Biodiversity and Waste Management

Question 1

What is biodiversity?

Answer 1

The variety of different species on earth or within an ecosystem

Question 2

Why is high biodiversity important?

Answer 2

1)it ensures ecosystems are stable as different species depend on each other for living things like shelter and food
2) for human survival

Question 3

Why is human population increasing?

Answer 3

Medicine and farming methods have reduced the number of people dying from disease and hunger

Question 4

How are humans putting pressure on the environment?

Answer 4

•as earth’s population is increasing we put more pressure in the environment as we take the resources we need to survive
• people demand higher standards of living we use raw materials like oil and use more energy for manufacturing these raw materials are being used up quicker then they can be replaced therefore we will eventually run out

Question 5

How can water waste reduce biodiversity?

Answer 5

-sewage and toxic chemicals from the industry can pollute lakes, rivers and oceans affecting plants and animals that rely on them for survival (including humans)

Question 6

How can land waste reduce biodiversity?

Answer 6

-the chemicals used on land for farming (e.g. fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides) can be washed into water killing aquatic life
-burying nuclear waste underground, and dumping household waste in landfill sites can reduce biodiversity as they could contain hazardous chemicals that could leach into surrounding water and soil contaminating local ecosystem

Question 7

How can air pollution (waste from factories) lead to reduced biodiversity?

Answer 7

-Smoke and acidic gases released into the atmosphere can pollute the air, e.g. sulfur dioxide can cause acid rain.
-this could impact soil so it’s less hospitable to many plants impacting plant ecosystems and food availability for animals