1.4 Sustainability

Question 1

What is natural income

Answer 1

Annual yield of goods or useful services generated from natural capital. It is a flow of goods and services from natural capital

Question 2

What is natural capital

Answer 2

Natural resources that can produce a natural income of goods or services.
An economic, monetary view of natural resources is applied

Question 3

Example of natural capital

Answer 3

Timber, wood products, food, minerals

Question 4

Examples of services

Answer 4

Supporting: nutrient cycling, O2 production
Regulating: climate regulation, pollination
Cultural: educational, recreational, aesthetic value

Question 5

Define sustainability

Answer 5

The use and management of resources allowing a natural replacement and recovery of the ecosystems affected by their extraction

Question 6

What does MEA stand for and what is it?

Answer 6

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is designed by the UN to assess the consequences of ecosystem changes for human well-being.

Question 7

Define ecosystem footprint

Answer 7

Amount of land and water required to sustainability provide all resources and treat all wastes, at the rate at which they are being consumed by a population

Question 8

What is ‘supporting natural income’? & examples

Answer 8

Services provided to us by nature essential to the functioning of an ecosystem.
E.g. nutrient cycling, soil formation, oxygen production, photosynthesis

Question 9

What is ‘regulating natural income’? & examples

Answer 9

Services provided to us by nature that make human life possible
E.g. Climate regulation, water regulation, pollination (for crops), disease regulation

Question 10

What is ‘cultural natural income’? & examples

Answer 10

Services provided to us by nature that benefit humans culturally
E.g. Ecotourism, music & art

Question 11

What is an EIA?

Answer 11

An environmental internal assessment is a report made prior to the development of any project that changes the use of lands.

Question 12

Examples of projects that would require an EIA (3)

Answer 12

Building housing, deforestation, planting a forest

Question 13

Contents of an EIA

Answer 13

Identifying impacts
Estimating the scale of potential impacts
Mitigating the effects of impacts

Question 14

What kinds of impacts would an EIA be assessing? (5)

Answer 14

Impact on:
- Abiotic environment
- Microclimate (Biotic environment)
- Biotic environment
- Biodiversity
- Amenity value

Question 15

Weaknesses of an EIA (2)

Answer 15

Hard to set boundaries of indirect impacts
Different standards in different countries