Ecology is the interdisciplinary study of how organisms are distributed in a given environment and the different ways in which they interact with that environment (Goldstein, 2004). Environment is the surrounding where natural things live and operate. The environment influences the growth, development and the survival of any living organism (Pandey, 2006). We have different ecologies and environments in the world and each of them exhibits its unique characteristics. In this essay, we are going to look at our local ecology and environment. We will list specific factors that distinguish it from the other ecologies, discuss how human activities have affected it, describe ways that global warming may affect our ecology and then wind up by discussing how global warming will affect our ecology relative to other parts of the world.
Animals, plants and human beings densely populate my ecology. It has plantations where animals graze comfortably. The climate in this environment is the highland climate with a lot of rain. We are surrounded by other highlands and hence the place is very cold. We plant crops like tea and coffee, which do very well with this kind of climate.
The following factors distinguish my local ecology and environment;
- Population
The environment is densely populated since the climate here is favorable for habitation. Most of the population here practice farming for their daily survival. We have various types of plants like lichens, which are well adapted to cold climate. We also plant fruit plants like oranges and avocadoes. Cows and sheep are the common animals in our ecology with few goats in some parts of our ecology.
- Climate
The climate in my ecology is highland climate with a lot of rains. We experience rains every afternoon with thunderstorms. Humidity is very high and makes the growing of crops like tea and coffee a success.
- Industries Present
My ecology has three industries, which deal with farm products. These industries are milk and meat processing industry, paper processing industry and fruit processing industry. This is because the raw materials for these industries are locally available and very cheap. Milk and meat processing industry is the leading one since we rear so many animals in our ecology. Paper industry deals with the trees and due to its destruction to the available forests, its produce is regulated and hence not very big.
- Geographical Terrain
The ecology is found in highlands and so there are so many hills in this ecology. These hills are the sources of most of the rivers that flow across our environment. For farming to occur, we have dykes, which direct the excess water to the rivers to avoid erosion of our plants.
Human activities have affected my local ecology in the following ways; The first way is that there is a lot of deforestation in my local ecology. This is due to the high demand for settling land as the population continues to increase. Furthermore, some people burn the trees to get charcoal for fuel. This has led to a lot of soil erosion, lowering the fertility of the land. Secondly, people have encroached the water catchment areas. This has led to the drying up of these catchment areas and consequently scarcity of water for both human and the animal population. Lastly, human activities like poor farming methods, poor grazing procedures etc, have led to increased bare land and soil erosion. Many people rear so many animals in very small pieces of land due to the demand for milk to the industry. These animals cause stress to the vegetation in that area and hence increase soil erosion. Pollution is also a major concern in my ecology. Some of the industries dispose their waste in the rivers. This endangers the aquatic life, animals and human beings sine they all use this water.
Global warming is the average increase in temperatures in the earth leading to a change in the climate of the world (Rana, 2009). Green- house gases, which are emitted by industries, cause global warming. These gases trap heat on the earth leading to increased temperatures. Global warming would affect my ecology in that there would be increased temperatures and reduced rainfall in my ecology. This means crops like tea will experience difficulties in their growth since they do well in low temperatures and high rainfall. Animals will also face a big challenge because reduced rainfall leading to reduced vegetation. Animals feed on vegetation and when it becomes scarce, they suffer a lot. This will result to less raw materials to the industries which may lead to their closure. The reduced rainfall also means reduced food for human beings. The human population will also suffer since there would be no much rainfall to support their crops.
Relative to other parts of the world, the effect of global warming to my ecology will be minimal. This is because global warming is as a result of greenhouse gases which are emitted by industries. My ecosystem contains only three industries and these do not produce a lot of green- house gases as compared to other ecosystems which contain so many industries. The more emissions made to the atmosphere, the more global warming occurs. Moreover, the industries in my local ecology deal with farm produce and hence they do not emit very poisonous gases.
In conclusion, the environment is a very important component in life. All living things require the environment for their survival. It is therefore important to conserve the environment and make it a better place to live in. Industries should dispose their wastes in a good manner and install systems to filter the poisonous gases emitted to the atmosphere. This will reduce global warming. People should plant more trees and adopt good farming skills in order to avoid such occurrences like soil erosion. With all these measures put in place, our environment will be a good place for human, animal and plant life.
References
Goldstein, R. J. (2004). Ecology and environmental ethics: Green wood in the bundle of sticks.
Aldershot: Ashgate.
Pandey, B. N. (2006). Ecology and environment. New Dehli: A.P.H.
Rana, S. V. S. (2009). Essentials of ecology and environmental science. New Delhi: PHI
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