7 important causes for exploitation of our environment

A number of animals have the ability to exploit the environment for their benefit. The building of nests by termites, birds, and construction of beehives by bees are some of the examples to show that animals too can exploit the environment for their purposes. But they do so instinctively. Instinct is an innate built in behavior. But an exhibits complex behavioral patterns. He hits upon an idea because of his developed mental faculty. Then he goes on to think about the methods of translating his idea into reality. He conjures up the difficulties that might arise during this process and thinks of ways and means to circumvent the difficulties. Moreover, he can talk about this problems to others and derive some new ideas from them.

With the advancement of knowledge, man began to exploit the environment more and more. The exploitation ranged from micro-level to the global level. For example, man can use bacteria for preparing curd. He can also explode atom bombs.

Exploitation of Environment in Positive Direction

Development of technology has enabled man to live in inhospitable places like Sahara and Iceland. Development of an appropriate technology and its judicious application can be beneficial to man. Some discoveries find greater application and use, and, therefore, they reach out to people of different parts of the world very rapidly. Let us take an example. If the extract from a particular species of plant can cure cancer or some deadly disease, it is bound to attract the attention of people all the world over. Some manufactures of the drug might start using the plant for extraction. In their over-zealous attempt to produce more drugs, they may wipe out that species of the plant. This is an example of large-scale use or exploitation of the environment as far as biodiversity is concerned.

Harmful Exploitation of Environment

1. Deforestation is one of the most stark examples of the harmful exploitation of our environment. To deprive the environment of forests is deforestation. Rapid increase in human population resulted in the greater need for cultivation and settlement. As a sequel to that, man started encroaching upon the forest lands, and the area of forest started shrinking.

2. With the coming up of the cities and towns, i.e., urbanization of human life, with the construction of dams and canals, laying of railway tracks, building of highways, establishment of new industries and educational institutions , etc., forest covers have been denuded.

3. The increasing use of timber for the construction of building furniture, toys, sports goods, boxes, boats, truck bodies, paper has resulted in heavy cutting of trees. The industrial raw materials such as plywood, paper pulp, rubber, etc. were taken from the forests. Medicinal plants are also great demand. Their increasing use can deplete their numbers.

4. For mining of ores of mica, manganese, etc. large areas of forests have been denuded. All this has resulted in soil erosin. Water holding capacity of the soil has species of wild life have become exposed to dangers of extinction. The air quality too, has been adversely affected by deforestation.

5. Mining and deforestation have a bearing on landslides, earthquakes and floods.

6. Some irresponsible human like not properly extinguishing camp fires, have resulted in forest fires causing great damage to flora and fauna.

7. Human activities have also resulted in the proliferation of harmful organisms taking a toll on the environmental quality. For example, defecation and dumping of garbage by the roadside can lead in the spreading of disease causing organisms.