WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW?

• ENVIRONMENTAL LAW IS A COMPLEX COMBINATION OF STATE, FEDERAL,

AND INTERNATIONAL TREATY LAW PERTAINING TO ISSUES OF CONCERN TO
THE ENVIRONMENT AND PROTECTING NATURAL RESOURCES.
FOR EXAMPLE,
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS OFTEN RELATE TO ISSUES SUCH AS POLLUTION OF
SOIL, AIR, OR WATER; GLOBAL WARMING; AND DEPLETION OF OIL, COAL, AND
CLEAN WATER.

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 ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS
1. PRINCIPLE I - PEOPLE DEPEND ON NATURAL SYSTEMS

PEOPLE DEPEND ON NATURAL SYSTEMS

• THE CONTINUATION AND HEALTH OF INDIVIDUAL HUMAN LIVES
AND OF HUMAN COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETIES
• DEPEND ON THE HEALTH OF THE NATURAL SYSTEMS THAT
PROVIDE ESSENTIAL GOODS AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.
• CONCEPT A. THE GOODS PRODUCED BY NATURAL SYSTEMS ARE
ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN LIFE AND TO THE FUNCTIONING OF
OUR ECONOMIES AND CULTURES.
• CONCEPT B. THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY NATURAL
SYSTEMS ARE ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN LIFE AND TO THE
FUNCTIONING OF OUR ECONOMIES AND CULTURES.
• CONCEPT C. THAT THE QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND RELIABILITY OF
THE GOODS AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY
NATURAL SYSTEMS ARE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE HEALTH
OF THOSE SYSTEMS.
2. PRINCIPLE II - PEOPLE INFLUENCE NATURAL SYSTEMS

• PEOPLE INFLUENCE NATURAL SYSTEMS

THE LONG-TERM FUNCTIONING AND HEALTH OF
TERRESTRIAL, FRESHWATER, COASTAL, AND MARINE
ECOSYSTEMS ARE INFLUENCED BY THEIR
RELATIONSHIPS WITH HUMAN SOCIETIES.
CONCEPT A. DIRECT AND INDIRECT CHANGES TO NATURAL
SYSTEMS DUE TO THE GROWTH OF HUMAN POPULATIONS AND
THEIR CONSUMPTION RATES INFLUENCE THE GEOGRAPHIC
EXTENT, COMPOSITION, BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, AND VIABILITY
OF NATURAL SYSTEMS.

CONCEPT B. METHODS USED TO EXTRACT, HARVEST,

TRANSPORT, AND CONSUME NATURAL RESOURCES INFLUENCE
THE GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT, COMPOSITION, BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY, AND VIABILITY OF NATURAL SYSTEMS.
• CONCEPT C. THE EXPANSION AND OPERATION OF
HUMAN COMMUNITIES INFLUENCES THE GEOGRAPHIC
EXTENT, COMPOSITION, BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, AND
VIABILITY OF NATURAL SYSTEMS.
• CONCEPT D. THE LEGAL, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL
SYSTEMS THAT GOVERN THE USE AND MANAGEMENT OF
NATURAL SYSTEMS DIRECTLY INFLUENCE THE
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT, COMPOSITION, BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY, AND VIABILITY OF NATURAL SYSTEMS.
3. PRINCIPLE III - NATURAL SYSTEMS CHANGE IN WAYS THAT PEOPLE
BENEFIT FROM AND CAN INFLUENCE

NATURAL SYSTEMS CHANGE IN WAYS THAT PEOPLE

BENEFIT FROM AND CAN INFLUENCE
• NATURAL SYSTEMS PROCEED THROUGH CYCLES THAT
HUMANS DEPEND UPON, BENEFIT FROM, AND CAN ALTER.
CONCEPT A. NATURAL SYSTEMS PROCEED THROUGH
CYCLES AND PROCESSES THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR
THEIR FUNCTIONING.
CONCEPT B. HUMAN PRACTICES DEPEND UPON AND
BENEFIT FROM THE CYCLES AND PROCESSES THAT
OPERATE WITHIN NATURAL SYSTEMS.
CONCEPT C. HUMAN PRACTICES CAN ALTER THE
CYCLES AND PROCESSES THAT OPERATE WITHIN
NATURAL SYSTEMS.
4. PRINCIPLE IV - THERE ARE NO PERMANENT OR IMPERMEABLE
BOUNDARIES THAT PREVENT MATTER FROM FLOWING BETWEEN
SYSTEMS

THERE ARE NO PERMANENT OR IMPERMEABLE BOUNDARIES

THAT PREVENT MATTER FROM FLOWING BETWEEN SYSTEMS
• THE EXCHANGE OF MATTER BETWEEN NATURAL SYSTEMS
AND HUMAN SOCIETIES AFFECTS THE LONG-TERM
FUNCTIONING OF BOTH.
CONCEPT A. THE EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON NATURAL
SYSTEMS ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE QUANTITIES OF
RESOURCES CONSUMED AND TO THE QUANTITY AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESULTING BYPRODUCTS.
CONCEPT B. THE BYPRODUCTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ARE NOT
READILY PREVENTED FROM ENTERING NATURAL SYSTEMS AND MAY
BE BENEFICIAL, NEUTRAL, OR DETRIMENTAL IN THEIR EFFECT.
CONCEPT C. THE CAPACITY OF NATURAL SYSTEMS TO ADJUST TO
HUMAN-CAUSED ALTERATIONS DEPENDS ON THE NATURE OF THE
SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE SCOPE, SCALE, AND DURATION OF THE
ACTIVITY AND THE NATURE OF ITS
BY PRODUCTS.
5. PRINCIPLE V - DECISIONS AFFECTING RESOURCES AND NATURAL
SYSTEMS ARE COMPLEX AND INVOLVE MANY FACTORS

DECISIONS AFFECTING RESOURCES AND NATURAL

SYSTEMS ARE COMPLEX AND INVOLVE MANY FACTORS
• DECISIONS AFFECTING RESOURCES AND NATURAL
SYSTEMS ARE BASED ON A WIDE RANGE OF
CONSIDERATIONS AND
• DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES.
• CONCEPT A. THE SPECTRUM OF WHAT IS CONSIDERED
IN MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT RESOURCES AND
NATURAL SYSTEMS AND HOW THOSE FACTORS
INFLUENCE DECISIONS.

• CONCEPT B. THE PROCESS OF MAKING DECISIONS

ABOUT RESOURCES AND NATURAL SYSTEMS, AND HOW
THE ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL,
AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS HAS CHANGED OVER
TIME.
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?
BIODIVERSITY IS THE VARIABILITY AMONG LIVING ORGANISMS
FROM ALL SOURCES, INCLUDING TERRESTRIAL, MARINE, AND
OTHER AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS AND THE ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXES
OF WHICH THEY ARE PART; THIS
INCLUDES DIVERSITY WITHIN SPECIES, BETWEEN SPECIES, AND OF
ECOSYSTEMS.
 WHAT IS ECOSYSTEM?

A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALL THE LIVING AND NONLIVING THINGS

(PLANTS, ANIMALS, ORGANISMS, SUN, WATER, CLIMATE ETC)INTERACT WITH
EACH OTHER IS KNOWN AS ‘AN ECOSYSTEM’. ECOSYSTEMS ARE THE
FOUNDATION OF ‘BIOSPHERE’ AND MAINTAIN THE NATURAL BALANCE OF THE
EARTH.
WHAT DO WE GET FROM BIODIVERSITY?
•OXYGEN
• FOOD
•CLEAN WATER
•MEDICINE
 CHARACTERISTICS OF BIODIVERSITY
• PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS, EVEN HEALTHY ONES, CAN
SUPPORT JUST SO MANY OF ANY SPECIES, INCLUDING PEOPLE,
INDEFINITELY.

• THIS MAXIMUM NUMBER IS TERMED THE CARRYING CAPACITY

FOR THATENVIRONMENT.

• SPECIES CAN CAUSE CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL

CONDITIONS, AND VICE VERSA, LEADING TO CHANGES IN
CARRYING CAPACITY FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR OTHER
SPECIES.
• ANOTHER WAY TO EXPRESS LIMITS AND CARRYING CAPACITY IS
THROUGH THE TERM ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT.

• OVER THE SHORT TERM, THESE LIMITS CAN BE EXCEEDED BY

A POPULATION OR SPECIES, INCLUDING PEOPLE, A CONDITION
OFTEN TERMED OVERSHOOT.

• OVERSHOOT, IN THE SHORT TERM, OFTEN DEGRADES THE

ASSOCIATED ENVIRONMENT; IN THE LONG TERM, IT CAUSES A
SHARP, CONSIDERABLE DECLINE IN A POPULATION OR SPECIES,
OR EVEN ITS ELIMINATION FROM THAT ENVIRONMENT.
BIODIVERSITY HAS VALUE:
• BIODIVERSITY HAS EVOLUTIONARY, ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CULTURAL,
AND INTRINSIC VALUES.

• BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS OFFER A VARIETY OF NATURAL PRODUCTS,

INCLUDING MEDICAL INGREDIENTS THAT ENHANCE HUMAN HEALTH AND STANDARD
OF LIVING.

• BIODIVERSITY PROVIDES ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: WATER PURIFICATION; CLEAN AIR,

FERTILE SOIL, CLIMATE REGULATION, FLOOD CONTROL, AS WELL AS PEST REGULATION
AND DISEASE RESISTANCE, ESSENTIALLY FOR THE COST OF LETTING NATURAL SYSTEMS
FUNCTION.
• BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IS KEY TO LONG TERM ECOSYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY
(E.G.75% OF CASH CROPS RELY ON A VARIETY OF INSECTS AND OTHER
ORGANISMS FOR POLLINATION; A BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE AGRICULTURAL
ECOSYSTEM PROVIDES STABILITY, NUTRIENTS TO THE SOIL AND NATURAL PEST
RESISTANCE).

• BIODIVERSITY IS KEY IN SUSTAINING THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF NATIONAL AND

PROVINCIAL PARKS AND GREEN SPACES FOR RECREATIONAL USE AND HERITAGE
PRESERVATION.

• BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS MAINTAIN A STABLE ENVIRONMENT

CAPABLE OF PROVIDING A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE.

• HEALTHY, STABLE, DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS ARE ABLE TO RESPOND TO

CHANGE MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN DEGRADED OR SIMPLE SYSTEMS.
 BENEFITS OF BIODIVERSITY
• BIODIVERSITY SUPPLIES THE BUFFERING CAPACITY AND STABILITY
TO LIFE ON THE PLANET BY MAINTAINING THE INTERACTIVE
DYNAMICS OF THE ECOSYSTEMS OF THE WORLD.
• ECONOMICAL BENEFITS
• FOOD VALUE – PROVIDING FOOD TO THE HUMAN POPULATION ON
THIS EARTH FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
• COMMERCIAL VALUE –TIMBER WHICH IS A MAJOR
COMPONENT OF MATERIAL USED FOR PROVIDING SHELTER TO MAN.
• NATURAL FIBRES LIKE COTTON AND SILK ARE STILL USED FOR
CLOTHING BY HUMAN POPULATION.
•MEDICINAL VALUE –MEDICINES, DRUGS AND
PHARMACEUTICALS. MANY PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES
ARE USED FROM DERIVATION OF BASIC DRUGS. THESE
PLANT RESOURCES VARY FROM ACTINOMYCETES AND
FUNGI TO LARGE TREES.
•AESTHETIC VALUE – MAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN
FASCINATED BY THE NATURAL BEAUTY AND NATURE HAS
INSPIRED HIM RESULTING IN DEVELOPMENT OF HIS
MORAL AND ETHICAL VALUES.
 BIODIVERSITY IS IN TROUBLE:
• THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY HAS LINKED HUMAN
ACTIVITY TO THE ACCELERATED RATE OF RECENT
AND CURRENT EXTINCTIONS.
• BIODIVERSITY IS DECLINING BECAUSE OF:
• HABITAT LOSS
• INVASIVE SPECIES
• POLLUTION
• POPULATION GROWTH
• OVER-CONSUMPTION (UNSUSTAINABLE USE)
• CLIMATE CHANGE
 ECOSYSTEM
• AN ECOSYSTEM IS A GEOGRAPHIC AREA WHERE PLANTS, ANIMALS, AND
OTHER ORGANISMS, AS WELL AS WEATHER AND LANDSCAPE, WORK
TOGETHER TO FORM A BUBBLE OF LIFE. ECOSYSTEMS CONTAIN BIOTIC OR
LIVING, PARTS, AS WELL AS ABIOTIC FACTORS, OR NONLIVING
PARTS. BIOTIC FACTORS INCLUDE PLANTS, ANIMALS, AND OTHER
ORGANISMS. ABIOTIC FACTORS INCLUDE ROCKS, TEMPERATURE,
AND HUMIDITY.
THERE ARE VARIOUS DIFFERENT TYPES OF ECOSYSTEMS. USUALLY THESE
ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO CATEGORIES:
•ECOSYSTEMS UNDER WATER. THESE ARE CALLED AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS.
•ECOSYSTEMS ON LAND. THESE ARE CALLED TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS.
BUT, MARINE AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS CAN ALSO BE DIVIDED UP INTO
VARIOUS DIFFERENT KINDS, SUCH AS:
• FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS: THE FISH, PLANTS AND BIRDS THAT LIVE IN
RIVERS AND LAKES.
• MARINE ECOSYSTEMS: ECOSYSTEMS UNDER THE SEA.
ONE EXAMPLE OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM IS A DESERT ECOSYSTEM,
WHERE DESERT CREATURES HAVE EVOLVED TO LIVE WITH EACH OTHER AND
WITH THEIR DESERT ENVIRONMENT.
CHARACTERISTICS
• A CLOSED SYSTEM: THOUGH IT MAY BE PERMEABLE TO OUTSIDE INFLUENCES, AN
ECOSYSTEM CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS A RELATIVELY SELF CONTAINED SYSTEM.
• INTERDEPENDENCE: THE ORGANISMS THAT LIVE IN AN ECOSYSTEM ARE
DEPENDENT ON EACH OTHER, AND THEIR ACTIONS AND LIVES IMPACT ON EACH
OTHER’S LIVES.
• DYNAMIC: ECOSYSTEMS ARE ABLE TO CHANGE AND EVOLVE – INDEED EVOLUTION
IS ONE REASON WHY WE HAVE DISTINCT ECOSYSTEMS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
•ADAPTED: THE ORGANISMS IN AN ECOSYSTEM HAVE ADAPTED TO
THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. THEY LIVE IN SUCH A WAY AS TO DRAW
THE MOST BENEFIT FROM THE ENVIRONMENT.
•FRAGILE: MANY ECOSYSTEMS ARE CONSIDERABLY FRAGILE WHEN
FACED WITH GLOBAL WARMING, POLLUTION AND OTHER HUMAN
MADE PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD. ONE EXAMPLE IS THE MARINE
ECOSYSTEM OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF: THE PRECIOUS AND
ANCIENT CORAL IN THIS REEF IS NOW VISIBLY DYING OUT DUE TO
HUMAN POLLUTION.
•BEAUTIFUL: THE ORGANISMS IN VARIOUS ECOSYSTEMS HAVE A
BEAUTY OF THEIR OWN – NOT JUST TAKEN AS INDIVIDUALS BUT
ALSO IN THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER ORGANISMS IN THE
ECOSYSTEM. MANY SCIENTISTS AND BIOLOGISTS FIND THE
DELICATE BALANCE OF ORGANISMS IN AN ECOSYSTEM.
SOURCES
• HTTPS://WWW.IMPORTANTINDIA.COM/24248/ECOSYSTEM-ITS-MEANING-
AND-IMPORTANCE/
• HTTPS://WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET › ANILKUMAR2120 › CONCEPT-AND-
CHARACTERISTICS-.
• HTTPS://WWW.GREENFACTS.ORG › BIODIVERSITY › 1-DEFINE-BIODIVERSITY