Ecosystems_at_Risk

A management strategy is ‘a plan of attack’; a response to the problem or concern at hand. Management strategies are needed to protect ecosystems (including those used by indigenous peoples) at a local, national, regional, continental and global level. They are used to preserve and conserve ecosystems at risk and recognise the need to manage whole ecosystems. This may involve strategies that range from total preservation to sustainable development. Management strategies over time have changed in various ways to suit the way the population has developed. Changes in ecosystem management strategies can be caused by technological advances, changes in the ecosystem itself, and economic and environmental issues. Traditional Management Strategies In early years, traditional management strategies were put in place by the Aboriginal people (traditional management strategies) in order to protect and nurture the land for future generations. They are careful in their ways in which they approach and interact with their environment. The Indigenous Australians believe they have the responsibility to take care of, and nurture the land to allow it to be preserved for longer periods of time so this is why they put their management strategies in place. They see themselves as custodians of the land. Aboriginals take into account how they treat the land when they use it to gather food and shelter and their ecosystem management objective is to respect the earth. Their aim is self-efficiency, only taking what they need. In doing this, they eliminate the amount of wastes that they produce keeping the interdependent relationship with the environment. Aborigines did manipulate the environment and the ecosystems in order to meet their needs to survive, but these did not diminish or destroy the ecosystems. Some of these manipulations may have been digging trenches, dammed rivers, and used fire stick burning. These may have all had short term impacts on the surroundings but the Aboriginals were often changing camp sites so the previous sites had time to be renewed and flourish with growth. Burning may have caused change to Australia’s vegetation, and the hunting may have contributed to the extinction of some species of animals, but these two factors are minor effects in relation to widespread degradation caused by farming, mining, and land and industrial uses. An example of traditional management is the Indigenous Australians is putting back the yams that they had dug up back into their holes so that they would regenerate. They also done this with plants and flowers that they had taken, artificially fertilising them to help them grow. Management of the land was mainly focused on the conservation of species within their living areas. Strategies include: • Restrictions to species caught • Closed seasons • Designated areas for individuals and groups • Limits to population growth • Sustainable methods of hunting • Leadership according to age Different groups of indigenous people have their own definitions of ecosystem management raised through their culture. Experiences are passed on through the generations of the tribes. This is done through laws, codes of conduct, customs, rituals, ceremonies, stories and teachings. Natives’ being separated from their land means that the knowledge has been lost and management has ceased. The land is dependent on the ability of these peoples to use the land again. The Aboriginal Natural Resources and Environment Council help to advise the Australian government on land and water issues. This is how aboriginal ecological information can be used to hrlp develop and form the best and most reliable form of sustainable ecosystem management. Contemporary Management Strategies In recent times, there have been newer methods of management strategies that have been formed, rather than the traditional management strategies that were used by the Aboriginals years ago. Preservation, utilisation and exploitation are all ways in which management is approached. Preservation refers to the protection of a species or a habitat, utilisation involving the replacement of an ecosystem with a human made environment capable of a sustainable yield, and exploitation being when an ecosystem’s resources are used irrespective of the ecological consequences. Contemporary management strategies are always evolving as our knowledge of ecosystems grow, also using an increased use of traditional management techniques. Contemporary management strategies attempt to protect the earth’s biodiversity by setting aside large areas of land to be protected, and areas of wilderness and species in species, botanical gardens and seed banks. Although this is taking action to try and make a difference, these actions may not be sufficient enough to prevent the extinction of some species and large areas from being degraded. Reasons for managing and protecting ecosystems include: • Maintenance of genetic diversity • Utility value • Intrinsic value • Heritage value • The need to allow natural change to occur People need to reconsider how their relationship is with the environment and recognise what is happening and what they need to do to stop things such as land clearing and bush burning from happening. Today’s society needs to realise the value of our ecosystems and what they have to offer. These ecosystems need time to allow natural change to proceed. There are some things that are products of an ongoing evolutionary process which environmentalists and ecologists argue that humans have the responsibility to ensure this evolutionary change occurs. This can be done by: • Producing areas of land big enough to protect and conserve ecosystems • Have boundaries reflecting environmental rather than political needs • Be well-managed and effectively resourced Evaluation of the Two Strategies I believe that both strategies are effective in their own ways, but I think that the traditional management strategies worked a lot better than the contemporary strategies. I think this may be because back in the days when the Indigenous Australians put their traditional strategies into effect, there were no pollutants, or massive populations with a high demand for many products and services. Traditional worked very well because they left the ecosystems very sustainable, using only what they needed, replenishing any materials or nutrients that were taken, and feeling for the land as they were its custodians. Contemporary strategies have a lot more to take into account these days with the increasing population and the increasing demand for certain things. The ever-growing industrial workplaces is always producing pollutants and strategies need to be put in place to contain these, as well as other factors such as large areas being cleared for farming and mining. As time goes on, humans will get a better understanding of what need to be done to improve these contemporary strategies and advances in technology will help with this improvement.