Local Ecology and Environment - Kerala - Essay Example

? A Study of Local Ecology and Environment Topography Biodiversity Man-Made Causes Global Warming Ecology Kerala is a land of diverse topography –flat coastal region , the midland formed by the valleys , plains and hillocks and the highland ,known as the Western Ghats , formed by hills and mountains. Based on physiographic, the land of Kerala can be classified into highland, midland and coastal region. This classification is based on the altitude from the mean sea level. The sandy region unto 8 miles from the sea level is known as coastal region. The portion of the land between 8 miles to 75 miles is known as midland. The region above 75 miles of height is considered as highland. As kerala receives plenty of sunlight, it belongs to the hot climatic zone of the earth. Because of the nearness to sea most of the places have a humid condition. But some places in the eastern part of the state experiences moderate hot and cold weather conditions. The temperature will be low in thise places which are more than 1000m altitude. Therefore, these area are suitable for the cultivation of garden crops like cardamom, coffee and tea. The midland of kerala is a chain of hills and fields in between. The rain water which falls on hills is stored in the fields. A part of this forms the ground water. The remaining flows as streamlets. Kerala is one of the most loved tropical paradises, which boasts some of the richest biodiversity in the world. The climate here is more humid wetter. This part contains wet green forest and most complex and species rich vegetation. The rivers on Kerala have their origin in the ranges of western Ghats , these rivers quickly drain to the Lakshwadweep sea. Owing to this, the rivers which are flooded during the rainy season become more channels with a lean flow of water during the rainy season. Only a small portion of water form the rainfall is stored in the soil. The major portion of water reaches the sea abruptly. Biodiversity4 The Western Ghats also known as the Sahyadri hills is a mountain chain , different types of vegetation : scrub jungles and grasslands at low altitudes, dry and moist deciduous forests, grasslands and shoals, and the precious tropical evergreen and semi evergreen forests. Complex topography, high rainfall and relative inaccessibility have helped the region retain its biodiversity. Of the 15,000 flowering plant species in India, there are an estimated 4,780 species in the Western Ghats region. There is also a great diversity of traditional crop plants and an equal diversity of animal life. A large number of amphibians, freshwater fishes and invertebrate groups are endemic to Western Ghats . Man-Made causes for degradation of Environment in Kerala Deforestation DEFORESTATION has many ecological, social and economic consequences, one of which is the loss of biological diversity .The destruction of territory is the most effective form of removal of any particular form of life from the face of earth. Menon and Bava2 have estimated the rate of deforestation in the Western Ghats to be .057% annually during the Period 1920 -1990.The food chain depends on depends upon the vegetation. Forests are an integral part of the vegetation. A vast area of forest has been cut dawn in the name of industrialization And rapid urbanization. Moreover the rural mass depends on the wood from the forest to keep their kitchen fires alive. The recent unstable rain fall in the area is the result of the loss of forest cover. The reduction of annual rain fall in the area is also another observed disaster the region now faces. Large scale deforestation in to Western Ghats and introduction of plantation crops in the high land replacing the natural vegetation reduced the storage capacity of soil and resulted in surface soil erosion in watersheds and sedimentation in rivers. This has affected summer flow in river s and some perennial rivers and rivulets have become seasonal in the last few decades due to large scale land cover changes. Sand Quarrying and River Bank Agriculture Excessive instream san d-and gravel mining causes the degradation of rivers. In stream mining lowers the stream bottom, which may lead to bank erosion. Depletion of sand in the steam bed and along coastal areas causes the deepening of the rivers and enlargement of river mouths. Sand mining lead to bank erosion, lowering of water table etc. The native inhabitants of the streams suffer under the alterations. Sand mining which leads to the removal channel substrate, resuspension of streambed sediment, clearance of vegetation, and stockpiling on the streambed will have ecological impacts3. Sand mining caused the removal of channel substrate, resuspension of streambed sediment, clearance of vegetation, and stockpiling on the streambed, affected the ecological balance of the region . These impacts created direct loss of stream reserve habitat, disturbances of species attached to streambed deposits, reduced light penetration, reduced primary production, and reduced feeding opportunities. Urbanization The destruction of the natural habitat for construction is another threat to the environment of the region. The filling of the natural fields in the area for the purpose of construction is another impact of urbanization. Pollution 1. Water Pollution. The rivers in Kerala have been increasingly polluted from the industrial and domestic wastage and from the pesticide and fertilizer in agriculture. The ground water of wells in the region is also affected by chemical and biological contaminants. 2. Air Pollution The drastic increase in the vehicles caused the air pollution due to emission Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide. Global Warming The present ecology and environment of the region is under threat because of the above mentioned reasons. According to the Climatologist the quantity of rain have come down in Kerala. . The increased number of ‘fierce rainy days’6 and sunny days show that the climate is affected by global warming. Deforestation is the cause for the increase in temperature.     Work cited 1 http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/jul252000/Jha.pdf 2. Menon, S. and Bawa, K. S., Ambio, 1998, 27, 567–577. 3 http://threeissues.sdsu.edu 4 http://www.kerenvis.nic.in 5 http://www.eastrovedica.com Read More