2.5 Sustainable development

Ecosystem Management

  • Definition: Ecosystem management aims to preserve ecological functions and processes while meeting human needs.

Importance of Carrying Capacity

  • Concept: Refers to the level of population or community supported by available resources.

  • Significance:

    • Acts as an indirect measure of maximum ecosystem stress.

  • Determining Factors:

    1. Amount of available resources.

    2. Size of the population/community.

    3. Resource consumption per individual.

Effects of Unplanned Management & Development

  • Uncontrolled Logging:

    • Destruction of habitats.

    • Extinction of species (plants & animals).

    • Soil fertility degradation.

    • Pollution and global warming.

    • Increased soil erosion, landslides, flash floods.

  • Unplanned Agriculture:

    • Exhaustion of soil nutrients.

    • Soil erosion and flash floods.

    • Toxic chemical accumulation.

  • Uncontrolled Fisheries:

    • Extinction of fish species due to over-fishing.

Sustainable Development

  • Definition:

    • Development that meets current needs without compromising future generations' needs (according to the Rio Summit).

  • Essentials:

    • Planned development to minimize environmental damage.

    • Examples: sustainable forestry, agriculture, fisheries.

Conservation vs. Preservation

  • Conservation:

    • Management & sensible use of natural resources to avoid excessive environmental degradation and sustain biodiversity.

  • Preservation:

    • Complete protection of species and ecosystems to maintain their current state without change.

Methods of Ecosystem Management

  1. Protected Areas:

    • Nature reserves and national parks safeguarded and patrolled (e.g., Taman Negara in Pahang).

  2. Planned Land Use:

    • Specific areas designated as water catchment, recreation, or high conservation value areas.

  3. Legal Protections:

    • Endangered species protections against poaching (e.g., tigers & elephants).

  4. Commercial Farming:

    • Development of sustainable farms for species such as ostriches or orchids to reduce illegal hunting.

The Case of Tigers (Panthera tigris)

  • Significant Facts:

    • Tigers are an emblem of strength with a population decline of 95% over 100 years.

    • Historically, eight subspecies existed; three are now extinct.

    • Major threats include habitat loss and poaching.

Ecosystem Management Practices

  • Key strategies include:

    1. Legislating and enforcing the protection of endangered species.

    2. Establishing conservation areas like national parks.

    3. Implementing breeding programs.

    4. Restricting urban and industrial development.

    5. Implementing recycling and effective pollution control.

    6. Developing sustainable programs.

Sustainable Forest Management

  • Definition: Management of forests according to sustainable development principles.

  • Techniques:

    1. Reforestation.

    2. Conservation of forest ecosystems.

    3. Gazetting forest reserves.

Deforestation and Its Effects

  • Definition:

    • Logging and burning of trees in forests.

  • Consequences:

    • Habitat damage, biodiversity loss, climatic changes, and increased flooding.

Sustainable Techniques for Forest Management

  • Methods:

    1. Forest plantations.

    2. Reforestation practices.

    3. Controlled logging.

    4. Establish forest reserves.

    5. Retention of seed trees for regeneration.

    6. Strip cropping and thinning.

    7. Biogas usage and paper recycling.

    8. Pest protection.

Sustainable Agriculture

  • Goals:

    • Environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity.

  • Practices:

    1. Crop diversification to enhance resilience.

    2. Soil health management including cover crops and composting.

    3. Efficient input use through crop rotation, strip farming, and contour farming.

    4. Waste and pesticide control.

Biodiversity in Malaysia

  • Overview: Rich biodiversity with over 15,000 flowering plants and endangered species.

  • Conservation Areas: Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve known for decades of environmental protection.

Conservation Efforts**:

  • Research & Education: Involvement in turtle research and education on conservation methods.