Introduction
The main sources of ecosystem changes are human activities, natural processes including climate changes, animal migrations, etc., political and economical processes in the society. In more detail, the role of human beings is crucial in the ecosystem dynamics. For example, the process of human migration, and the subsequent urbanization of the population, cause changes in the population of a region. This results in the change of the industries developed in the area, the ways of interaction with the environment, animal species extinction or introduction, and so on. Technology is another significant factor because human activities directed at obtaining natural resources like gas, oil, coal, electricity, etc. are inevitably harmful to the environment. That is why these activities change the ecosystem by either destroying the habitats of certain animal species or plant types or creating artificial areas where the members of the ecosystem can exist and develop, like national parks, zoos, etc (Barrameda, 2008).
Needless to say, technology and human migration are economically conditioned. Thus, the type of economic system affects the ecosystem greatly. The agricultural economy is aimed at defending the environment, while the industrial one pollutes air, water, forests, and soils. The processes mentioned tend to have cumulative effects. For example, partial destruction of a forest can be restored while the permanent and regular one results in the shift of the natural balance. Animals are left without their natural habitats, while plants and other biotic organisms become extinct. On the other hand, positive human activities, including environmental protection, nature preservation, etc. also have a cumulative effect as they give results only in case of systematic usage (Barrameda, 2008). So, the above-mentioned processes are positive and negative effects of ecosystem changes.
Main Body
There are numerous definitions of ecologically sustainable development but the most precise one is that ecologically sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Australian Government, 2009) Moreover, the ecologically sustained development is aimed at finding, preserving, and enlarging the resources of mankind so that the environment could be protected and the quality of human life could be increased. Ecologically sustainable development is necessary for society because human beings are integral parts of the environment and their destructive activities damage nature substantially. So, we need ecologically sustainable development to save the environment we live in and at the same time reach progress in improving the quality of our life.
However, the usual practice nowadays is non-sustainable development which includes little attention to environmental issues and nature protection. The essence of non-sustainable development lies in getting profit from one’s activities without thinking of the future generations. For example, to increase production rates an industrial company can save money on environmental policies and protecting equipment, and emit the chemicals directly into a river or an ocean. Keeping in mind the importance of ecologically sustainable development, numerous case studies have been carried out on this topic. For example, the studies of the Colby College are dedicated to the use of pesticides in agriculture, the effects of the US Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 upon the current state of our ecosystem, and the question of creating a sustainable and ecologically safe city. These studies attract the attention of the public and make society think about the preservation of the ecosystem it exists within. The results of these case studies demonstrated that society is more aware of environmental issues, but much work is still to be done.
Conclusion
The role of the government, either a local or a national one, in the development of effective work on environmental protection is crucial. First of all, it is only the government that can implement laws directed at protecting our ecosystem. The legislative acts and laws prohibiting the use of the most dangerous chemicals in the industry and agriculture, limiting the gas emissions of industrial factories and plants, prohibiting and punishing for the killings of the rare animals all are the duties of the government. Accordingly, the recent activities and programs implemented by the government to protect our ecosystem include Habitat Partnership Program, ITG Project, The Pingree Forest Partnership, and many others. All these governmental initiatives are aimed at protecting and preserving such basic environmental areas as forests, water resources, air, etc (Government Innovations Network, 2009).
On the other hand, the role of large corporations in ecosystem change is rather controversial. Although corporations claim to care about the ecosystem and launch numerous propagandist programs for its protection, the actual environmental protection will cause losses to them. That is why corporations are major obstacles in the way of protection and revival of the ecosystem of our country. Together with governmental policies that are not always ecologically sustainable, the activities of corporations damage the ecosystem. However, ordinary people can influence both the government and corporations by expressing their opinions in public, carrying out protest demonstrations, strikes, and other social actions. Thus, people make the government and corporations implement more ecologically sustainable programs.
Works Cited
Barrameda. “The Ecosystems.“ 2008. Web.
Australian Government. “Ecologically Sustainable Development.” 2009. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Web.
Government Innovations Network. “Ecosystems”. 2009. Web.