Balance in the Ecosystem

Ecological Balance in Nature

The environment in which the man and other organisms live is called the biosphere. The biosphere is made up of different regions that have different types of flora (plants) and fauna (animals). The types of organisms in an area are determined by various factors such as the climate, temperature, rainfall, etc.

The regions based on their physical and biological nature are classified into ecosystems. For example, pond ecosystem, evergreen forest ecosystem, desert ecosystem, etc. The organisms, in addition to being dependent on the environment for their needs, are also dependent on each other. This dependency is especially for food. This results in the presence of food chains and food webs.

Food Chain in Nature(P = producer, H = herbivore, C₁ = carnivore order-1, C₂ = carnivore order-2)

The food chains and other such interrelationships in the ecosystems create a balance in the environment that is called the ecological balance.

Man is also a part of these food chains and webs. However, man tries to modify the environment to suit his needs unlike the other components of the ecosystem. This has upset the delicate balance being maintained in the environment.

Forest Food Webs

For example: consider the food chain: plants, deer, tiger in a forest. There is a balance maintained in the environment because of this food chain. This balance becomes evident when it is upset. If for some reason, all the tigers disappear, then the deer population will increase to such an extent that plants will reduce in number drastically and the habitat will become unsuitable for other herbivores also with more competition. If the deer disappear, then the tigers will starve and dwindle in number. And if the plants disappear, then deer cannot survive and as a result the tigers also cannot survive.

Such an event in the earlier days has resulted in the creation of deserts such as Sahara in Africa and the Thar desert in Rajasthan. Due to hunting habits of man, the numbers of lions in Africa were drastically reduced during the times of the Romans. This resulted in increased population of herbivores that in turn adversely affected the plant population. Less cover of vegetation on land led to desertification. Thus maintenance of this ecological balance is very important.

Sustainable Development

The importance of maintaining the ecological balance and conservation of the resources has been increasingly becoming clear in the last two decades. It has now become necessary for all countries in the world to recognise this fact and plan what is known as 'sustainable development'. The United Nations World Commission of Environment and Development in 1987 has defined sustainable development as "a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and the institutional change are in harmony and enhance both current and future generations to meet their needs."

This means that the requirements of the present generation in terms of economic growth and community development (to provide for basic needs like food, water, shelter, education, etc) are met without compromising on environmental protection. This will ensure that every generation will leave clean air, water and soil resources for the future generations.

Methods to Enforce the Concept of Sustainable Development

• judiciously use the resources that are available in plenty and maintain them without depletion or pollution

• restrict the use of the already endangered resources and protect them from unsustainable development.

• to increase awareness about the concept of sustainable development and ensure that the people understand its full meaning. This concept means that there is a symbiotic relationship (mutually beneficial) between the developmental process and environment protection. If environment protection is ignored, then the very basis of developmental processes (the natural resources) will get exhausted which will spell doom for mankind. On the other hand, one cannot ignore development and only think of environmental protection. However, it is necessary to strike a balance between the two.

Towards this end, every individual has to make his actions eco-friendly. This is possible only if man stops thinking of himself as the supreme creation and enjoys only the benefits. It is high time man realizes that he is an integral part of the environment. He should also realize that because he is at the pinnacle of evolution and has also more responsibility towards maintaining the environment.

from: http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-ii/environment-and-environmental-problems/ecological-balance.php