Text 7. About the British Ecological Society.

 

The vision of the British Ecological Society (BES) is to advance ecology and make it count. Ecology is the scientific study of the distribution, abundance and dynamics of organisms, their interactions with other organisms and with their physical environment. At a time when finite natural resources are being used at increasing rates, it has never been more important for human society to understand its impact on ecological systems and their importance in maintaining human health.

The BES’s many activities include the publication of a range of scientific literature, including four internationally renowned journals, the organisation and sponsorship of a wide variety of meetings, the funding of numerous grant schemes, education work and policy work. The Society also runs supporting initiatives such as the gratis book scheme which aims to make ecology publications available to those who couldn't otherwise obtain them.

The Society was established in 1913 and has approximately 4,000 members worldwide, and membership is open to all with an interest in ecology. There is a small membership fee, with discounts for students and those from low income countries. The Society is funded through income from subscriptions, publications and its investment portfolio. It is an independent organisation that receives little outside funding.

Membership costs just £40 per year (£20 for students/reduced/retired) and you can apply and pay online. Reduced membership is open to members who are residents in countries classified as "low Income" by the World Bank.

Existing members can renew their membership online. Membership is by Committee approval and may take approximately one month to process.

Membership benefits include:

· Reduced price registration for all BES run and sponsored meetings (BES Student members are entitled to further discounts).

· The Bulletin - the newsletter which keeps you up to date with the ecological community

· Networking opportunities to meet and interact with other ecological professionals

· Member only ring-fenced grants

· Low cost journals

· Member only discounts from leading scientific publishers

· Supporting the BES's vision and activities

Strategic plan. The British Ecological Society is a scientific society for those interested in ecology. Ecology is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms, the interaction between organisms, the interaction between organisms and their environment, and structure and function of ecosystems. Ecology is transboundary and so the Society works at regional, national and global scales.

Ecology's purpose is to provide knowledge about the way the world works and provide evidence on the interdependence between the natural world and people. A better understanding of ecological systems will allow society to predict the consequences of human activity on the environment.

BES’s vision is: advancing ecology and making it count. This can be achieved through:

· Developing ecological science and scientists

· Improving the quality of education and capacity building

· Promoting the use of ecological science

· Building collaborative partnerships

· Ensuring financial sustainability

· Improving efficacy

The plan sets out the high level strategic aims of the Society's Council for the next seven years, covering our centenary in 2013. The aims will be delivered through a set of annual business plans monitored by Council and the strategic plan will be reviewed in 2010.

In delivering these strategic aims, the BES will apply the following values:

· Influential: we will ensure the voice of ecologists is heard

· Objective: we are a science-based organisation

· Environmentally-sustainable: the environmental impact of BES activities will become an integral part of our planning process

· Forward thinking and innovative: we will use creative and novel approaches

· Collaborative: where appropriate, we will actively seek partnerships to deliver our aims effectively

· Efficient: we will make effective use of our resources

· Open: we will listen to our members and the wider community

Text 8. Eco - Organizations around the world.

Conservation International is a nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1987 and with headquarters in Washington DC. Working in over 40 countries, mainly developing nations, and establishing key partnerships with businesses, organizations, governments, and indigenous communities. Conservation International hopes to promote conservation throughout the world. Its aim is to safeguard the Earth’s biodiversity by tackling various issues. It is concerned with protecting species in the most biologically diverse areas of the world; conserving landscapes and seascapes to preserve natural resource preservation, and empower local communities to ensure the responsible used of natural resources.

Friends of Nature. International Friends of Nature is a non-profit organization which encourages green tourism. The organization began in Austria in 1895, and currently includes 600,000 members with 39 offices and about 35,000 voluntary workers worldwide. In its origins, the organization’s activities were aimed at raising environmental awareness and the conservation of natural resources.

Still in harmony with its original beliefs, International Friends of Nature is still committed to supporting sustainable development and promoting environmentally and socially sound tourism. In cooperation with local groups, the organization conducts various seminars and provides information material on environmental topics, and offers for environmentally sound travel programs for its members. In 1995, the International Friends of Nature also set up the "Institute for Integrative Tourism" (IITF) for sustainability research and education.

 

Green Cross International. Green Cross International is an international environmental organization founded in 1993 following the 1992 Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With organizations currently established in 31 different countries, Green Cross International provides programs at national and international levels aimed at promoting a sustainable environment. It promotes norms and guidelines for the government, private sector, and communities to better understand humanity’s relationship with nature.

The organization’s programs focus on preventing and resolving conflicts arising from environmental degradation, providing assistance to all those affected by the environmental consequences of wars, and promoting values through implementation of the Earth Charter and various environmental education initiatives.

 

Green Globe. Green Globe is a Benchmarking, Certification and Performance Improvement program initiated by The World Travel and Tourism Council in 1994. This program is based on the principles for sustainable development derived from the United Nations Rio Earth Summit. The aim of the program is to provide guidelines for tourism industry members to focus their efforts on sustainability. Green Globe helps not only companies, but also and communities to monitor their environmental performance and identify areas that need improvement.

There are four different Green Globe Standards:

• The Green Globe Company Standard: It provides an environmental management framework for organizations within the travel and tourism industry. The company’s environmental footprint is first benchmarked, obtaining the Benchmarking Bronze Level. It may continue to the Certification Silver Level, and be eligible for the Gold Certified Level after 5 years of continuous certification.

• The Green Globe Community Standard: It provides the community with a structure to benchmark and certify environmental and social performance.

• The Green Globe Building Planning and Design Standard: It provides environmental standards for the construction of a specific building.

• Green Globe Precinct Planning and Design Standard: It provides specific guidelines to help developers increase ecological performance.

 

NatureServe is a non-profit environmental conservation organization whose mission is to provide scientific information about rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems. NatureServe also develops information products, data management tools, and conservation services to help meet local, national, and global conservation needs and make informed decisions regarding natural resources management. The organization, established in 1994, represents an international network of biological inventories known as natural heritage programs and conservation data centers.

The information compiled is used by various sectors. Conservation groups use natural heritage data to identify important natural areas and determine conservation priorities. Local governments use the information to aid in land use planning. Developers and businesses depend on this data to comply with environmental laws. NatureServe is also carrying out numerous projects throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean designed to increase understanding of species and ecosystems.

 

Rainforest Alliance. The NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) Rainforest Alliance was founded in 1987 with the goal of working towards biodiversity conservation. The organization works with farmers, workers, business leaders, NGO's, governments, scientists, and local communities in over 60 countries to develop and implement socially and environmentally responsible standards of practice and ensure sustainable livelihoods.

Its sustainable forestry division offers a certification program to encourage environmentally and socially responsible management of forests, tree farms and forest resources. Through its activities, Rainforest Alliance is also increasing the demand for certified products. Its sustainable agriculture division oversees the certification of farms that must comply with social and environmental standards. The sustainable tourism division provides tourism businesses in Latin America with training and tools to minimize their impact on the environment and local communities. The organization also works towards environmental education through an education site, participation in schools, and their Adopt-a-Rainforest program.

 

 

Society for Ecological Restoration. The Society for Ecological Restoration International is a non-profit organization founded in 1988 for the purposes of promoting ecological restoration for biodiversity conservation and sustainability. It now boasts members in 37 different countries dedicated to contributing to the restoration effort. Although the Society does not engage in any field projects, it encourages research and promotes ecological awareness in a series of ways. It offers conferences where members can exchange ideas and information and participate in workshops, fieldtrips, and other activities. Its journals, such as Restoration Ecology, focuses on research on restoration and ecological principles, and the Society’s restoration networks promote the appropriate use of traditional ecological knowledge to restore the culture of indigenous peoples. The Global Restoration Network offers case studies, databases, scientific papers, and resources numerous topics related to ecology and conservation.

 

TIES. The International Ecotourism Society, or TIES, is the oldest and largest ecotourism organization in the world. It promotes ecotourism principles and responsible travel in over ninety countries, looking to put sustainable travel and conservation on the tourism industry. With this goal in mind, it offers educational material, conferences, and a variety of resources for tourists and tourism professionals to educate society on the importance of integrating travel and conservation. Founded in 1990, this non-profit, non-governmental organization has worked to provide ecotourism guidelines and standards, expert knowledge, and assistance to further ecotourism development.

Through membership services, training, and conference programs, TIES helps organizations, communities, and individuals learn about and enjoy the benefits of sustainable travel. TIES members include academics, conservation professionals, organizations, governments, tour operators, lodge/hotel owners, and tourists worldwide who form a network dedicated to preserving the world’s natural and cultural heritage.

 

Fast Facts

· Greenpeace

Type: Non-governmental organization

Founded: 1971

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Headquarters Amsterdam, Netherlands (international)

Staff: Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director

Lalita Ramdas, Chairman

Area: served Worldwide

Focus: Environmentalism, peace

Method: Direct action, lobbying, research, innovation

Revenue:?212,316,000 (2007)

Members: 2.9 million

Website: www.greenpeace.org www.greenpeace.mobi

· The Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal is WWF’s premier award. The purpose of the medal is to recognize, once a year, highly meritorious contributions to the conservation of wildlife and natural resources, but on Prince Philip’s retirement as WWF International’s president in 1996 it was renamed the Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal as a tribute to him.

· Man is the dolphin greatest predator, more than 100,000 dolphins die each year because of man, either in nets or for gastronomy (being eaten). In the Pacific Tunas and Dolphins follow the same routes, for years they were both captured in the nets aimed at the Tunas, the Dolphins were either drowned or slaughtered.

· If you witness the illegal capture, killing, or harassment of any marine mammal, such as bottlenose dolphins, whales, and seals, you may be able to receive a reward of up to $2,500 from the federal government. To get a reward, the information you provide has to lead to a conviction for a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. You can receive up to one-half of the fine that the government collects based on your complaint.

· Some species of dolphins are reported to swim up to 40 km/hr, due to special structures in the skin that reduce turbulence.

· The optimum swimming speed (the speed at which a dolphin spends a minimum of energy and hence can maintain for a long time) is about 8 km/hr. Dolphins sleep about 8 hrs/day which would leave 16 hours for travel. This would mean they can travel up to 128 km/day.

· The dolphin is capable of diving for up to 20 minutes at 300 meters, this is considered to be a maximum for a bottlenose dolphins. Although in some experiments they have dived to about 500 meters (a dolphin that was especially trained for this).

· Envirofacts Warehouse provides users with direct access to environmental information contained in various EPA databases including hazardous waste, Superfund information, toxic releases, facility information, risk management plans, grants/funding, water permits, and drinking water contaminant occurrence.

· Enviromapper allows users to map various types of environmental information including hazardous waste, water discharge permits, toxic and air releases, watersheds, and Superfund sites. Enviromapper can also be used to spatially view environmental statistics, profiles, and trends.

· Leaving a photocopier on overnight uses enough energy to print over 5,000 A4 (letter) copies.

· A typical office wastes enough energy overnight to heat 1000 cups of coffee

· 20% of energy used in an office is through equipment, and 50% of that through IT.

 

Important Terms

 

A biotic Resources – Resources which are considered abiotic and therefore not renewable. Zinc ore and crude oil are examples of abiotic resources.

B iotic Resources – Resources which are considered biotic and therefore renewable. The rainforests and tigers are examples of biotic resources.

C ertification – The procedure by which third party gives written assurance that a product, process, or service conforms to specific requirements.

C ontinuous Improvement – The process of enhancing an environmental management system to achieve improvements in overall environmental performance in line with an organization's environmental policy.

D amage – A deterioration in the quality of the environment not directly attributable to depletion or pollution.

E co-Efficiency – The relationship between economic output (product, service, activity) and environmental impact added caused by production, consumption and disposal.

E mission – One or more substances released to the water, air or soil in the natural environment.

E nvironment – Surroundings in which an organization operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their interrelations. This definition extends the view from a company focus to the global system.

E nvironmental Aspects – Elements of an organization's activities, products or services which can interact with the environment (ISO 14004). A significant environmental aspect is an environmental aspect which has or can have a significant environmental impact.

E nvironmental Effect – Any direct or indirect impingement of activities, products and services of an organization upon the environment, whether adverse or beneficial. An environmental effect is the consequence of an environmental intervention in an environmental system.

E nvironmental Effects Evaluation – A documented evaluation of the environmental significance of the effect of an organization's activities, products and services (existing and planned) upon the environment.

E nvironmental Effects Register – A list of significant environmental effects, known or suspected, of an organization's activities, products and services upon the environment.

E nvironmental Impact – Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization's activities, products or services. An environmental impact addresses an environmental problem.

E nvironmental Impact Added – The total of all environmental interventions of a product or production system evaluated (weighted) according to the harmfulness of each intervention to the environment.

E nvironmental Issue – A point or matter of discussion, debate, or dispute of an organization's environmental aspects.

E nvironmental Management – Those aspects of an overall management function (including planning) that determine and lead to implementation of an environmental policy.

E nvironmental Management Audit – A systematic evaluation to determine whether an environmental management system and environmental performance comply with planned arrangements, and whether a system is implemented effectively, and is suitable to fulfill an organization's environmental policy.

E nvironmental Management Manual – The documentation describing the procedures for implementing an organization's environmental management program.

E nvironmental Management Program – A description of the means of achieving environmental objectives and targets.

E nvironmental Management Review – A formal evaluation by management of the status and adequacy of systems and procedures in relation to environmental issues, policy and regulations as well as new objectives resulting from changing circumstances.

E nvironmental Management System – The part of an overall management system which includes structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procurements, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining an environmental policy.

E nvironmental Management System Audit – A systematic and documented verification process to objectively obtain and evaluate evidence to determine whether an organization's environmental management system conforms to the environmental management system audit criteria set by the organization, and communication of the results of this process to management.

E nvironmental Objectives – The overall environmental goal, arising from an environmental policy, that an organization sets itself to achieve, and which is quantified where practical.

E nvironmental Performance – Measurable results (see environmental performance indicators/index) of an environmental management system, related to the control of its environmental aspects. Assessment of environmental performance is based on environmental policy, environmental objectives and environmental targets.

E nvironmental Policy – A statement by an organization of its intentions and principles in relation to its overall environmental performance. Environmental policy provides a framework for action and for the setting of its environmental objectives and target.

E nvironmental Regulation Register – A list of regulations regarding environmental aspects of an organization.

E nvironmental Target – A detailed performance requirement, quantified where practical, applicable to the organization or parts or combination thereof, that arises from environmental objectives and that must be set and met in order to achieve those environmental objectives.

E nvironmental Strategy – A plan of action intended to accomplish a specific environmental objective.

I nterested Party – Individuals or groups concerned with or affected by the environmental performance of an organization. Interested groups include those exercising statutory environmental control over an organization, local residents, an organization's investors, insurers, employees, customers and consumers, environmental interest groups and the general public.

N on-Governmental Organization (NGO) – An organization centred around a cause or causes that works outside the sphere of governments. NGOs often lobby governments in an attempt to influence policy.

O rganization – A company, corporation, firm, enterprise or institution, or part or combination thereof, whether incorporated or not, public or private, that has its own functions and administration. For organizations with more than one operating unit, a single operating unit may be defined as an organization.

V aluation – The process of weighting characterized environmental interventions against each other in a quantitative and/or qualitative way. This process results in an environmental performance index.

Verification Activities – All inspection, test and monitoring work related to environmental management.

 

 

Content

 

Unit I. Introduction. History of Ecology as a Science in Brief ……………

Text 1. Definition of Ecology…………………………………………………

Text 2. Historical Background………………………………………………..

Text 3. Areas of Study………………………………………………………..

Text 4. Methods in Ecology…………………………………………………..

Text 5. Ecology and Evolution………………………………………………..

Text 6. Ecological Crisis………………………………………………………

Fast Facts ……………………………………………………………………….

Important Terms …………………………………………………………………

Unit II. The Problems of Air Pollution ………………………………………

Text 1. The Matter of the Problem. The Background in Brief………………...

Text 2. The Main Types of Air Pollution……………………………………...

Text 3. The Major Air Pollutants and Their Sources………………………….

Text 4. Acid Rain and Ozone Depletion Problems……………………………

Text 5. Smog…………………………………………………………………..

Text 6. The Greenhouse Effect. Global Warming…………………………….

Text 7. Flyash………………………………………………………………….

Text 8. Health Effects…………………………………………………………

Text 9. What You Can Do to Reduce Air Pollution…………………………..

Fast Facts ……………………………………………………………………….

Important Terms …………………………………………………………………

Unit III. The Problems of Water Pollution ……………………………………

Text 1. A Major Problem in the Global Context………………………………

Text 2. Water Pollution Categories. Point and Non-point Sources……………

Text 3. Causes of Water Pollution…………………………………………….

Text 4. Classifying Water Pollution……………………………………………

Text 5. Wastewater Treatment…………………………………………………

Fast Facts ………………………………………………………………………..

Important Terms …………………………………………………………………

Unit IV. The Problems of Soil Pollution. Noise Pollution ……………………

Text 1. Soil Pollution. Major Pollutants and Their Sources…………………..

Text 2. Ecosystem effects. Treatment of Soil Pollution……………………….

Text 3. Noise Pollution. The Causes and Sources……………………………..

Text 4. Effects of Noise Pollution……………………………………………..

Text 5. Noise Pollution Control……………………………………………….

Fast Facts ……………………………………………………………………….

Important Terms …………………………………………………………………

Unit V. Some Problems of Information Pollution ……………………………

Text 1. The Background of the Problem………………………………………..

Text 2. Some Dimensions of Information Ecology……………………………

Text 3. A Global Information Ecology………………………………………...

Text 4. Causes and Sources of Information Pollution…………………………

Text 5. Manifestations of Information Pollution………………………………

 

Text 6. Information Overload……………………………………………

Text 7. The Effects of Information Pollution…………………………….

Fast Facts …………………………………………………………………..

Important Terms ……………………………………………………………

Unit VI. Environmental Organizations …………………………………

Text 1. Greenpeace. Origins………………………………………………

Text 2. Greenpeace Structure. Its Regional and National Offices………..

Text 3. Greenpeace. Some Campaigns and Priorities…………………….

Text 4. World Wide Fund for Nature……………………………………..

Text 5. WWF. A History of a Global Environmental

Conservation Organization……………………………………….

Text 6. About the EnviroLink Network…………………………………..

Text 7. About the British Ecological Society……………………………..

Text 8. Eco-Organizations around the world………………………………

Fast Facts ……………………………………………………………………

Important Terms ……………………………………………………………..