Environmental Studies: Enviormental Studies

About the Book

This textbook uses a balanced approach to the study of environment adopting operational definitions, broad and realistic classification and focused analyses and discussions that highlight the complexities, importance and scope of environmental studies to a wide array of undergraduate students.
The book categorizes the environment into three general chapters: - Non-Living (or abiotic) Environment; Living (or biotic) Environment; Social (or human) Environment and the fourth chapter, Environmental Conservation, integrates the first three chapters.
The intention of this textbook is to focus on specific topics and headings, appearing in the ‘Core Module Syllabus’ proposed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for Environmental Studies, which is applicable to Undergraduate Courses of all Branches of Higher Education.
For this purpose, the book has redistributed the proposed topics and headings under the four interlinked chapters and discussed them with well-established examples and case studies.

About the Author

R. J. Ranjit Daniels is currently the Director of Care Earth an organization he founded in June 2000 that is dedicated to biodiversity research and training. He has been a Research Scientist at the Madras Crocodile Bank, an Honorary Secretary at the Chennai Snake Park and also the Principal Scientific Officer (Biodiversity and Biotechnology) and Chair (Biodiversity) at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. He has been an advisor on the conservation of biodiversity for UNESCO, UNEP, IUCN, NAM Centre for Science and Technology, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (Government of India), the Tamil Nadu State Government and academic institutions like the IIT (Madras). As a guest faculty, he has taught in colleges affiliated to Mangalore University, Pondicherry University, State Forest Service College (Coimbatore) and National Centre for Biological Sciences (Bangalore). Throughout his research career, he has focused on the conservation of biodiversity taking lessons from the ecology of a wide range of organisms including ants, birds, amphibians, fishes, reptiles and mammals in the Western Ghats, the Great Nicobar Island, the Eastern Ghats, the mangroves of Bhitarkanika (Orissa) and in the rainforests of Panama. He has authored 8 books on biodiversity and nearly 200 articles on the subject in natural history magazines and scientific journals. He has published extensively in national and international journals on diverse topics such as ecology, conservation and taxonomy, and on various groups like birds, frogs, ants and plants. Ranjit Daniels was awarded a Doctorate from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 1990 for his study of birds of the Western Ghats. He has a Masters degree in Agricultural Entomology from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and has completed a Post-doctoral research on amphibians. Jagdish Krishnaswamy is currently the Convenor of the Suri Sehgal Centre for Conservation Science at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), a conservation and research Non-Government Organization (NGO) in Bangalore, India. He has worked as a scientist and faculty member at institutions such as the Wildlife Institute of India, Centre for Wildlife Studies and Wildlife Conservation Society-India Program, National Centre for Biological Sciences and ATREE. He is also an Affiliate Teaching Faculty at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bangalore. He has contributed to many regional, national and international conservation initiatives and campaigns, including the Kudremukh mining impact study, selection and nomination of UNESCO World Heritage Sites from the Western Ghats, and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund for the Western Ghats. His research interests are in the fields of forest soils and hydrology, applied landscape ecology and applied statistics. He has contributed to science-based conservation planning, monitoring and policy in India, especially in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot. He has used remote sensing data in his efforts to develop effective surrogates for biodiversity and ecosystem services for large landscapes. He has authored and edited book and numerous scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals. He is also on the editorial board of the international journal, Biotropica. Jagdish Krishnaswamy has a PhD in soil and hydrologic science from the Department of Environment of the Graduate School, Duke University; a Masters in Statistics from the Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences, Duke University and is a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Preface Syllabus Map Chapter 1 Nonliving Environment Learning Objectives 1.1 Soil Origin Classification Soil Types of India Mineral Resources Equitable Use of Mineral Resources 1.2 Water Earth’s Reserves Saltwater Freshwater Atmospheric Water and Rainfall Hydrology Minimum Environmental Flows 1.3 Air Composition Oxygen Carbon dioxide Nitrogen Wind 1.4 Solar System The Sun Solar Energy Summary Key Terms Review Questions Objective-Type Questions Answers Short-Term Projects Chapter 2 Living Environment Learning Objectives 2.1 Biodiversity Genes Populations Species What is Species? Communities Value of Biodiversity 2.2 Ecosystems Classification Ecosystem Resilience Productivity Food Chain Food Web Nutrient Cycling 2.3 Biomes Rainforests Seasonal Broad-Leaved Forests Conifer Forests Swamps Grasslands Arid and Semi-Arid Biome Polar Biome (Arctic and Antarctic) Oceans Summary Key Terms Review Questions Objective-Type Questions Answers Short-Term Projects Chapter 3 Social Environment Learning Objectives 3.1 Population Population Explosion and Migration Women and Children Pressures of Population Growth Industrialization Conflicts Over Land Social Conflicts Disasters Human Rights and Value Education 3.2 Food Agriculture Irrigation Livestock Fisheries Sustainable Agriculture 3.3 Health Communicable Diseases Vector-Borne Diseases Pandemics Vulnerable Groups Role of Information and Awareness 3.4 Energy Non-Renewable Energy Renewable Energy Hydroelectric Energy Solar Energy Wind Energy Energy from Biomass Biodiesel 3.5 Urbanization Habitation Communication Recreation 3.6 Waste Solid Wastes Sewage and Wastewater Hazardous Wastes Management of Solid Wastes Land Disposal and Sanitary Landfills Recycling Medical Wastes Industrial Wastes Wastewater Treatment Bioremediation of Wastewater Biodegradation and Composting Management of Toxic and Hazardous Wastes 3.7 Pollution Air Pollution Noise Pollution Thermal Pollution Water Pollution Marine Pollution Biomagnification Land Pollution Control 3.8 Economy Subsistence Markets Global Trade Regimes 3.9 Natural Resource Depletion Deforestation Mining Soil Erosion Loss of Wetlands Loss of Biodiversity Desertification 3.10 Invasive Species Plants Animals Genetically Modified Organisms Summary Key Terms Review Questions Objective-Type Questions Answers Short-Term Projects Chapter 4 Environmental Conservation Learning Objectives 4.1 Early warning systems Bioindicators Tsunami and Other Natural Disasters Disaster Management 4.2 Impact Assessment Inventorying Monitoring Geographical Information System (GIS) 4.3 Protected Areas Wildlife Sanctuaries National Parks Biosphere Reserves 4.4 Endangered Species Assessment Ex-Situ Conservation Conservation Breeding 4.5 Economic Valuation Bioresources Nature’s Services 4.6 National Legislation Constitutional Provisions for Safeguarding the Environment The Environmental (Protection) Act The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act The Wildlife (Protection) Act Forest Act Biodiversity Act 4.7 International Conventions and Treaties Ramsar Convention CITES Convention on Biological Diversity Convention to Combat Desertification Convention on Climate Change 4.8 Global Efforts in Protecting the Living Environment Global Biodiversity Assessment Ecosystem Services and Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 4.9 Awareness and the Role of Individuals in Conservation of the Environment Exercise Caution While Planting Trees Beware of Invasive Organisms Avoid Actions That Lead to Pollution and Inconvenience Do Not Allow Pets and Domestic Animals to Become Public Nuisance Conserve Water Summary Key Terms Review Questions Objective-Type Questions Answers Term Papers Frequently Asked Questions Appendix I Appendix II Appendix III Appendix IV Appendix V Glossary Bibliography Index