Effect of economic to the ecology

INTRODUCTION:maintain and protect a very porous, humus-rich
The ecology has developed from the study oftopsoil.
natural biological systems, emphasizes theAs a result the loss biodiversity including animals
dynamic relationships between the variousand plants leads to the decrease of output
components of a system. Economics, with itsproduction, because most uses of biodiversity
nineteenth century origins in mechanistic conceptshave been discovered such as uses of chemical,
influenced by the industrial revolution, takes aespecially drugs which is very important for
more static view of the balance of accounts athuman life. An estimated 24% all world
the end of each accounting cycle. It can thereforeprescription drugs contain compounds derived
be instructive to apply an ecological systems viewfrom plants. With so many un described plants,
to various economic concepts, if only to raisemany potential useful medicines will be lost if we
some provocative questions about the basictake proper measures to control
premises underlying modern economic thinkingit.                            
which have too often been taken for granted.Flash flooding:
Both economy and ecology must becomeForests are important as they provide watershed
functional systems respect certain basic principlesmanagement, and hosting important species, as a
to ensure their stability and survival. In nature,result of deforestation there has been an increase
systems follow cycles of growth, reproduction orin the flow of ground water and as a result there
renewal, and death, which assure both thehave been increased occurrences of flash flooding
perpetuation of the systems and allow evolutionin dams and electric power dams.
to adapt to changing circumstances. In thisGlobal climatic changes:
process, the system may change form andForests are important in the carbon cycle balance
composition, but it preserves its most essentialand the cutting down of trees will result into
characteristics in its information content. Thisunbalanced carbon cycle in the world, as a result
determines its structure, organization and formsthere will be an increased percentage of carbon
of communication with the outside environmentdioxide in the atmosphere which leads  into global
and other systems. In biological systems, thiswarming and other impacts.
information is stored in the genetic code; in humanClimatic changes are experienced due to the
systems, this information is perpetuated andunforgiving nature of the environment, Global
transmitted in our social values, institutions, culture,warming has been an issue that has been of
science, knowledge and wisdom.recent concern and deforestation has contributed
 to the issue of global warming, for this reason
Ecology is the natural science that deals withtherefore there should be improved forest
relationships among all organisms and theirmanagement to extend the adverse effect of
environments. Ecological studies have traditionallyglobal warming.
focused on interpreting the non-human world andTrees act as water shed whereby areas covered
have provided little explicit application to humanby forest will hold more underground water, when
societylogging takes place in an area the ground may not
 hold water and for this reason the area may
Deforestation is the destruction or clearing ofexperience drier climates due to deforestation.
forested lands, usually for the purposes ofIncreased erosion and land slides:
expanding agricultural land or for timber harvesting.Due to the increased loss of vegetation cover
When the process is conducted by clear cuttingland has become more susceptible to erosion
(removal of most or all of the canopy treethrough rain and also wind, the loss of vegetation
growth, leaving few or no live or dead treescover and forests have also resulted into
standing) or when mass forest burning occurs,increased occurrences of land slides. Erosion also
significant losses of habitat and biodiversity maycauses sedimentation of streams and lakes which
result, including the erosion of biological communityhas effect to aquatic life due to suffocation
structure and the extinction of species.resulting from suspended materials in water. An
Ecological deforestation is where by destruction orexample of erosion caused by logging is the
clearing of forested land that leads to destructionyellow river of China that turned yellow due to
of organisms' habitat. Ecological deforestationthe increased sediment load of the river as a
begun as early as industrial revolution startedresult of erosion.
when the consumption patterns of society has Measures to control deforestation
changed followed by sharp increase of humanAfforestation and re-aforestation:
rates thus leading to high burden on theGovernment have initiated policy measures aimed
ecosystem. The advents of variety of industrialat supervising the companies project in specific
system especially motor engines that speed uparea making analysis that if this project harming
the rate of exploitations and consequently leadsthe ecological system it must be postponed and
to the extinctions of some keystones species ofalso judging the cost-benefit analyses for purpose
ecosystem.of environmental benefits. Other measures are
  planting trees (afforestation)  in both areas that
Ecological economics is a policy-orientedwere covered by trees and those that were not
perspective that addresses the interdependenceearlier covered by trees, afforestation involves
and co-evolution between human economies andthe planting of trees in area where forests did not
their natural ecosystems. Interest in this area hasexist while reforestation involves planting trees
been prompted by concerns for the adversewhere forests have been destroyed. An example
impacts of human economic growth processes onis where since 1990 the European union has paid
natural systems. Ecological economics is positive, infarmers in form of grants for them to turn their
its development of understanding of the physical,farming land into forests, by 1997 over half a
biological and social structural and functionalmillion hectares of land have been afforested and
relations between economies and naturalreforested. Also In the 1998 to 2000 period china
ecosystems. Ecological economics is alsocompleted reforestation and afforestation of over
normative in addressing appropriate roles of1.1million hectares. Therefore the afforestation and
human economies within natural ecosystems.reforestation policy measures by various
 authorities have resulted into a reduction in the
Economic and ecological processeseffects of deforestation.
Today, when we think of ecology, the householdBan on logging:
in question is the biosphere, primarily the naturalBans on logging are also policy measures to
environment. When we think of the economy, wereduce deforestation, this however acts as a way
think of the human production, exchange, andto stop further deforestation but does not solve
consumption of goods and services. The twothe problem of deforestation because the world
topics are treated in such a way that they hardlyhas already been faced with the problem, an
touch each other. And there is the problem. Weexample of such a ban is the 1998 china ban
need a healthy natural environment as a contextagainst commercial logging, this ban was lifted on
for our lives. We need to produce, exchange, andmore than 13 provinces that are along the yellow
consume goods and services in sustainable way.river.
But precisely because we need both,Cost of reducing this problem:
preoccupation with either one, when the other isBecause timber harvesting is a major economic
not in view, can be disastrous.activity in many countries if a piece of and is used
Realistically, in the past half century at least,for production of timber and not for any other
attention has been overwhelmingly focused onuse, trees are planted and then cut for timber
economy. The arguments have been about howproduction and trees are replanted or allowed to
to increase production, exchange, andgrow from natural seeding then we would be in
consumption of goods and services. Someapposition to find out the economic cost of
economists argued that a centralized bureaucracyresolving the problem. If trees and forests are
could plan economic growth most effectively.used for timber production then there must the
Others asserted that a market free fromdetermination of optima rotation which will be
government interference would grow moredetermined by the cost of planting, price of
rapidly. Most economies have in fact had elementscutting timber, discounting rate and the pattern of
of both, but on the whole giving more freedomgrowth of these trees.
to entrepreneurs has proved more effective.The stumpage value of the trees will be equal to
This View among economists has in generalrevenue got from the sale of timber minus the
presupposed that natural resources are notcost of harvest and transport to the place of
limited. Some believes that technological advancesale. In this case therefore it would be important
will handle any problems that arise from naturalto maximize the stumpage value.
shortages. There are no limits to growth. TheIn our case we are determining growth of trees
more rapidly we increase production, exchange,not for the purpose of cutting down but to
and consumption the better. But if you take looksecure and maintain the eco balance and
ecologically, things quite differently. It seems thattherefore the cost of keeping trees will be
human beings are consuming more and more ofdetermined by the management costs such as
the total natural product of the world. Wildernessspraying, pruning and thinning, other cost include
is growing scarce or, by some definitions, hasthe opportunity cost of land tied up by the trees
already disappeared. species could exceed its ownand finally the opportunity costs which the
natural ecosystem's carrying capacity or diminishproceeds from cutting the trees. However for
that capacity to the point of self-extinction, onlypublic forests we do not have to consider the
the human species has both the will and capacityopportunity cost of land held up by the trees.
to jeopardize itself, as well as the will and capacityHow can we develop sustainable economics.
to avoid it. Many species can survive only asMost of today's advanced industrialized countries
managed by human beings. Fresh water is alreadyhigh-throughput economies that attempted to
scarce in many parts of the world. Fisheries aresustain ever-increasing economic growth by
declining. Agricultural production will not be able toincreasing the flow of matter and energy
keep up with demand. Air, water, and soil areresources through their economic systems. These
being poisoned. The heating of the atmosphereresources flow through the economics of such as
leads to increased storms and more erraticsocieties to planetary sinks (air, water, soil,
weather.organisms), where pollutants and wastes end up
The linkage between ecological deforestation andand can accumulate to harmful levels.
economical system in modern world is quiteWhat happens if more and more people continue
opposed, the economical system in modern worldto use and waste more and more energy and
emphasizes the cost-benefit analysis, that meansmatter resources at an increasing rate? The law
the project is valued its benefit and demand fromof conservation of matter and the two laws of
market denying with its impact to thethermodynamics tell us that eventually thus will
environment.exceed the capacity of the environment to dilute
When logging (timber) operations takes place inand degrade waste matter and absorb waste
the forests land in order to get economicalheat. Fore example the first law of
purpose without considering ecological system, itthermodynamics in closed environment system,
will lead us to misery condition. This process isthe amount of waste in any period must be equal
conducted by clear cutting of significant trees.to the amount of natural resources used up.
When this mass forests cutting occurs, significantResources may be transformed but they cannot
losses of habitat and biodiversity may result,be destroyed and must end up somewhere in the
including the erosion of biological communityenvironmental system. However, they do not tell
structure and the extinction of species.us how close we are to reaching such limits but
Deforestation is proceeding at a rapid pace inthey are giving us indicators that the ability of
may areas of the world, especially in the tropicalenvironment to absorb waste has been reached.
and borea-forest regions of the earth, with annualA stopgap solution to this problem is to convert a
net loss of forests during the 1990s estimated inhigh-throughput economy to a matter-recycling
the range of nine to sixteen million hectares pereconomy. The goal of such conversion is to allow
annum (9 to 16 million hctr). Large scaleeconomic growth to continue without depleting
deforestation may have adverse impacts onmatter resources or producing excessive pollution
bio-sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide,and environmental degradation.
exacerbating greenhouse gas buildup, through theIn recognition of the many environmental services
release of stored carbon in tree biomass andperformed by forests, a new method of forest
reduced CO2 fixation rates due to loss of trees.management, known as ecologically sustainable
Deforested regions are often subject toforest management, is evolving. This broader
accelerated rates of soil erosion, increasedapproach seeks not only to conserve forest for
surface runoff and sedimentation of streams andthe commercial harvest of timber and non-timber
rivers, reduced infiltration and ground waterforest products, but also to sustain biological
recharge, with adverse water quality impacts ondiversity. Prevent soil erosion and soil, and
surface water and ground water resources.preserve watersheds that produce clean water.
An agricultural activity also is one of major thingsThe actual methods of ecological sustainable
that lead to the ecological deforestation. Expandingforest management that distinguish it from
of agricultural for addressing the demand fromtraditional forest management are gradually being
market will causes to cut more trees and hencedeveloped and vary from one forest ecosystem
destruction of critical habitat of organism.to another. Because trees have such long lifespan,
Typically, the most productive natural ecosystemsscientists and forest managers of the future will
(forests and grassland) are the first to bejudge the results of today's efforts.
modified by human use and most intenselyWe also recognize efficiency in nature, and it
managed. Since nearly all agricultural practicesacknowledges the importance of ecosystem
involve the removal of the original vegetation andfunctions for the continuation of human
substitution of exotic domesticated crops andeconomies and cultures. In nature, one species'
animals, the loss of biodiversity is significant. Aswaste is another's food, so that nothing is wasted.
human population grows, it needs more space toWe need an economy that recycles materials and
grow food. The pressures to modify theuses energy efficiently, much as biological
environment are greatest in areas that have highcommunity does.
population density. Often the changes brought by 
intense agricultural use can degrade theConclusion:
ecosystem and permanently alter the bioticThe economy is one of the pillars of sustainability.
nature of the area. Today, agricultural land is beingIt must function to prevent pollution by providing
pushed to feed more people, and its wise use isincentives that promote efficient resource use
essential to the health and welfare of the peopleand eliminate waste. The economy must also
of the world.support healthy ecosystems, the source of our
Ironically, the oil, which has made possible sonatural resources. Preventing pollution and
much of the economic growth, will becomeprotecting ecosystems.
scarce and expensive within a few decades, Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 
because over exploitation the natural resources in 
order to address the sharp increase of human 
demand.  Oil companies under take huge project 
to overexploit the natural resources without 
considering the effects these projects on 
ecosystem. Their main aim is to accomplish 
economical benefits rather then future impact on 
the environment. For instance oil spill which has 
taken place in USA 5 months ago has caused 
20500 species to die and some keystones 
species of this region may already extinct. 
Although the company (British Petroliam, BP) 
which was responsible for this spill has announced 
to compensate the destruction of ecosystem but 
still far to remediate the loss of many species 
that may take over million years to remain its 
impact. At a maximum, we should focus onREFERENCES
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