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(Download) UGC Textbooks : Environmental Studies
(Download) UGC Textbooks : Environmental Studies
Table of Contents :
UNIT 1: THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
- 1.1 DEFINITION, SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE 3
- 1.1.1 Definition 3
- 1.1.2 Scope 3
- 1.1.3 Importance 5
- 1.2 NEED FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS 8
- 1.2.1 Institutions in Environment 9
- 1.2.2 People in Environment 12
UNIT 2: NATURAL RESOURCES
- 2.1 INTRODUCTION 16
- 2.2 RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES 20
- 2.2.1 Natural resources and associated problems 20
- 2.2.2 Non-renewable resources 22
- 2.2.3 Renewable resources 22
a. Forest Resources: Use and over-exploitation, deforestation, case studies. 23
Timber extraction, mining, dams and their effects on forests and tribal people
b. Water Resources: Use and over-utilisation of surface and ground water, 26
floods, drought, conflicts over water, dams – benefits and problems.
c. Mineral Resources: Use and exploitation, environmental effects of extracting 30
and using mineral resources, case studies.
d. Food Resources: World food problems, Changes in landuse by agriculture and 32
grazing, Effects of modern agriculture, Fertilizer/ pesticide problems,
Water logging and salinity
e. Energy Resources: Increasing energy needs, Renewable/ non renewable, 35
Use of Alternate energy sources, Case studies
f. Land resources: Land as a resource, land degradation, man-induced land-slides, 48
soil erosion and desertification.
2.3 ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES 50
2.4 EQUITABLE USE OF RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES 51
UNIT 3: ECOSYSTEMS
- 3.1 Concept of an ecosystem 54
- 3.1.1 Understanding ecosystems 55
- 3.1.2 Ecosystem degradation 55
- 3.1.3 Resource utilisation 56
- 3.2 Structure and functions of an ecosystem 56
- 3.3 Producers, consumers and decomposers 57
- 3.4 Energy flow in the ecosystem 58
- 3.4.1 The water cycle 58
- 3.4.2 The Carbon cycle 59
- 3.4.3 The Oxygen cycle 60
- 3.4.4 The Nitrogen cycle 60
- 3.4.5 The energy cycle 61
- 3.4.6 Integration of cycles in nature 62
- 3.5 Ecological succession 62
- 3.6 Food chains, Food webs and Ecological pyramids 62
- 3.6.1 The food chains 62
- 3.6.2 The food webs 63
- 3.6.3 The ecological pyramids 63
- 3.7 Introduction, Types, Characteristic features, Structure and functions 63
- 3.7.1 Forest ecosystem 65
- 3.7.2 Grassland ecosystem 70
- 3.7.3 Desert ecosystem 74
- 3.7.4 Aquatic ecosystems (ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, oceans) 75
UNIT 4: BIODIVERSITY AND ITS CONSERVATION
- 4.1 INTRODUCTION – DEFINITION: GENETIC, SPECIES, ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY 82
- 4.1.1 Genetic diversity 82
- 4.1.2 Species diversity 82
- 4.1.3 Ecosystem diversity 83
- 4.2 BIOGEOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION OF INDIA 84
- 4.3 VALUE OF BIODIVERSITY: CONSUMPTIVE, PRODUCTIVE USE, SOCIAL, ETHICAL,
- AESTHETIC AND OPTION VALUES 84
- 4.3.1Consumptive value 85
- 4.3.2 Productive value 86
- 4.3.3 Social value 86
- 4.3.4 Ethical value 88
- 4.3.5 Aesthetic value 88
- 4.3.6 Option value 88
- 4.4 BIODIVERSITY AT GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS 88
- 4.5 INDIA AS A MEGA DIVERSITY NATION 89
- 4.6 HOTSPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY 90
- 4.7 THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY: HABITAT LOSS, POACHING OF WILDLIFE,
- MAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS 91
- 4.8 ENDANGERED AND ENDEMIC SPECIES OF INDIA 94
- 4.8.1 Common Plant species 94
- 4.8.2 Common Animal species 99
- 4.9 CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY: IN-SITU AND EX-SITU 104
- 4.9.1 In-situ conservation 104
- 4.9.2 Ex-situ conservation 108
UNIT 5: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
- 5.1 DEFINITION 112
- 5.2 CAUSES, EFFECTS AND CONTROL MEASURES OF: 113
- 5.2.1 Air Pollution 113
- 5.2.2 Water Pollution 123
- 5.2.3 Soil Pollution 131
- 5.2.4 Marine Pollution 135
- 5.2.5 Noise Pollution 140
- 5.2.6 Thermal Pollution 142
- 5.2.7 Nuclear hazards 143
- 5.3 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: CAUSES, EFFECTS AND CONTROL MEASURES OF URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL WASTE 145
- 5.4 ROLE OF INDIVIDUALS IN POLLUTION PREVENTION 150
- 5.5 POLLUTION CASE STUDIES 153
- 5.6 DISASTER MANAGEMENT: FLOODS, EARTHQUAKES, CYCLONES, LANDSLIDES 156
UNIT 6: SOCIAL ISSUES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
- 6.1 FROM UNSUSTAINABLE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 165
- 6.2 URBAN PROBLEMS RELATED TO ENERGY 167
- 6.3 WATER CONSERVATION, RAIN WATER HARVESTING, WATERSHED MANAGEMENT 168
- 6.3.1 Water conservation 168
- 6.3.2 Rain water harvesting 170
- 6.3.3 Watershed management 171
- 6.4 RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF PEOPLE; ITS PROBLEMS AND CONCERNS. CASE STUDIES 172
- 6.5 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: ISSUES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS 173
- 6.5.1 Resource consumption patterns and the need for their equitable utilisation 173
- 6.5.2 Equity – Disparity in the Northern and Southern countries 175
- 6.5.3 Urban – rural equity issues 175
- 6.5.4 The need for Gender Equity 175
- 6.5.5 Preserving resources for future generations 176
- 6.5.6 The rights of animals 177
- 6.5.7 The ethical basis of environment education and awareness 178
- 6.5.8 The conservation ethic and traditional value systems of India 181
- 6.6 CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARMING, ACID RAIN, OZONE LAYER DEPLETION,
- NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS AND NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST. CASE STUDIES 182
- 6.6.1 Climate change 182
- 6.6.2 Global warming 183
- 6.6.3 Acid rain 184
- 6.6.4 Ozone layer depletion 185
- 6.6.5 Nuclear Accidents and Nuclear Holocaust 186
- 6.7 WASTELAND RECLAMATION 187
- 6.8 CONSUMERISM AND WASTE PRODUCTS 189
- 6.9 ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT 193
- 6.10 AIR (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 194
- 6.11 WATER (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 196
- 6.12 WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT 197
- 6.13 FOREST CONSERVATION ACT 199
- 6.14 ISSUES INVOLVED IN ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION 201
- 6.14.1Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 201
- 6.14.2 Citizens actions and action groups 202
- 6.15 PUBLIC AWARENESS 204
- 6.15.1 Using an Environmental Calendar of Activities 204
- 6.15.2 What can I do? 205
UNIT 7: HUMAN POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
- 7.1 POPULATION GROWTH, VARIATION AMONG NATIONS 214
- 7.1.1 Global population growth 214
- 7.2 POPULATION EXPLOSION – FAMILY WELFARE PROGRAM 215
- 7.2.1 Methods of sterilization 217
- 7.1.2 Urbanization 217
- 7.3 ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN HEALTH 220
- 7.3.1 Environmental health 221
- 7.3.2 Climate and health 223
- 7.3.3 Infectious diseases 224
- 7.3.4 Water-related diseases 227
- 7.3.5 Risks due to chemicals in food 231
- 7.3.6 Cancer and environment 232
- 7.4 HUMAN RIGHTS 233
- 7.4.1 Equity 233
- 7.4.2 Nutrition, health and human rights 234
- 7.4.3 Intellectual Property Rights and Community Biodiversity Registers 235
- 7.5 VALUE EDUCATION 236
- 7.5.1 Environmental Values 237
- 7.5.2 Valuing Nature 240
- 7.5.3 Valuing cultures 241
- 7.5.4 Social justice 241
- 7.5.5 Human heritage 242
- 7.5.6 Equitable use of Resources 242
- 7.5.7 Common Property Resources 242
- 7.5.8 Ecological degradation 242
- 7.6 HIV/AIDS 243
- 7.7 WOMEN AND CHILD WELFARE 244
- 7.8 ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH 247
UNIT 8: FIELD WORK
- 8.1 VISIT TO A LOCAL AREA TO DOCUMENT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS,
- RIVER/FOREST/GRASSLANDS/HILL/MOUNTAIN 250
- 8.2 VISIT TO A LOCAL POLLUTED SITE 262
- 8.3 STUDY OF COMMON PLANTS, INSECTS, BIRDS 268
- 8.4 STUDY OF SIMPLE ECOSYSTEMS 270