Comprehensive Study Guide on Sustainability and Ecosystem Management

Fundamentals and Principles of Sustainability

  • Sustainability is defined as the ability of an ecosystem to continue to exist indefinitely by recycling their materials. It ensures balanced systems both for the present and for the future.

  • Natural ecosystems remain sustainable as long as they possess a continued and constant source of energy.

  • Ecosystem services refer to the benefits that organisms receive from the environment and its resources. Specific examples include:

    • Food production

    • Water supply

    • Raw supply

    • Climate regulations

    • Gas supply

  • Humans must utilize these services without reducing the health of the ecosystem. Any change to one part of the system will disrupt the entire ecosystem, causing it to become unbalanced.

  • Sustainable practices provide economic opportunities while simultaneously maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health. Biodiversity is defined as a variety of organisms.

  • A sustainable Earth requires that society’s demand on nature is in balance with nature’s ability to meet that demand.

Individual Empowerment and Consumer Responsibility

  • Inquiring individuals can make a difference through responsible decision-making and choices that lead to sustainable practices benefiting all life.

  • Consumers possess significant power through their choices:

    • Individuals must consider what products they will or will not buy and the reasons or motivations behind those choices.

    • It is important to research manufacturing conditions and the materials used to make a product.

  • Volunteers inspire others through their commitment and example. Key considerations for volunteering include:

    • Identifying where time can be volunteered.

    • Understanding who benefits from the willingness to share a part of oneself.

    • Recognizing how volunteering locally can have global effects.

  • Citizens have a fundamental responsibility to their community, province, country, and planet:

    • Individuals must identify their responsibilities as citizens.

    • Citizens should educate themselves about political candidates before voting.

  • Citizen scientists contribute to important scientific advancements. This can be done by:

    • Finding information about local projects, such as surveys for vernal pools, butterflies, or wildflowers.

    • Identifying local projects of interest.

    • Understanding how local data can be utilized nationally or internationally to help scientists learn about sustainability.

  • Science-minded advocacy groups can affect change and increase sustainability and stewardship. This involves:

    • Learning about the motives, backing, and causes represented by advocacy groups.

    • Understanding how work within these groups can lead to changes in legislation that protect ecosystems and services.

Local and Regional Sustainability Initiatives

  • Individuals can make a difference by choosing to recycle, using public transit, and using solar power.

  • Smart Growth is a strategy focused on concentrating growth in the center of a city rather than in outlying areas. It includes the following features:

    • Intermixing homes and businesses.

    • Preserving green spaces.

    • Enhancing public transportation.

  • Dark Sky Preserves are parks dedicated to reducing the effects of artificial lighting on the nighttime environment. They help protect wildlife that rely on darkness for foraging, mating, or migration. An example is McDonald Park in Abbotsford, B.C.

  • Small-scale and community solar projects help reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. For instance, the Grand Forks Aquatic Centre in Grand Forks, B.C., utilizes 18 solar panels to heat pool water and hot tubs.

  • Cycling Promotion: Vancouver has increased the number of protected two-way bike lanes in the downtown core, which are separated from traffic. Bike-sharing programs also promote cycling for residents and tourists.

  • Waste Reduction Programs: Waste Reduction Week is a nationwide program where students are challenged to have a waste-free lunch and practice the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) at school.

  • Sustainable Housing Development: The Scia’new First Nation on Beecher Bay in East Sooke, B.C., is constructing a sustainable housing development. The project includes:

    • Ecologically sustainable technologies.

    • Geothermal heating systems to provide heat to homes.

    • Repurposing removed trees to create fireplace mantels.

Negative Influences and Resource Management

  • Human activities have several negative influences on ecosystems, including:

    • Land use and resource use.

    • Habitat loss and habitat fragmentation.

    • Deforestation and soil degradation.

    • Agricultural practices and contamination.

    • Overexploitation and extinction.

  • Better resource management practices are required to mitigate these effects.

  • Effects of Land Use in British Columbia:

    • Urbanization: Expanding populations affect grasslands, forests, wetlands, and farmland. This leads to biodiversity losses, reliance on motorized vehicles, and increased energy consumption.

    • Logging: Clear-cutting large areas of forest and constructing steep switchback roads for timber harvesting results in erosion and destruction of stream habitats.

    • Grasslands: Towns, cities, fields, and ranches have covered most grasslands. Livestock grazing, recreational vehicles, and introduced plants have altered these ecosystems.

  • Sustainable Approaches to Land Use:

    • Redevelopment: Some cities redevelop industrial areas or buildings into mixed residences and businesses. These plans includes waste treatment, storm water collection, and native plantings.

    • Forest Management: Some companies use practices that allow more trees to remain uncut, include streambed restoration, and utilize less harmful road-building. These practices consider both ecosystem function and local economic needs.

    • Grassland Management: Plans are developed to protect the health and functions of natural grasslands while providing productive grazing lands. This requires understanding relationships between soil, vegetation types, plant succession, and weed control.

Scientific Literacy and Bias

  • Scientifically literate citizens must be able to recognize and evaluate bias in sources of information.

  • Bias is defined as a judgment that is based on a person’s knowledge, understanding, and beliefs.

  • An example of bias in terminology is the use of the term "tar sands" versus "oil sands."

  • Identifying which term would be used by a person against the processing of Alberta’s oil resources is a key exercise in recognizing bias.