ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Aida A. Paraguison, EdD

Lecturer
What is Ecology?

Ecosystem simply means ‘ecological systems’. Ecology is

defined as the study of ecosystems. Ecologists study the
interaction of all the organisms in an ecosystem. The
study includes complex interactions between thousands
of plants and animals to the role of microbes living under
the soil to the effects of tropical rainforest on the Earth’s
atmosphere. The study done by ecologists can help us to
better understand the world around us and can influence
our lives in a positive way by improving the environment,
managing our natural resources and protecting the public
health.
Ecology

Ecology, or ecological science, is the scientific study of

the distribution and abundance of living organisms and
how the distribution and abundance are affected by
interactions between the organisms and their
environment.

The environment of an organism includes both physical

properties, which can be described as the sum of local
abiotic factors such as insolation (sunlight), climate, and
geology, as well as the other organisms that share its
habitat.
Ecology is usually considered a branch of biology, the
 5 Concern of Ecology & Environment

1. Water. We take the supply of fresh running water for

granted in our homes today; however, we don’t really
understand how important water is for life. For many countries
around the world, a supply of fresh and clean
water is not so easily available. As the world’s population
increases, freshwater systems around the world will become
more stressed. At the current rate of pollution and
overpopulation, scientists speculate that two thirds of the
world’s population may have difficulty accessing clean drinking
water
At the by 2050.
rate the global population is increasing, there will be
much more household, industrial and agricultural waste
added to the world’s freshwater systems, making a greater
impact on the freshwater ecosystems, putting stress on
aquatic life and also making water unsafe for human
consumption.
2. Climate change

A majority of the scientists, ecologists and environmentalists around

the world believe that the global climate is changing and it’s mainly
because of human activities. Our global climate change has passed the
tipping point where the effects cannot be reversed.
At this stage, more and
more environmental scientists are needed for developing
sustainable methods to regulate further impacts on the globe.

3. Loss of Biodiversity

Our activities are directly impacting the ecology and biodiversity of the
earth. Deforestation, pollution of land, air, and water, over fishing,
hunting, climate change, and unplanned agriculture, all affect natural
evolution and biodiversity, giving rise to more serious ecological
imbalances. Humans have destroyed and are continuously
4. Ozone Layer Depletion

With pollution and greenhouse gas emission, there is a growing concern for the
depletion of the earth’s protective layer of the atmosphere. Release of gases like
Chlorine, Bromine, and CFCs have been identified as the contributors of ozone
layer breakdown. Once these gases reach the upper level of the atmosphere,
they react with the protective ozone layer, create a hole in the atmosphere and
allow harmful UV rays to reach the surface of the earth.
5. Over population

The increase and over population of the human race, especially high
density of population in the urban areas, is one of the biggest issues
faced by our environmentalists and ecologists. With the increase of
population comes demand for resources, waste management, energy
requirement, people management and other aspects of governance
and control over resources.

As the human population increases, the need for managing and

distributing resources in sustainable manner also increases. If we don’t
use our resources sustainably, we may not have anything at all in the
future, and scientists are realizing that. Our future depends on how
well we manage our resources today. The global temperature rise and
climate change are signs that tells us that there is something very
wrong with the way we have been living our lives and we must change.
3 Basic Types of Ecology

All ecology breaks down and falls under three basic types.
Under each of the basic types you can break down the
ecologies even further, but these are the ones that will give
you an understanding of what is an ecology.

1. Conservation Ecology – This refers to the ecology of

the natural world and how it exists without the presence or
interference of man, and how it exists with the presence and
interference of man. It is common to find different areas in
the wilderness or portions of public parks set aside with
entrance restricted or forbidden because they are
conservation areas. Conservation areas are set aside to
protect conservation ecologies.
2. Urban Ecology – As you can guess by the name
this one is focused on the balance of life within
urban settings. It includes both conservation and
human ecology, but the nature of an urban ecology
is so different in how phases of ecological succession
may develop that it is studied as its own entity.
Urban ecology looks at the impact of human life on
an area, how cities and urban areas manage
resources and what the cycle of growth and decay
within these unique environments are.
3. Human Ecology – Human ecology is
multi-faceted. It focuses greatly on
patterns of population and mortality,
consumption of resources, conservation
efforts and how humans affect
plant, animal and other human life.
Within human ecology you will also find
people studying the impact of the
human race on the atmosphere, space
and the ocean.
3 Phases of Ecological Succession

Each of these ecology types go through three

distinct phases of ecological succession.
Succession is the term used to define how the
development in one phase of the ecology is then
used to allow the next phase to occur. While it
may seem like this is a very ordered process, if
the ecology is disrupted it may go back or
forward a phase. To better explain succession we
will use the example of what happens after a
forest fire has destroyed life on the side of a
1. Primary – This is the beginning stage of an
ecology. That side of the mountain may begin to be
repopulated with seeds that have blown in on the
wind, been planted by humans in a conservation
effort, and the area may gain animal life from
different types moving in to hunt or live for
protection. The key to understanding primary
ecology is that is begins with the minimal life that
the area can support, which is then followed by the
next life in the food or resource chain.
2. Secondary – During the secondary
phase of the ecology life has begun again in
the forest area. Grass and flowers may grow,
small birds and mammals have returned and
there have been two or three cycles of life to
seed to decay to birth that have occurred.
This then brings in more predators in the
cycle to complete the cycle of life.
3. Climax – The climax stage of ecological
succession sees a forest thriving on the
mountainside again with all the plant and animal
life you would expect. There is little evidence of
the fire as the forest has aged enough to still be
young, but to be well established. It is at this
point that the ecology begins to slowly decline
as it begins to overuse resources and
conservation is needed.
Four Basic Components of an Ecosystem
Abiotic Components

The abiotic components of an ecosystem are all

of the nonliving elements. They include the
water, the air, the temperature and the rocks and
minerals that make up the soil. Abiotic
components of an ecosystem might include how
much rain falls on it, whether it is fresh water or
salt water, how much sun it gets or how often it
freezes and thaws. The biotic components of the
ecosystem both live on and interact with the
abiotic components.
Producers at the Base

Producers are the living organisms in the

ecosystem that take in energy from sunlight and
use it to transform carbon dioxide and oxygen
into sugars. Plants, algae and photosynthetic
bacteria are all examples of producers. Producers
form the base of the food web and are generally
the largest group in the ecosystem by weight, or
biomass. They also act as an interface with the
abiotic components of the ecosystem during
nutrient cycles as they incorporate inorganic
carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere.
Consumers in the Chain

Consumers are living organisms in the ecosystem

that get their energy from consuming other
organisms. Conceptually, consumers are further
subdivided by what they eat: Herbivores eat
producers, carnivores eat other animals and
omnivores eat both. Along with producers and
decomposers, consumers are part of what is
known as food chains and webs, where energy
and nutrient transfer can be mapped out.
Consumers can only harvest about 10 percent of
the energy contained in what they eat, so there
Decomposers and Nutrient Cycling

Decomposers are the living component of the

ecosystem that breaks down waste material and
dead organisms. Examples of decomposers include
earthworms, dung beetles and many species of
fungi and bacteria. They perform a vital recycling
function, returning nutrients incorporated into dead
organisms to the soil where plants can take them up
again. In this process they also harvest the last of
the sunlight energy initially absorbed by producers.
Decomposers represent the final step in many of the
cyclical ecosystem processes.
GIVE AT LEAST THREE
(3) ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES IN THE
PHILIPPINES TODAY.
 Here are 10 significant current environmental
issues, where human beings play an important
role in its cause.

1. Pollution: More than half of the human population

knows what is pollution, but we are still not ready to
face its damaging consequences. Pollution is not only
limited to water, soil and noise but has extended to
light, visual, point and non-point sources. Human
beings and their actions are majorly responsible for
causing all types of pollution. Water pollution is
essentially cause by oil spills, urban runoff and ocean
dumping. Air pollution rises from burning of fossil fuels,
hydraulic fracturing and gases emitted by vehicles.
Water and soil pollution are majorly cause from
industrial waste.
2. Climate Change: Climate change today is less of
a natural process. It is rapidly occurring due to the ill
effects of human actions responsible for disturbing
and harmful out comings such as global warming,
greenhouse effect, urban heat, coal industry etc.
Climate change is not only changing the overall
weather scenario, but has larger and harmful effects.
3. Global Warming: Global warming is another
environmental issue which is increase in earth’s
temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases called
carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and other
gases. These gases possess heat trapping capacity
that are needed to create greenhouse effect so that
this planet remains warm for people to survive.
Without these gases, this planet would turn be cold
for life to exist.
4. Deforestation: With population growing at a rapid
pace, the demand for food, shelter and cloth has almost
tripled in last few decades. To overcome growing
demand, a direct action that we have come to recognize
as “Deforestation” occurs. Deforestation means, clearing
of forests or green cover for means of agriculture,
industrial or urban use. It involves permanent end of
forest cover to make that land available for residential,
commercial or industrial purpose.
5. Overpopulation: This is a never-ending human tragedy
which is responsible for causing all types of environmental
issues. Water pollution, resources crisis, gender imbalance,
pollution, land pollution, urban sprawling, deforestation, over
production are some common examples of dangerous effects
cause by overpopulation. Despite efforts taken by the
government in terms of family planning in many countries,
over population is difficult to control at international level.
6. Industrial and Household Waste: At present,
tons of garbage is produced by each household
each year. Due to increase in demand for food,
shelter and house, more goods are produced. This
resulted in creation of more waste that needs to be
disposed of. Most waste is buried underground in
landfill sites. The presence of huge landfills sites
across the city pose serious environmental
concerns. It affects human health, degrades soil
quality, effects wildlife, cause air pollution and
results in climate change.
7. Acid Rain: Acid rain simply means rain that is acidic in
nature due to the presence of certain pollutants in the
atmosphere. These pollutants come in the atmosphere
due to car or industrial processes. Acid rain can occur in
form of rain, snow, fog or dry material that settle to
earth. Acid rain may cause due to erupting volcanoes,
rotting vegetation and sea sprays that produce sulfur
dioxide and fires, bacterial decomposition and lightening
generate nitrogen dioxide. Acid rain can have devastating
effects on aquatic life, forests, public health and
architecture and buildings.
8. Ozone Layer Depletion:
Ozone layer is a layer of gas that
sits 25-30 km above earth’s
surface. It mainly contains contain
ozone which is a naturally occurring
molecule containing three oxygen
atoms. This layer is present in the
stratosphere and prevents too
many harmful UV (ultra violet)
radiations from entering the earth.
Ozone layer is capable of absorbing
97-99% of the harmful ultraviolet
radiations that are emitted by sun.
9. Genetic Engineering: Genetic modification of
food, human and animal organs seems like the gem
of science and technology but this has major
harmful effects. Genetic engineering is a
controversial subject and has seen more ill impacts
than the benefits it brings to mankind. Genetic
pollution and alteration of food produce not only
have harmful effects on human beings, but are
responsible for crucial concern known s as ‘genetic
modification’.
10. Urban Sprawl: Not only India and China are classic
examples of over population and urban sprawl leading to
land degradation. The expansion of industrial areas has
not only led to land degradation and soil pollution, but
the habitat destruction is a terrible misery. Natural
environment consisting of flora and fauna is
indiscriminately destructed and lost completely instead
of being replaced. This in the long run has harmful
impact for human survival and cause serious
environmental issue.
 What are your roles and
responsibilities as Law Enforcers?
 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
LAWS, LEGISLATIONS & PROGRAMS
REPUBLIC ACT 9003 ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000

In partnership with stakeholders, the law aims to

adopt a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid
waste management program that shall ensure the
protection of public health and environment. The law
ensures proper segregation, collection, storage,
treatment and disposal of solid waste through the
formulation and adaptation of best eco-waste products.
 REPUBLIC ACT 9275 PHILIPPINE CLEAN
WATER ACT OF 2004

The law aims to protect the country's water

bodies from pollution from land-based sources
(industries and commercial establishments,
agriculture and community/household activities). It
provides for comprehensive and integrated
strategy to prevent and minimize pollution through
a multi-sectoral and participatory approach
involving all the stakeholders.
 REPUBLIC ACT 8749 PHILIPPINE CLEAN AIR ACT OF 1999
The law aims to achieve and maintain clean air that meets
the National Air Quality guideline values for criteria pollutants,
throughout the Philippines, while minimizing the possible
associated impacts to the economy.

REPUBLIC ACT 6969 TOXIC SUBSTANCES, HAZARDOUS AND

NUCLEAR WASTE CONTROL ACT OF 1990
The law aims to regulate restrict or prohibit the importation,
manufacture, processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal of
chemical substances and mixtures the present unreasonable risk to
human health. It likewise prohibits the entry, even in transit, of
hazardous and nuclear wastes and their disposal into the Philippine
territorial limits for whatever purpose; and to provide advancement
and facilitate research and studies on toxic chemicals.
 PRESIDENTIAL DECREE 1586 ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) STATEMENT OF 1978

The Environment Impact Assessment System was

formally established in 1978 with the enactment of
Presidential Decree no. 1586 to facilitate the attainment
and maintenance of rational and orderly balance
between socio-economic development and
environmental protection. EIA is a planning and
management tool that will help government, decision
makers, the proponents and the affected community
address the negative consequences or risks on the
environment. The process assures implementation of
environment-friendly projects.
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