ECOSYSTEMS

Ecosystems are or can be the wealth of the poor.For many of the 1.1 billion people living in severe poverty, nature has always been a daily lifeline, an asset for those with few other material assets.Example:harvests from forests/fisheries/farm fields.Income from ecosystem- what we call environmental income.Productive ecosystems are the basis of a sustainable income stream from nature.

BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS

• Mangroves,tidal marshes  and sea grasses sequester and store large quantities of blue carbon in the plants, but mainly in the soils beneath them.About 95%  to 99% of total carbon stocks of salt marshes and sea grasses are stored in the soils beneath them.
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• Global annual loss of these ecosystems is at the rate 1-2 % for tidal marshes ;0.7 -3% for mangroves; and 0.4- 2.6% for sea grasses. 
• An ecosystem has a living component ,called biotic community or biota and non-living components called abiotic conditions.
• The loss of the ecosystems releases significant emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere and ocean contributing to Climate Change .Emissions from drained coastal wetlands result in about 3-19% of emissions from REDD(Reducing Emissions and Forest Degradation). 
• Coastal ecosystems provide other benefits for Climate Change adaptation,local livelihoods, tourism and culture such as protection of storms and prevention of shoreline erosion,regulation of coastal water quality,habitat for important fish species and other vulnerable species.

WHY DO WE NEED FORESTS

• More than 40% of the world's oxygen is produced by rain forests. 
• Forests   play  an important role in the livelihoods and welfare of a vast number of people who live in and around  the forest.
• By absorbing water and holding soil in place, forests reduce risk of floods and mudslides that result from earthquakes and hurricanes.
• Forests protect watersheds which supply fresh water to rivers.Rivers are critical sources of drinking water.The cloud forests of La  Tigra National Park in Honduras provide more than 40% of the water supply for the capital city,Tegucigalpa and its 850,000 people.
• More than 1.6 billion people around the world depend to varying degrees on forests for their livelihoods,not just for food but also for fuel,for livestock grazing areas and for medicine.
• Forests are home to 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity.
• The carbon in forests exceeds the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere.Forests and forest soils store more than ONE TRILLION TONNES OF CARBON
• In 2004 trade in wood-based products such as bamboo,mushrooms,game,fruit,medicinal plants,fibre,gums,resins has been estimated at 11 BILLION US DOLLAR PER YEAR.
• More than a quarter of modern medicines; worth an estimated 108 billion US dollars a year, originate from tropical forest  plants.

MMANGROVES     Soldiers of Our Coasts

Mangroves have special mechanisms to make them salt tolerant.Some mangroves take in salt and excrete it through salt glands while others filter filter salts at the root zone itself by means of reverse osmosis, thereby taking in only water.There are some mangroves that accumulate salt in the leaves,which they shed during summer. 

• Globally there are 60 true mangrove species,in 27 genera and 20 families.
• In   India  there are 34 species of true mangroves.Bhitarkanika(Orissa) has 31 sp. ,the Sunderbands have 27 sp. and the Andaman & Nicobar islands have 24 sp
• Mangrove trees are hermaphrodites.This means they have both male and female flowers on the same tree and pollinate and reproduce on their own.
• India is home to more than 7% of the world's mangrove forests.Mangroves make up 8% of  the Indian coastline .80% of these forests are found on the eastern coast of India.
• Mangroves are found in over two thirds of the salt water coastal areas of tropical and sub tropical Africa , Asia , Australia , and North and South America.

In  the temple  town of Chidambaram,  near  Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu,  the thillai tree  (Excoecaria  agallocha)  a   type of mangrove , is beieved to have active chemicals that   can  cure leprosy.

• Mangroves are nesting grounds for hundreds of species of birds, which build nests on the branches.
• Mangroves are very leafy and take in a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make biomass.This reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• During Vietnam war 11 million gallons of herbicide known as Agent Orange was sprayed over more than 1000 square kilometers of mangrove forests in the Mekong Delta.Even today , not a single mangrove plant grows in this region
• If mangroves are destroyed migratory birds will no longer have a safe haven to halt and rest..
• Mangrove deforestation is contributing to decline in fisheries,degradation of clean water supplies, increasing salinity of coastal soils, erosion, and land subsidence.
• The unique Sunderbans get their name from the mangrove species Heritiera formes, locally known as Sundari, a common species in the region.
• Indonesia has the largest area under mangroves with 30% of global coverage, followed by Brazil,Australia,   and India
• Mangroves are the most productive ecosystems..
• Red Mangroves is the most common mangrove species in the world.Rhizophora genus (Red Mangroves) is well adapted to salty swamps.Black Mangroves,white mangroves,and  buttonwood mangrove grow around red mangrove clusters.
• Mangroves survive in very little fresh water.They have  thick, waxy leaves to prevent loss of water by evaporation.Mangroves grow in water logged soil with little oxygen and nitrogen.So their roots absorb gases like oxygen and nitrogen directly from the atmosphere.
• Mangroves slow down the force of the sea waves and thus, protect the coastline.
• Roots trap silt and sediments that may contain dangerous heavy metals.As a result, clear water washes out into the sea, because of which the coral reefs flourish.
• Sunderban Mangrove forests are home to more than 35 species of reptiles, 270 sp. of birds,42 sp.of mammals.Among them is the salt water or estuarine Crocodile - the largest of all living reptiles.In India this blobally endangered species is also found on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

TODAY(September  16) IS  INTERNATIONAL OZONE DAY

The ozone layer over the Earth depletes due to the use of certain chemicals.Chloroflurocarbons(CFCs) is the group name for such chemicals.These chemicals are used as refrigerantrs and aerosol propellants.The Ozone layer in the atmosphere absorbs most of the harmful ultra violet radiation from the sun.Depleting the ozone layer causes skin cancers,eye cataracts,weakened immune systems,reduced plant yields,damage to ocean ecosystems,reduced fishing yields and adverse effects on animals.The Vienna Convention (March 1985) was a frame work agreement followed by Montreal Protocol(2009) to take measures to protect human health and environment against human activities that modify the ozone layer.As a result of the Montreal Protocol  98 % of ozone depleting substances have been phased out.Still the use of these substances are not completely banned or out of use.
        PFCs are used in many industrial processes and consumer products.To make water proof products and dirt repellants PFC is used.PFCs are broken down only very slowly,they remain in the environment for many years and dispersed across the entire planet.

BENGAL HAS THE LARGEST POPULATION OF WILD TIGER.

About 400 tigers live and swim among the mangrove islands and hunt scarce prey like chital deer,barking deer, and wild pig.Sunderbans is also the nesting place of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles, one of the smallest species of marine turtles in the world.Other endangered animals include the white bellied sea eagles and the Indian smooth-coated otters.

AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

Sea grass supports many animals in the ecosystem

• Sea grass habitat is declining globally.Under water marine coastal plants are losing 7% of their known area per year.It was confirmed at the 11th  International Sea grass Biology Workshop(ISBW 11) in Sanya(China).Sea grass loss is driven by unsustainable practices in coastal regions including rapid development and pollution
• Sea turtles,dugongs,sea horses etc. depend on sea grasses for food and habitat.Sea grasses act as nurseries for fishery species and stabilize and filter shallow coastal environments.
• Mangroves,tidal marshes and sea grasses sequester and store large quantities of blue carbon in the plants, but mainly in the soils beneath them.About 95% to 99% of total carbon stocks of salt marshes and sea grasses are stored in the soils beneath them..
• Global annual loss of these ecosystems is at the rate of 1 - 2% for tidal marshes; 0.7 - 3% for mangroves; and 0.4 - 2.6% for sea grasses.
• The loss of these systems releases significant emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and the ocean, contributes to climate change.
• Emissions from drained coastal wetlands result in about 3 - 19% of emissions from REDD(Reducing Emissions and Forest Degradation)
• Coastal ecosystems provide other benefits for Climate Change adaptation,local livelihoods,tourism, and culture such as protection from storms and prevention of shoreline erosion,regulation of coastal water quality,habitat for important fish species and other vulnerable species.
• Ecosystem services that coral reefs are worth 31 billion dollars a year.
• Sea grass supports many animals in the ecosystem
• If the seagrass disappears, the balance in the ecosystem collapseTiger sharks help the .seagrass at just the right level by eating the animals that eat the grass
• The dugongs and turtles stay around the  seagrass area.They cannot leave the sea grass area.Dolphins look for fish to eat.Tiger sharks travel slowly to the area where the dolphins,turtles,and dugong are.

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During the World Forest Week 2014 FAO launched a Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism to help countries meet the Bonn Challenge to restore 150 million hectares of Degraded and Deforested Lands by 2020, we have to create the rich landscapes the world needs.

• BLOG HOLIDAY FOR A WEEK

• Ecosystems represent complex interactions among organisms between them and the environment.
• Organisms have roles like producers, consumers, and decomposers in the food chain.They maintain the flow of matter and energy.
• An ecosystem always moves towards a state of dynamic balance.
• Every species has it's ecological niche in an ecosystem.

• Water and carbon are continuously cycled in the biosphere.
• Ecosystems provide invaluable services to the biosphere, which includes the human beings.

  FINDINGS ABOUT CORAL REEFS

• More than 500 million people worldwide depend on them for food, protection,jobs,and recreation.Their resources and services are worth 375 billion dollars each year.Yet they cover less than 1% of Earth's surface.
• Highly vulnerable to climate change.16% of world's reefs are suffering serious damage during Global Warming.It got bleached during 1998 warming event.
• According to status of coral reefs 2004, 70% of the world  coral reefs were threatened or destroyed,20% damaged beyond repair, and within the Caribbean alone, many coral reefs have lost 80% of  coral species.The loss of these ecosystems would perturb livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of millions of people around the world.
• More than 450 million people live within 60 kilometers of coral reefs,with majority directly or indirectly deriving food and income from them.
• Reefs help protect the coastal zone from the impact of waves and storms.
• Coral reefs are among the world's oldest , most diverse , and most productive ecosystems.
• Coral reefs are  one of the natural wonders of the ocean.
• Coral reefs are found in the shallow coastal zones of tropical and sub tropical oceans,where light can penetrate.
• Corals are formed by huge colonies of tiny organisms called polyps.They secrete calcium carbonate or limestone to form a protective crust around their soft bodies.
• Following their death outer skeletons remain as a platform for others to continue building the coral
• The intricate crevices and holesin the coral catacombs become the home for 25% of all marine species.
• The colour of the corals comes from zooxanthellae(tiny single celled algae) that live inside the tissues of the polyps.
• Zooxanthellae produce food and oxygen through photosynthesis in return for the home provided by the polyps.
• Coral reefs perform many ecological services.When polyps form their shells, they absorb some CO2 as part of the carbon cycle.
• Reefs help protect the coastal zone from the impact of waves and storms.

SEAGRASS  HABITAT  DECLINING  GLOBALLY

Under water marine coastal plants are losing 7% of their known area per year.it was confirmed at the International Seagrass Biology Workshop in Sanya(China).It is driven by unsustainable practices in coastal regions including rapid development and pollution.