May be biased and complicated Non-Probability Sampling Quota Sampling ➔ Biased in selection process ➔ Less respondent needed Convenience Sampling ➔ Quick ➔ Biased and generalised ➔ Selected as they are convenient sources of data Questionnaire Surveys Collected quantitative data through ➔ Predefined responses ➔ Short phrases Advantages ➔ Easier for participants to answer ➔ Easier to analyse and interpret data ➔ Quantitative data analysis to examine patterns and trends Rating Scales Range of responses supported by 2 extreme opposing positions Frequency Scales Range of responses based on number of occurrences Ranking Scales Comparing items with one another