Geoenvironment Management and Sustainability - Sustainable Practices in Geoenvironmental Engineering - page 6

1.2.2 Natural Resources and Biodiversity in the Geoenvironment
Natural resources in the geoenvironment are deined as commodities that have intrinsic
value in their natural state. They are the natural capital of the geoenvironment. In describ-
ing the natural resources in the geoenvironment, the most obvious ones are often cited
immediately. These include water, forests, minerals, coal and hydrocarbon resources (oil,
gas, and tar sands, for example), and soil. Other not so obvious resources are the developed
resources such as agricultural products and alternative energy generation (resources) such
as solar, geothermal, wind, tidal, and hydro.
One natural resource that is often overlooked is biological diversity (biodiversity). This
is one of the most signiicant of the natural resources in the ecosystem. We use the term
biodiversity to mean the diversity of living organisms such as plants, animals, and micro-
bial species in a speciic ecosystem. They play signiicant roles in the development of the
many resources that we have identiied above, through mediation of the low of energy
(photosynthesis) and materials such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous. According to
Naeem et al. (1999), ecosystems consist of plants, animals, and microbes, and their associ-
ated activities, the results of which impact on their immediate environment. They point out
that a functioning ecosystem is one that exhibits biological and chemical activities char-
acteristic for its type and give the example of a functioning forest ecosystem that exhibits
rates of plant production, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling that are characteristic of
most forests. It follows that if the trees in the forest are harvested or if the forest ecosystem
is converted to another type of ecosystem, the speciic characteristics of a functioning for-
est ecosystem will no longer exist.
For the purpose of this topic, we deine a functioning ecosystem to include not only the
biological and chemical activities, but also the physicochemical activities and physical inter-
actions characteristic of the type of ecosystem under consideration. Trevors (2003) has enu-
merated a noteworthy list for consideration in respect to the role of biodiversity as part of our
life-support system. Included in the detailed Trevors (2003) list are such considerations as:
• Maintenance of atmospheric composition and especially the production of oxygen
by photosynthesis and the ixation of carbon dioxide,
• Water cycle via evaporation and plant transpiration,
• Interconnected nutrient cycles (e.g., C, N, P, S) driven by microorganisms in soils,
sediments, and aquatic environments,
• Carbon sources and sinks,
• Pollination of agricultural crops and wild plants,
• Natural biocontrol agents, for example, in microbial degradation of pollutants in
soil, water, sediments, wastewater, and sewage treatment facilities.
1.3 Geoenvironment Sustainability
Since the natural resources of the geoenvironment provide the main elements and basis
for production of “food, shelter, and clothing” for the global population, the question that
begs itself is, “How sustainable is the geoenvironment?” There is no single answer to this
seemingly simple question—primarily because one needs to include in the discussions