Why Are Natural Environments Important?

Why Are Natural Environments Important?

1. Biomes

   • Tundras
     • Diverse plants and animal species
     • Cold regions
       • Permafrost
         • Allows plants and animals to thrive
     • Carbon sink
   • Deserts
     • Ecosystem
       • Are a source of oil that is used to power our homes
       • flora and fauna
         • Depend on each other to survive
     • Hot and cold deserts
       • Covers a fifth of the earth's surface
   • Wetlands
     • Biodiversity
       • Animal and plant species
         • Food
         • Building materials
         • Freshwater supply
     • Climate
       • Flood control
         • Groundwater recharge
   • Rainforest
     • Medicines and food
       • About a third of plant medicines are found in rainforests
       • Diverse animal and plant species
         • 50% of the world's plants and animals are found in rain forests
     • Helps stabilise climate
       • Maintain water cycles
         • protect against flood, drought, and erosion
     • 20% of the world's oxygen
     • Tropical and Temperate rainforests
   • Grasslands
     • Animal and plants
       • Food
         • Agriculture
           • Economic benefits
           • Farming techniques and practices
     • Tropical and Temperate grassalands
   • Aquatic
     • Largest biome
       • Lakes, rivers, oceans, etc
         • Recreational activities, such as fishing and whale watching
       • Climate regulation
         • Covers nearly 75% of earth's surface
         • Transports heat from the equator to the poles, regulating our climate and weather patterns.
     • Marine life
       • Food
       • Medicines
       • Diverse species and organisms
       • 70% of earth's oxygen production
         • absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere
     • Economic benefits
       • Australia earns $74 billion for marine industries
         • Job opportunities
       • Transportation

2. Sustainability

   • Renewable
     • Natural resources
       • Healthy communities
         • Non-toxic environments
   • a process or state can be maintained at a certain level for as long as is wanted
   • To develop a sustainable future you need to think about meeting today's needs and protecting the environment and resources for the future

3. Human Impacts

   • Urbanisation
     • Deforestation and land degradation.
       • Extinction of native and indigenous species
     • Negative effects on environments and wildlife
   • Tourism
     • Pollution
       • Global warming
         • Climate change
           • Extinction of species
             • Record loss of biodiversity and long-term damage to ecosystems
       • An emerging global crisis in water availability and water pollution
       • Waste production and disposal
       • Impacts of chemicals use and toxic substance disposal

4. Biodiversity

   • Ecosystems
     • Diverse plant and animal species
       • Freshwater
       • Food
       • habitats
       • Complex food webs
       • Resilience
       • Large species population
       • Purified air
     • Interacting organisms
       • Relationships
     • Abiotic
       • Non-living
     • Biotic
       • Living
     • Sources and materials
       • Wood
       • Fuel
   • Natural environments
     • living and non-living things
     • Natural, not artificial
     • Earth
     • Impact human health and wellbeing
     • Healthy
   • Variety of life on earth