Environmental Sustainability and Ecosystem Services Review

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Question and answer flashcards covering sustainable yield, commons, ecosystem services, ecological footprint and biocapacity, and the tragedy of the commons based on the lecture notes.

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17 Terms

1
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What is sustainable yield and what does it apply to?

The amount of resource that can be harvested without decreasing the future food supply; this concept applies to timber harvesting, freshwater, fish populations, and all crops.

2
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Name three factors that influence sustainable yield.

Rate of regeneration; Impact of extraction; Demand for the resource.

3
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What are 'commons' in the context of sustainability?

Resources that are shared by many people and historically difficult to manage sustainably because they are open to all users; example fisheries.

4
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Give an example of the tragedy of the commons in marine resources.

Overfishing leads to populations crashing; can result in extinction or regulatory limits on harvesting.

5
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What are ecosystem services?

Benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems, categorized into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

6
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Provide examples of provisioning services.

Medicinal plants, biofuels, timber, food, and water.

7
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Provide examples of regulating services.

Air quality regulation, carbon sequestration, natural disaster control, pollution control, water flow regulation, wastewater treatment, erosion prevention, and biological control.

8
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Provide examples of cultural services.

Parks, picnic areas, hot springs, and other non-material recreational and aesthetic benefits.

9
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Provide examples of supporting services.

Photosynthesis, biogeochemical cycles, nutrient cycling in soil and water, and cellular respiration.

10
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What is an ecological footprint?

A standardized measure of an individual's demand on natural capital, contrasted with the planet's capacity to regenerate.

11
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What areas does the ecological footprint track?

Cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds, built-up land, and carbon demand on land.

12
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What is a global hectare (gha)?

A unit of measurement used to quantify the ecological footprint and biocapacity; roughly equal to 10,000 square meters or 2.472 acres.

13
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What is a biocapacity deficit?

When a population's ecological footprint exceeds Earth's biocapacity, leading to environmental degradation and sustainability issues.

14
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What is a biocapacity reserve?

The amount of biocapacity that can be sustainably drawn from Earth's resources without degrading the environment beyond its natural limits.

15
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Who proposed the Tragedy of the Commons and what is its core idea?

Garrett Hardin; shared common resources are depleted when individuals act in their own self interest without coordination.

16
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What are some strategies to regulate actions in the tragedy of the commons?

Laws, privatization, education, and peer or community pressure.

17
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Give examples of common resources considered commons.

Ocean, air, freshwater, game animals, and lands managed by agencies like the Bureau of Land Management or protected areas such as National Parks.