Environmental Problems Facing Costa Rica - Essay Example

Environmental Problems Facing Costa Rica 1.0 Introduction Costa Rica, with over a quarter of its territory filled with a network of national parks and reserves, an indication of its continued dedication to environmental protection. However, there has been some serious concern. Decades of unplanned population growth and urbanization turned Rio Grande de Tarcoles into one of the most polluted regions, with untreated waste water and garbage being dumped directly into it. The revelation about the dirty Rio Grande de Tarcoles made people take note of the environmental challenges facing Costa Rica. A point of contention most analogical to central and South American countries is the issue of deforestation. Pressure from loggers, ranchers, and large-scale agricultural ventures is destroying the eco-system, driving many species of animals to extinction. This paper takes a look at the serious environmental problems caused due to water pollution and deforestation in Costa Rica (Donald Smith, Costa Rica Deals with Environmental Pressures, for National Geographic News, news.nationalgeographic.com December 14, 2000). 2.0 The Ecological System The population of Costa Rica was 862,000 with a per capita water supply of 110,209 cubic meters in 1950. By 1995, population rose to 3,424,000 and water depleted to 27,745 cubic meters (Tom Gardner & Robert Engelman, Sustaining Water, Easing Scarcity: A Second Update, Country Profile: Costa Rica, ncseonline.org). Covering 19,560 square miles, Costa Rica boasts of almost five percent of all known species in the world. Dense rainforest, rare tropical dry forests, the montane cloud forest cloaking the slopes of volcanoes, the dry savanna, the soft white beaches, and the coral reefs make Cost Rica an environmentalist’s favored destination. Costa Rica alone has as many plant species as the whole of Europe, and the number of insect species in a hectare of rainforest is so great that no successful count has been made. Biologist L.H. Holdridge said in 1847 that Costa Rica had 12 zones ranging from tidal mangrove swamps to subalpine paramó based on a system he devised to analyze temperature, rainfall, and seasonality (Christopher Baker, Flora, Ecosystems, www.photo.net). Biologists believe that deforestation and river contamination has imbalanced the eco system leading to premature extinction of species. Forests, grasslands, wetlands, and coral reefs continue to disappear as human ecological footprint continues unsparingly across the globe. Today the world is warmer by about 1ºF (0.6ºC) than it was a century ago. It may not sound alarming, but the fact that scientists have shown a lot of concern makes for introspection. The effect of earth warming has seen many species of seabirds failing to breed because of the sharp decline in sand eels, which these birds eat. Sand eels in turn are dwindling because the cold-water plankton on which they feed is replaced by plankton that thrives in warm water. Tens of thousands of seabirds like kittiwakes, terns, and guillemots that feed on sand eels have shown a distinct decline in breeding. Insects play an important role in pollination. Without pollination, fruits and vegetables will disappear. People fail to realize that insects are a part of the food cycle and play an important role in sustaining life on earth. Insects also eat other insects to control the population insects we call pests. The praying mantis is a supreme example of an insect that helps control the population of other insects. Insects have been around for over 400 million years. They have an exceptional ability to evolve into new species when faced with new environmental conditions, and they are quite resistant to extinction. 3.0 The Impact of Pesticides Use of pesticides to terminate harmful insects can endanger the helpful and immunize the harmful ones. Learning about the role of insects and other organisms living in a biological community such as a forest or pond helps us understand their importance in the balancing of the ecosystem (Chapter 4, Have You Thanked the Insects Today? Ecosystems: What are they and How Do They Work, Living in the Environment, Page 55). The existence, abundance, and distribution of a species in an ecosystem are determined by whether the levels of one or more physical or chemical factors fall within the range tolerated by that species. A species may have a wide range of tolerance to some factors and a narrow range of tolerance to others. Most organisms are least tolerant during juvenile or reproductive stages of their life cycles. Highly tolerant species can live in a variety of habitats with widely different conditions (Chapter 4, 4-3 Ecosystem Components, Page 62) 4.0 The Food Cycle Organisms that produce food called autotroph make their food through compounds available within their reach such as plants and trees. Algae and plants form the equivalent form of self-feeders in and around water. Phytoplankton is microscopic organisms which float on water producing food (carbohydrates) using sunlight, a process called photosynthesis. At this point, it is logical to understand this process: Carbon dioxide and water is used to produce glucose and oxygen under sunlight. 6 CO2 _ 6 H2O _ solar energy C6H12O6 _ 6 O2 Some bacteria convert simple compounds from the environment to complex nutrient compounds without sunlight called chemosynthesis. These are perhaps the only known self-producers of food in the world. Heterotrophs depend on other organisms for their food. Certain bacteria and fungi recycle the food consumed by them into the ecosystem. Decomposers do this by breaking down dead organic materials (biodegrading), also known as detritus, to get nutrients. The simpler inorganic compounds are released into the soil and water, feeding the heterotrophs. Omnivores feed on both plants and animals. Humans, bears and dogs are some well known omnivores. Detritivores feed on detritus feeders and decomposers. An army of these vicious eaters can transform a dead tree trunk into powder and then to nutritious simple inorganic molecules for plants to absorb. This cycle of events go to prove that the ecosystem is so balanced that there is hardly any waste. The following equation proves beyond doubt the process of producing energy to support life of all species irrespective of their eating habits: Glucose _ oxygen carbon dioxide _ water _ energy C6H12O6 _ 6 O2 6 CO2 _ 6 H2O _ energy Some decomposers get energy by breaking down glucose or other organic compounds in the absence of oxygen. This form of cellular respiration is called anaerobic respiration, or fermentation. The end products of this process are methane gas, ethyl alcohol, acetic acid and hydrogen sulfide. Decomposers complete the cycle of matter by breaking down detritus into inorganic nutrients that supplies the producers. These waste eaters and nutrient recyclers provide us with this crucial ecological service. Without these agents life would never have existed nor exist (Chapter 4-3, What are the Major Biological Components of the Ecosystem? Ecosystem Components, Page 64-66). Most ecologists believe that in tropical rain forests, most nutrients are stored in the vegetation rather than in the soil, where they need to be to grow crops. When trees are cut and frequent rains occur, nutrients in the soil gets washed away, leaving cultivation an unworthy proposition. Felling of trees for profit and expansion has driven many protected species to extinction. Global warming is another factor arising out of perishing forest land. Animals that depend on vegetation face starvation and die. The air around the dense forests begins to pollute and survival becomes difficult. If the first level of the life cycle truncates, the entire cycle will collapse. This is a major cause of concern and needs to be checked immediately. 5.0 Remedy In the 70s the Costa Rican government clamped down on the export of trees, and introduced permits for timbering. This helped the nation maintain its ecological balance. About 27% of the country is now under some form of protection, including 12% of the land designated as national parks. Conservation efforts to include forests and wildlife refuges are also underway. However, environmentalists complain of non-compliance of the government to enforce regulations against deforestation in the name of promoting tourism and expansion. The government should instead promote Costa Rica as a clean, environmental friendly destination for tourists, exhibiting nature at its pristine best. Environmentalists should educate the local inhabitants of their right to fight discrimination in a fair and telling manner (Donald Smith, Costa Rica Deals with Environmental Pressures, for National Geographic News, December 14, 2000. news.nationalgeographic.com). The fact that Rio Grande de Tarcoles is one of the most polluted rivers, with untreated waste water and garbage being dumped directly does not speak well about the local government’s initiatives taken. Such high level of pollution is a cause of concern, and it has affected the marine life and created an imbalance in the ecosystem. Water pollution is related to air pollution, land use practices, climate change, energy use, solid and hazardous waste, and the number of people, farms, and industries producing sewage and other wastes (Chapter 22, Learning Nature’s Ways to Purify Sewage, Water Pollution, Page 492). Agricultural activities by far were the major cause for rivers polluting. Sediment erosion, fertilizers and pesticides, bacteria from livestock, and excess salt from irrigated cropland were the constituents that destroyed marine life. Industrial dumping was another cause, and so too was mining. Mining exposed eroded sediments and rundown of toxic chemicals. Acidic compounds draining from active and abandoned mines took fish and other aquatic life forms, so vital to the ecosystem (Chapter 22, What Are the Major Sources of Water Pollution? Supplying Food and Goods, Page 495). Water pollution control laws must be enacted to increase the number of water treatment plants. Such laws will reduce the industrial and agricultural discharges into the water. Cuyahoga River in Ohio, United States is a prime example of how people got together to pressure government officials to clean up a severely polluted river to an economically and ecologically acceptable public resource. The River Cuyahoga was reeling under chemical abuse that it burnt for several days. The image was captured on film and shown to the office bearers. This instigated the officials to enact a law prohibiting discharge of wastes into the river. The river today stands as a source for entertainment. Such active participation by volunteers and groups can bring more awareness to the people and officials concerned (Chapter 22, What Have Developed Countries Done to Reduce Stream Pollution? Good and Bad News, Water Pollution, Page 496). 6.0 Conclusion The survival of mankind depends on the continuity of the life cycle. Life as we know it depends on water that dominates the earth’s surface and warm temperature. For several hundred million years oxygen has made up about 21% of the volume of earth’s atmosphere. If the atmosphere’s oxygen content dropped to about 15%, it would be lethal to most inhabitants on earth. If it increased to about 25%, it could probably ignite into a giant fireball. Thanks to photosynthesizing bacteria, an ozone layer protects us from ultraviolet radiation. Organisms which convert solar energy to food and chemical cycles, beneficial to all forms of life on earth, and a variety of species with different biological roles, compliment the challenges of an unpredictable environment around us whether on land or in water (Chapter 5, Earth: The Just-Right, Resilient Planet, Page 87). Mankind must preserve this ecosystem at all cost or else it may be too late to retract. 5.0 Appendix Donald Smith, Costa Rica Deals with Environmental Pressures, for National Geographic News, December 14, 2000, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2000/12/1214_costarica.html Tom Gardner & Robert Engelman, Sustaining Water, Easing Scarcity: A Second Update, Country Profile: Costa Rica, http://ncseonline.org/PopPlanet/issue.cfm?countryid=5&iid=11 Christopher Baker, Flora, Ecosystems, http://www.photo.net/cr/moon/ecosystems.html Chapter 4, Have You Thanked the Insects Today? Ecosystems: What are they and How Do They Work, Living in the Environment? Chapter 22, Learning Nature’s Ways to Purify Sewage, Water Pollution Chapter 5, Earth: The Just-Right, Resilient Planet Read More