Lesson 9: Protecting the
Environment
Grade 7 Science
Interactions in the Environment
Ms. Willis
Protecting the Environment
 Learning Goals:
 Analyze and understand the cost and benefits of
selected technologies for protecting the
environment.
 Success Criteria
 I can explain some ways of protecting the
environment
 I can describe advantages and disadvantages of
these methods
 I can describe some ways that I can personally
help in protecting our ecosystems.
Human Impact on Ecosystems
 Recall last day you took notes on some
major ways that humans impact
ecosystems:
1. Habitat Loss
2. Introducing Invasive Species
 Both of these conditions, caused by
humans, can greatly affect biodiversity.
Human Impact on Ecosystems
 However, it is a reality that in our lifestyle
we need land to build (habitat loss) and
we travel (thus introducing invasive
species).
How much are we willing to give up in
our lifestyle to help the environment?
 Herein lies the cause of many of the
environment issues we are facing today!
Human Impact on Ecosystems
BASIC NEEDS
 We depend on healthy ecosystems to
meet our basic needs: to grow food,
provide us with clean water, and to supply
us with building material and clothing.
 We also need places to put waste and we
use resources to provide us with energy
for heating, transportation, manufacturing
and many other things.
Human Impact on Ecosystems
WANTS:
 We also use Earth’s resources to make
many things that we want, but do not
necessarily need.
 How much we take from nature depends
on our daily habits, and the choices we
make.
Human Impact on Ecosystems
 Ecological Footprint: a measure of human
demand on Earth’s ecosystems.
It estimates the amount of land and
water needed to regenerate the
resources a human consumes, as well
as to absorb the waste produced.
The more we consume, use and throw
out, the larger our ecological footprint.
The impact that humans have on the
environment is the total of our
individual footprints.
Human Impact on Ecosystems
Check out this interactive website to
compare our typical Canadian
footprint with other parts of the
world:
 http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/humanfootprint/consumption-interactive.html
Human Impact on Ecosystems
North Americans have extremely
large individual footprints. The
average NA requires 12.4 hectares
of Earth’s space to support his or
her lifestyle.
See the map on the next slide.
Where are the heaviest “footprints”
located?
Human Impact on Ecosystems
Human Impact on Ecosystems
Let’s look at one example of the
effect of human garbage:
 The effect of the garbage on animals
Human Impact on Ecosystems
 Over an average lifetime, EACH American
will…
Burn 124 000 litres of gasoline
Read 5 054 newspapers/magazines =
43 trees
Discard 44 tons of garbage
Use 1.7 million litres of water
Source: National Geographic Human Footprint
Human Impact on Ecosystems
Based on current consumption and
population trends of North
Americans, Earth can only provide 2
hectares for every person on this
planet!
If everyone lived the way North
Americans do, we would need at
least 3 more planets!!!
Human Impact on Ecosystems
We need to be willing to decide
which is more important: our wants
or our needs for a healthy planet.
Making this decision is part of
becoming a responsible
environmental citizen.
Protecting the Environment
 More and more people are concerned
about the negative effects that humans
have on ecosystems. They want to do
something to help.
 Steward: A person who carefully
manages a resource by taking
responsibility for their actions and
educating others.
Protecting the Environment
 To become stewards, we need to do the
following:
1. We have to learn about the
environment.
2. We have to CHANGE some of our
behaviours in order to care for the
environment.
3. We have to tell others about what we
have learned and how they can help
too.
Protecting the Environment
 There are 3 other things we can do:
Preserve, Conserve and Restore
ecosystems.
 Preserve: Protect areas from damage by
humans.
 An example of this is Dundas Valley
Conservation Area but there are much
larger areas (e.g.: national parks)
Protecting the Environment
 Conserve: using ecosystems wisely.
Organic farming vs. traditional farming
using fertilizers and pesticides.
3 Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle). – We
MUST reduce our waste!
Discuss some examples as a class….
Protecting the Environment
 Restore: Repairing the damage done by
human activity.
Planting trees to repair soil erosion
Building nest sites for birds
Replace lawns with wider variety of
plant species
Use native plants
Cities restoring green spaces
Protecting the Environment
 Your assignment: How can YOU help
protect the environment?
 You are to research and find 3 ways to
protect the environment. List these on
your “footprint” which will be displayed and
submit this with an explanation of how and
why this will help the environment.
Protecting the Environment
 Consolidating today’s lesson:
Ecological Footprint is a measure of
our impact on Earth’s resources
A steward takes responsibility for their
affect on the environment
We need to look at preserving,
conserving and restoring
ecosystems.
Protecting the Environment
Something to think about as you
leave today:
Are you a contributer??? (Video: 2:30 min)