Module in Natural Resource and Environmental Management 1

INTRODUCTION

After knowing the natural and environmental resources as an asset, it is

likewise imperative to know the state of the environment either in the local or
global setting. All of these serve as foundations in understanding what and
how to manage arising environmental problems or issues. Hence, this unit will
provide you the most compelling environmental situations both in the national
and global setting. Likewise, the concept of environmental management is
being introduced in this unit in preparation to the succeeding topic about the
different approaches of environmental management.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

1. Know the environmental problems in the Philippine and global setting

2. Understand the concept of environmental management

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1.0 THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

The State of the Philippine Environment

Reports indicate that the environmental situation in the Philippines is generally

poor, especially in urban areas. Pollution is already alarming in major cities,
pollutant levels exceeded standards. Air pollution in Metro Manila is a very
severe problem. The region is not only the worst traffic on earth as the
navigational app waze once said and the most congested, it is also among the
world’s cities with poorest air quality. The Philippines ranks third among
countries with the highest incidence of deaths related to outdoor air pollution,
65% of which is due to mobile sources (IBON, 2020). Total suspended solid
(TDS) in MM is already 166 micrograms/normal cubic meters (µg/Ncm)
in 2010 which is 84%beyond the standard of 90 µg/Ncm (WHO
standard). Other polluted cities are San Fernando, Calapan, Cebu, Zamboanga
and Davao. Per WB, 18 M Filipinos are exposed to air pollution with health
costs and loss of income of P7.6 billion per year (Solis, 2020).

Water is also of major concern in the Philippines. Out of more than one
hundred million Filipinos, nine million rely on unsafe water supplies. In fact,
water pollution in the Philippines and a lack of proper sewage kills 55
people every day. Due to water pollution, the country is likely to face a
shortage of water for sanitation, drinking, agriculture and industrial purposes in
the next ten years. (Khalid, 2018).

The Philippines as a whole

has more than enough
surface and groundwater.
However, neglecting to have
a coherent environmental
policy has led to the
contamination of 58% of the
groundwater in the
Philippines. The main source
of pollution is untreated
domestic and industrial wastewater. Only one third of Philippine river systems
are considered suitable for public water supply (Wikiwand). Out of 421 rivers,
158 are unsafe source for drinking. In fact, 50 rivers are already considered
biologically dead, and Pasig River is known as one of the most polluted rivers
in the world.

It is estimated that in 2025, water availability will be marginal in most major

cities and in 8 of the 19 major river basins. Besides severe health concerns,
water pollution also leads to problems in the fishing and tourism industries.

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There is also rapid decline of natural resources and biodiversity in the country.
The Philippine forests are among the most diverse in the world but also
among the most endangered. As to biodiversity hotspots, Philippine is one the
world’s richest plant and animal species. It has a global biodiversity ranking of
2nd in terms of fishes, 5th as to plants, trees and mammals, and 8th as to
reptiles. While the rest of the whole world discovers one species per taxa
(family) per year, the Philippine discovers 5 to 6 species per taxa per year.

However, these are under threat due to massive loss of the country’s forest
cover. Over the course of the 20th century the forest cover of the Philippines
dropped from 70 percent down to 20 percent. In total, 46 species are
endangered, and 4 were already eradicated completely. Only 3.2 percent of the
total rainforest has been left. Based on an analysis of land use pattern maps
and a road map an estimated 9.8
million acres of forests were lost
in the Philippines from 1934 to
1988. There is already 93% loss
of forest cover for the past 500
years and still continue to shrink
at an average rate of 2 percent.
The figures below show the
trend, the spatial and temporal
decline of our forest through the
years.
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Figures above show the temporal and spatial trend and changes of forest cover in the country

Another issue in the country is the alarming waste problems. Improper waste
disposal creates a hazardous problem to everyone. It may infect people not
only physically but through the air and water. Garbage thrown in the rivers
and canals may not only block our waterways but it invites rodents to infect
the water and soon be transferred to humans. Clogged waterways have a
tendency to spill causing flash floods, which is what is happening here in our
country. Likewise, the lack of enough dumpsites and landfills is also a
hindrance in helping to solve our garbage management crisis. The pollution of
Pasig River is a reflection of people’s improper waste disposal practices.

Considering all the above mentioned problems, there is apparent threats to the
welfare of ecosystems which also pose threats to the welfare of humans.
Damaged ecosystems and degraded environment affect peoples’ accesses to
food, clean air and water, and other environmental goods and services.

The State of the Environment in the Global Setting

Five of the world’s most serious environmental problems cited by DW (2016)

are air pollution and climate change; deforestation; species extinction; soil
degradation and overpopulation. All of these problems are also related to the
most alarming problems in the Philippines.

Air pollution and climate change. Overloading of the atmosphere

and of ocean waters with carbon is the main cause of global warming which
ends to climate change. Atmospheric CO2 absorbs and re-emits infrared-
wavelength radiation, leading to warmer air, soils, and ocean surface waters -
which make the earth habitable. The planet would be frozen solid without this
(DW, 2016).
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Unfortunately, there's now too much carbon in the air. Burning of fossil fuels,
deforestation for agriculture, and industrial activities has pushed up
atmospheric CO2 concentrations from 280 parts per million (ppm) 200 years
ago to about 400 ppm today. That's an unprecedented rise, in both size and
speed. The result: climate disruption.

Carbon overloading is only

one form of air pollution
caused by burning coal, oil,
gas and wood. The World
Health Organization recently
estimated that one in nine
deaths in 2012 were
attributable to diseases caused
by carcinogens and other
poisons in polluted air.
Figure shows Mexico City plagued by air pollution

Deforestation. Species-rich wild forests are being destroyed, especially

in the tropics, often to make way for cattle ranching, soybean or palm oil
plantations, or other agricultural monocultures. Today, about 30 percent of the
planet's land area is covered by forests - which is about half as much as before
agriculture got started around 11,000 years ago. About 7.3 million hectares (18
million acres) of forest are destroyed each year, mostly in the tropics. Tropical
forests used to cover about 15 percent of the planet's land area; they're now
down to 6 or 7 percent. Much of this remainder has been degraded by logging
or burning (DW, 2016)

Natural forests do not

act only
as biodiversity
reserves, they are also
carbon sinks, keeping
carbon out of the
atmosphere and oceans.

The figure at the right

shows how the Amazon
forest went in to flame.
Figure shows the burning down of Amazon forest

In 2013, clearing practices were intensified in Brazil’s rainforest.. By this year,

there were 5,843 square kilometers of forest that had been cut down. In 2012,
there were 4,571 square kilometers that have been lost; and in 2004, there are
27,000 square kilometers that went up in flames – a global negative record.
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Species extinction. On land, wild animals are being hunted to

extinction for bushmeat, ivory, or medicinal products. At sea, huge industrial
fishing boats equipped with bottom-trawling or purse-seine nets clean out
entire fish populations. The loss and destruction of habitat are also major
factors contributing to a
wave of extinction. The
IUCN's Red List of
threatened and endangered
species continues to grow.
Not only do species
inherently deserve to exist,
they provide goods and
services essential to human
survival (DW, 2016).
Figure shows the looming extinction of species

Soil degradation. The problems that cause soil degradation are

overgrazing, monoculture planting, erosion, soil compaction, overexposure to
pollutants, land-use
conversion. About 12
million hectares of
farmland a year get
seriously degraded,
according to UN
estimates (DW, 2016).

Figure shows how land turn into dust for monoculture cropping

Overpopulation. There is also an obvious problem of overpopulation

because this continues to grow in a very fast rate worldwide. Humanity
entered the 20th century with 1.6 billion people; right now, we're about 7.5
billion. Estimates put us
at nearly 10 billion by
2050. Growing global
populations, combined
with growing affluence,
is putting ever greater
pressure on essential
natural resources. Most
of the growth is
happening on the
African continent, and
in southern and eastern Figure shows a reflection of population congestion
Asia (DW, 2016).
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2.0 WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Carrying and Assimilative Capacity Concepts

The fundamental ideas that must be remembered in understanding

environmental management are the concepts of carrying capacity and
assimilative capacity, and the relationship between the economic activity of
humans and the environment. Take a look at the figure below. It shows that
the environment provides the economic system a variety of services such as
raw materials which are transformed into consumer products by the
production process. Ultimately, these raw materials and energy return to the
environment as waste products.

Environmental problems arise

when extraction or use is more
than the ability of the
environment to recover or
when the residuals being
returned to the environment is
more than its carrying or
assimilative capacity

Carrying capacity refers to the

maximum number of
individuals (organisms, human)
that a given environment can
support without detrimental
effects or environmental
degradation while assimilative
capacity refers to the ability of
an ecosystem or environment
to carry wastes or impacts
without any adverse impacts.
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Hence, we can say that there are environmental problems when nature’s
carrying capacity or assimilative capacities are exceeded - and therefore, there
is a need for ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Environmental Management Defined

Environmental Management (EM) can be defined as the management of the

interaction and impact of human activities on the natural environment.

EM aims to ensure that ecosystem services and biodiversity are protected and
maintained for equitable use by future human generations, and also, maintain
ecosystem integrity as an end in itself by taking into consideration ethical,
economic, and scientific (ecological) variables.

It is a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an
environmental resource affected by human activities. It tries to identify the
factors that have a stake in the conflicts that may rise between meeting the
needs but protecting the environment.

The figure below shows a generalized model for environmental management.

A generalized model for Environmental Management

(adapted from Kumar, undated)
Module in Natural Resource and Environmental Management 18

Objectives of EM

Considering the complexity of dealing environmental problems, EM has very

broad objectives. This can include:

 To identify the environmental problem and find possible solutions

 To regulate or restrict the exploitation and utilization of resources
 To rehabilitate degraded environment and natural resource
 To minimize environmental pollution
 To reduce the impacts of extreme events and natural disaster
 To assess the impacts of proposed development projects and other
human activities on the environment

SAQ 1-4

After knowing the different environmental problems in the country

and in the global setting, cite one environmental problem caused by
agricultural activities that you think the most serious in your locality
and suggest two possible solutions.

ASAQ 1-4
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REFERENCES

CONSTANTINO, C., F. FALCITELLI, A. FEMIA and A. TOULINI.

2003. ISTAT – OECD Workshop, Paris, May 14-16, 2003.

DEUTSCHE WELLE (DW). 2016. Five of the world's biggest environmental

problems. https://www.dw.com/en/five-of-the-worlds- biggest-
environmental-problems/a-35915705.

IBON. 2020. A glimpse at the critical state of the Philippine Environment.

IBON Media and Communications

KHALID, M. 2018. Water Pollution in the Philippines. The BORGEN Project.

(https://borgenproject.org/water-pollution-in-the-philippines).

LILL, A. and S. GRABER. 2006. Ecology Center Kiel – Master’s

Programme: Environmental Management.

OECD. 2005. Glossary of Statistical Terms.

(https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=6421)

WIKIWAND. Undated. Environmental Issues in the Philippines.

(https://borgenproject.org/water-pollution-in-the-philippines/).