Unit 3
• Economic Activity
• Broken up in three sections
• 3A – Primary Resource Activity
• 3B – Energy Resources
• 3C – Industry and Future Concerns
Types of Industry
• Primary – Extractive
• Secondary – Manufacturing
• Tertiary – Service
• Quaternary – Technology, Storage, Recovery
Primary Industry
• Years ago, most of the jobs in Canada were related to natural
resources.
• The industries in the field included mining, fishing, farming, forestry
and oil.
• Canadians who work in primary industries are those who work
directly with natural resources.
• Products are extracted directly from the earth.
Secondary Industries
• build, construct, and manufacture products from these raw materials.
• In fact, some people refer to secondary industry as the
manufacturing industry.
• Canadians have an international reputation for many of the products
that they manufacture, such as airplanes, cars, and paper.
Tertiary Industries
• In this sector, people provide services to others. There is a
long list of occupations in this industry, ranging from doctors
and lawyers to actors and chefs.
• See page 355 for a long list.
• Do these exist in your community?
• Public – government owned (teachers, hospitals, etc..)
• Private – owned by individuals (mechanics, insurance
agents, etc…)
Quaternary Industries
• Those involving the creation of knowledge, ideas, and
technology— intellectual services that are the basis of
research and development. It is not enough to come up with
a great idea through research.
• Some people see quaternary industry as a part of tertiary
industry, but, in many ways, it is very different.
• Quaternary industry makes use of knowledge and ideas to
create solutions to problems.
Natural Resources
for the future
Unit 3 – Part 1
Agriculture
Fisheries
Mining
Forest
Water
Primary Resource Activity
• Extractive Activity
• To take from nature
• How are these the
same???
• “Canada must become the world’s smartest natural resource
developer, user, and exporter; the most environmentally friendly; the
most socially responsible; the most productive and competitive.”
• People visit Canada every year to experience the solitude and
grandeur of the great outdoors.
• The nature of our consumer society has encouraged us to
scour Canada’s landscapes for the raw materials that we
need to support our way of life. Extracting resources and
sales of consumer goods provide jobs for Canadians.
NATURAL RESOURCES — THE BIG PICTURE
• Canada, as a whole, enjoys a healthy economy and prosperous lifestyle. This
prosperity is the result of
• a strong natural resource base
• skilled workers
• favourable patterns of world trade and strong
export
markets
• innovation and ingenuity
•
Did you Know –
The average Canadian
consumes more natural
resources than the
average citizen in
other parts of the world.
Resources at a Glance
• Natural resource is anything found in nature that can be
used by people. It becomes a resource when people
have a need or want for it, it is profitable to extract and
develop and technology exists to extract.
3 types:
• Renewable resources, such as forests, can grow again after people harvest them.
• Non-renewable resources, such as minerals like gold and oil, are present on Earth
in limited amounts, and when they are used they are gone forever.
• Flow resources, such as water and wind, are neither renewable nor nonrenewable. They must be used where and when they occur. For example, wind
energy to produce electricity can only be used in a place where the wind blows
continually.
Sustainability
• A sustainable resource system is one that will last into the
future and one in which natural resources are not used up
faster than they can either renew themselves, be recycled,
or be replaced with other resources. Think about how this
can be done for those listed below.
Consuming Resources: Needs and Wants
• When you go shopping, you are automatically consuming natural
resources. Every product you buy comes from the natural resources
of the Earth.
• Have you considered:
• How many televisions, cars, or pairs of
jeans
or shoes does one person need to
be comfortable?
• Do you have enough things to meet your
basic
needs?
• Are there more things that you want that
you
don’t already have?
An interesting Fact
• The wealthy industrialized world represents about 20% of the world’s
total population but consumes about 80% of the world’s resources.
• This includes: Canada, the United States, and Germany
What’s in a Word.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
extract: to remove a resource from the Earth
develop: to extract a resource and prepare it for market
manage: to provide direction and guidance on how to use a resource
conserve: to use a resource so the supply will last for future generations
preserve: to maintain a resource in its existing state
protect: to look after; to save from harm
degrade: to lower the quality of a resource
sustain: to conserve resources so that they survive for future generations
traditional: describes a way of using a resource that has been handed down
from generation to generation
Questions
• Page 241
• Answer #1, 2, and 4.
AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
• Extracting natural resources brings money into the economy
by providing jobs for more than a million Canadians in
resource-related industries and through our exports of raw
materials to other countries.
• Exports are sales of our products or services to another country. In
turn, the companies that profit from the export of our natural
resources pay royalties and income taxes to the federal or
provincial government, which benefit our country as a whole.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• The economic value of our natural resources is usually
measured in dollars—millions or even billions of dollars.
• The GDP is an economic indicator that measures the value of
all the goods and services produced in one country in one
year. (13% from natural resources)
Value beyond money
• Natural resources may also be valued for their ecological
benefits, such as the ability of trees to produce oxygen and
remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Natural
resources have aesthetic benefits.
• People find forests, the green open spaces of farmland, soil for
growing plants, fresh water, wildlife, and the Canadian
wilderness beautiful and of great value to them, both
physically and psychologically.
Trade off and Systems Thinking
• When we take natural resources out of the Earth, there is damage
to the environment and to natural systems. It can’t be helped—it
is inevitable. Nevertheless, we continue to use natural resources
because of the trade-off—we need the raw materials and we need
the jobs they provide. Natural resources keep the economy strong.
In responding to the challenges of this trade-off, people have
become more concerned with protecting and conserving
resources.
How do we use resources in a sustainable way – Systems Thinking.
What`s so different today compared to the
past.
• Trends taking place in the world today that have an effect on natural
resources in Canada include the following:
• Consumption of natural resources is increasing in Canada and around the world as
developing countries, in particular countries with large populations such as China,
India, and Brazil, become more industrialized.
• Competition for selling natural resources is increasing on a global scale as more natural
resources are being produced by developing countries, for example, gold in China.
• Control of natural resources is increasingly concentrated in the hands of large
international companies.
• People are becoming more concerned about the condition of the natural environment.
- Canada needs to address the rights and title to land of
Aboriginal peoples.
- Human ingenuity has resulted in the development of new technology that
is changing the way resources are both extracted and protected.
Transnational Corporations
• Most natural resource development is controlled by large
international companies.
• Vale, based in Brazil, employs 126 000 people in 38 countries with 50 000 more working
in ongoing projects. Vale is the world leader in iron ore production and one of the
largest nickel producers in the world. It operates Voisey’s Bay nickel and copper mining
in Labrador and processing facilities in Long Harbour, Newfoundland, as well as other
mines in Canada.
• When a transnational corporation extracts a resource in a small community, the
community benefits economically because it gains jobs. Some corporations contribute in
other ways to the community by building roads or helping to pay for arenas or other
buildings. But some do not.
Sustainable Development
• We must consider, how we go about
• maintaining a strong economy
• considering the needs of people in their communities
• protecting the natural environment
One way that the government has
responded to this challenge is to pass laws
natural environment.
to reduce harm to the
Journal Entry 13: What is the message of this
image and how does it make you feel?
Case Study: The Price of Power
• Page 246 – Read then answer.
• Imagine you are an analyst hired to conduct an environmental assessment of the
proposed development at Muskrat Falls on the lower Churchill River. You must gather
accurate information and analyse the project’s potential environmental and human
impacts. What is your suggestion? Make a recommendation of whether or not this
development should proceed.
Aboriginal Peoples and Natural Resources
• Many natural resources are located on land to which
Aboriginal peoples have claim or hold title.
• Innu Nation of Labrador will have substantial annual revenues
that will ensure long-term economic stability. In addition, the
Innu Nation will have access to training and employment
opportunities. This comes with the Agreement with Lower
Churchill.
• A company called NovaGold began developing a gold, copper,
and silver mine on Tahltan First Nation land in British
Columbia - An agreement between the Tahltan and NovaGold
includes a $1 million yearly payment and royalties to the
Tahltan First Nation, who play a role in monitoring the
project’s environmental effects.
AGRICULTURE
—AN ESSENTIAL PRIMARY INDUSTRY
• Agriculture generates 1.7% of Canada’s gross domestic product
(GDP) and provides jobs, directly and indirectly, to
approximately one in 86 Canadians.
• Doesn’t seem like much - Agriculture supports many rural
communities and provides Canadians with a safe, abundant
food supply.
• Agricultural land is often considered a renewable resource
because, if it is properly cared for, crops may grow on it year
after year.
• only about seven per cent of the total land area of Canada is
arable, or suitable for growing crops.
Deciding What to Grow
—Factors Affecting Agriculture
• Climate, landforms, and soil conditions are the most important
natural factors affecting farming.
• Other factors include:
demands by consumers for certain products transportation facilities
that are available
closeness to market, where food products are bought and sold
competition that you may have from other lower-cost growers
changing prices for food on world markets
Challenges Farmers Face
• natural hazards such as early frosts, drought, floods, and
animal diseases such as mad cow disease (BSE) in beef or
avian flu in poultry
• high costs for fuel and equipment
• low crop prices
• competition from more heavily subsidized farmers in other
countries
• competition from large, industrialized factory farms
Canadian Farming Problem
• The governments of the United States and the countries of
the European Union pay farmers a subsidy to help them
grow some farm products. A subsidy is money given to
farmers by the government to offset some of their costs,
such as expensive machinery or high fuel prices. A subsidy
paid to farmers in other countries helps them keep the price
of their products low, and may put Canadian farmers at a
disadvantage.
Trends in Agriculture
These trends affect the economy, the natural environment,
and our communities, and they include the following:
changing consumer demands
changing technology
fewer farmers but larger farms
increasing control of agriculture by transnational corporations
an increase in industrial agriculture, known as factory farming
Changing Technology
• During the 1960s and 1970s, many new technological developments
in high-tech farm machinery, chemicals, and high-yield seeds
increased the production of food dramatically.
• Pesticides have been used throughout farming history to improve production – however
the impact of such as been debated heavily recently – Biological Amplification.
• Pesticide use has been reduce and even banned in some countries.
Farm Size
• Improved technology has enabled farmers to grow more and more
food on one piece of land. Fewer farmers and farm workers are
needed to work the land, so more people move away from farms into
towns and cities. There are fewer farms, but the farms remaining are
getting bigger.
Agribusiness and Factory Farms
• Transnational corporations (agribusinesses) buy the food from the
farmer or grow the food themselves, process it, and distribute it to
grocery stores—squeezing out the farmer and the grocery store so
that they receive a very small percentage of the profit in the food
system.
• The pressures of the market and changing technology have caused
a gradual shift from small family farms to large industrialized
operations often called factory farms. Large pig barns and beef
feedlots house thousands of animals in a small, contained space.
Animals living in such conditions are more susceptible to diseases,
so they are often fed antibiotics as well as growth hormones to
make them put on weight.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
• meets Canadians’ needs for food so we don’t have to rely on food
imported from other countries
• makes efficient use of fossil fuels to run farm machinery
• protects surface and ground water, as well as air and soil quality
• reduces the use of chemicals, such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
• provides jobs and a profitable industry
• supports small farms and urban agriculture
• encourages positive contact between farmers and consumers
The Fishery
• Fishing is one of the last remaining ways to harvest wild food.
• With such an abundance of fish and seafood, it is hard to believe
that Canada’s fisheries are in a state of crisis.
• In 1992, the Atlantic cod fishery in Canada collapsed. In response, the
federal government placed a moratorium on the cod fishery in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Employment in the fishery
• The fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador employs
more than 20 000 people, mostly in rural areas. Total
production in 2010 was valued at $942 million, an
increase of almost 14% over 2009.
• East coast salmon are disappearing quickly, however.
Today, about 350 000 (compare to 1.5 Million in the
70’s) wild salmon return each year to spawn in rivers
flowing into Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy. The same is
true for the east coast salmon fishery.
Where have the fish gone????
Impact of declining fisheries
• Fisher people have moved on to different species (rise in crab,
lobster, whelk, cucumber etc… over the past 20years).
• As fish stocks decline, fishers have expanded their reach into deeper
water, stopped fishing (retrained or moved away), or expanded into
fish farming, known as aquaculture.
Canada’s Ocean Fisheries
Cont…
• The best fishing areas are in the warmer shallow
waters of the continental shelf, before the seabed
drops off into deep waters. These shallow areas allow
for good penetration of sunlight….good for
photosynthesis in phytoplankton which are the fish’s
main source of food. Grand banks of NL are an
excellent example.
• Areas where warm and cold ocean currents meet are
good as they provide a good area for spawning and
increase growth of phytoplankton (causing an
upwelling of nutrient-rich water)
Types of Species
• Groundfish prefer to live on the ocean floor along the bottom of
the shallow continental shelves. Groundfish include species such
as halibut, sole, haddock, pollock, and cod.
• Fish that swim in open water are called pelagic fish. These fish,
mainly sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies, tuna, and salmon,
are often caught near the surface of the ocean.
• Shellfish, including lobster, crab, oysters, scallops, and mussels are
found along the ocean bottom
Types of gear used
•
Purse Seine - A large net that hangs vertically in the water by attaching
weights along the bottom edge and floats along the top.
• Otter trawl - Trawling, or dragging, is a commercial fishing method in
which a trawl vessel (trawler or dragger) drags a cone-shaped net
with a rectangular opening through the water to trap fish.
• Longlining - Longlining is a hook and line fishery in which long
lengths of baited hooks are laid on the ocean floor to catch mainly
groundfish
• Gill net - A gillnet is a long, horizontal mesh sheet with floats along
the upper edge. It is set perpendicular to the path of the fish and
designed so that incoming fish can get their heads but not their
bodies through the mesh; thus the term gillnet.
• weir: a device used to trap fish made of a net supported by wooden
stakes
Impact of New Technology on the Ocean
Environment
Factory freezer Trawlers
~ have likely had the most significant and negative
impact.
The reasons for this include:
1.
Highly efficient at catching fish, but greatly reduces the
population & reproduction.
2.
Large diesel engines, echo sounding equipment, onboard
freezers, and GPS navigation contribute to their efficiency.
3.
Destruction of the ocean
floor by trawls/draggers
eliminates good spawning
locations for fish. Also, it
disperses eggs, making
fertilization more difficult.
4.
By-catch (accidentally caught) is often discarded. Some regulations require ships
to return with low levels of by catch.
5.
Traveling great distances and being able to stay at sea for long periods allows
trawlers from all over the world to come together in good fishing areas. This puts
added pressure on the fish stock.
Sustainable Fishery
Definition:
Using a resources such as the ocean species in a way that will
ensure they
• will not become extinct, but
• will be protected to increase
• for the benefit of future generations.
Strategies for a Sustainable Fishery
• Have knowledge about sustaining the fishery.
• Human attitudes must change.
• People need to understand the long-term wellbeing of
the resource.
• Decrease consumption and world’s population.
• Extend legal jurisdictions.
• Try to prevent foreign fishing.
• Other…Can YOU identify any?????????????????
• technology, catch techniques, pollution, aquaculture.
The quota System
• A quota is the amount of a species of fish that may be caught by one
boat or by a group of fishers in a year. Fishers obtain the quota from
the federal government.
• This is a method of sustainability.
Depletion of cod stocks
• Fish is a renewable resource, and that renewable resources must be
managed properly.
• Fish can be harvested forever if the number caught each year does not
exceed the number reaching maturity in that year.
Why the collapse?
Five major conditions responsible for the collapse:
1. Overfishing
2. Improved Fishing Technology (GPS)
3. Uncontrolled Foreign Fishing
4. Destructive Fishing Practices
5. Changes in Natural Conditions
Aquaculture
It is also known as fish farming and involves the raising of marine life in
a controlled environment. Hence, this activity breeds and raises fish
in tanks, ponds, and reservoirs.
• Since the fish are fed regularly and are safe from natural predators, they
mature rapidly and successfully.
Aquaculture
Supporters
• Farmed fish are rich in omega 3 fats and are
equally as healthy to eat as wild fish.
• Aquaculture is the main economic base of
many coastal communities.
• Farmed fish provide a large supply of protein
and food security as wild fish stocks decline
worldwide.
• Divers regularly inspect the ocean floor and
check for holes in nets.
• New containment technology reduces the
escape of fish into the wild.
• Antibiotic use is strictly controlled by vets
and used for diagnosed conditions only.
• Contaminants in farmed salmon are below
the levels set by Health Canada.
• Salmon farming is a highly regulated industry
with more than 50 different provincial and
federal requirements.
Opponents
• Farmed salmon contains more fat than
wild salmon and more toxic contaminants
like PCBs and pesticides that may affect
human health.
• Waste products from fish, uneaten food,
and dead fish sink to the ocean bottom
and pollute natural habitat.
• Fish are raised in densely packed net cages
so diseases spread quickly.
• Sea lice, rampant on fish farms, escape
and weaken wild salmon stocks.
• Antibiotics and pesticides to prevent
disease and sea lice contaminate water in
which wild salmon swim, kill other species,
and may be harmful to consumers.
• Net cages often tear, allowing farmed
salmon to escape, which affects wild
salmon.
Trends in the Fishery
• The demand for fish is growing. As cod and salmon stocks declined,
fishers turned to other species, such as shellfish, which are in high
demand. Fish farming is also increasing, helping to sustain rural and
coastal communities.
Mining
• Canada is known for its mineral wealth. For
example, Canada produces more potash than any
other country in the world, and 95% of it is mined in
Saskatchewan.
• Potash is rich in potassium, one of the three
important nutrients needed for plant growth, so
almost all the potash is used to make fertilizer.
Potash is also used to make soap, animal food,
medicines, and water softener.
Types of Minerals
• non-metallic minerals - a mineral, such as salt or potash,
that is not a metal
• metallic minerals - which are minerals that provide us with
metals such as iron, nickel, and copper.
How do we find minerals?
• All rocks contain minerals, but there are only a few
places where the concentration of minerals is high
enough to justify digging a mine.
• Mining has become a knowledge-based industry that
uses high-tech computer and satellite technology to
explore and find the location of ore bodies, which
are rocks that contain enough of a particular type of
mineral to be worth developing a mine.
• Magnetometers are carried by helicopter over
potential mineral-bearing land to find small
anomalies, or rock conditions that are different from
the surrounding rock.
In the field
• Despite all the high-technology equipment used to find
minerals, prospectors and geologists must still go out “in the
field” to:
• study maps and air photos
• collect rock and soil samples
• drill holes into the bedrock to bring up cores of rock, which
are then examined to determine the amount of minerals in
the ore
• When looking for minerals, geologists need to know where
certain types of rocks occur. They understand, for example,
that metallic minerals are found in the igneous rocks of the
Canadian Shield, while fossil fuel minerals, such as coal, oil, and
natural gas, are found in the sedimentary rocks of western and
Atlantic Canada.
Mining Towns
• The distribution of minerals across Canada has given
rise to a number of single-industry resource towns
such as Logan Lake, British Columbia. These towns
are built primarily to provide workers who operate
the mine with a place to live and with the services
they need on a regular basis.
• As long as the ore lasts or there is a boom in world
markets, the town will thrive. Once the ore runs out,
or the price of the mineral is too low to continue
mining, the mine will close. This leaves the town with
no economic base unless it diversifies its economy
by encouraging other types of businesses.
Mining and the Economy
• The four provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia,
and Quebec produce about 80% of the total value of Canada’s
minerals. The mining industry plays an important role in the
economy of Newfoundland and Labrador, representing 8.6% of
the province’s total GDP. Nunavut, with its vast territory of
Canadian Shield rock, is a prime location for future exploration
and development of gold, base metals, and diamond mines.
• Canada is a big player on world mineral markets. It leads in the
production of uranium and is one of the top five countries in
the production of gold, aluminum, zinc, platinum, and salt,
among others.
• Mining generates about $80 billion a year for Canada.
Balance of Trade
• In 2010, Canada exported $85 billion worth of minerals and
primary metals to 130 different countries. Canada also
imports many minerals and mineral products. In 2010,
Canada’s mineral imports totalled $67 billion. The difference
between imports and exports is called the balance of trade.
Environmental Impact
• Although mining occurs on less than 0.03% of Canada’s land area, the
mining industry has a big ecological footprint.
• The mining industry uses a great deal of energy. Fossil fuels are
burned to run machinery and transportation equipment, and a great
deal of electricity is needed to mill and refine minerals. These
processes have far-reaching effects on air and water quality, and they
contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
What are we doing to lessen the impact?
• Sometimes a mining company will work with a local
community to re-establish wildlife habitat or to develop golf
courses, recreational lakes, and parklands on closed mine
sites.
• Governments are responsible for enforcing environmental
laws and ensuring that landscapes and ecosystems that
have been affected by mining are restored.
How about this for Impact?
Impact at a glance….
Acid Rain
• Acid precipitation, commonly known as acid rain, includes rain,
fog, and snow that is highly acidic and a threat to the forests,
lakes, fish, and the shallow soils of the Canadian Shield. Acid rain
is a problem in Atlantic Canada because many water and soil
systems lack natural alkalinity and cannot neutralize acid.
• Most acid rain is caused by human activities that produce
particles and gases of sulphur and nitrogen oxide. The burning of
coal or oil in electrical generating plants and the burning of
gasoline in transportation vehicles are the main causes of acid
rain.
• The biggest producers of these pollutants are the refining and
smelting industries, which separate metallic minerals, such as nickel,
lead, and zinc from the rock in which they are found.
• Not all the acid rain is produced in Canada. prevailing
westerly winds carry emissions into Canada from power
plants and industries located in the midwestern United
States. The eastern United States, in turn, suffers from acid
rain produced by industries in Canada.
Forestry
Canadian Geography
Pages 284-295
• More than 300 communities in Canada depend on forestry –
paper, building materials, heating, scenic beauty, syrup, wine
etc…
• Canada’s forest resources make a
significant contribution to the economy.
• It provides jobs for people – logging, paper mills, silviculture,
tapping
Types of Forestry
• Clear-cutting: A logging method that involves clearing an area of
all its trees at one time. It is often done in large patches. Clearcutting is the least expensive and is a safer method for loggers
• Strip logging: a form of clear-cutting in which long strip of land
are cleared of trees, leaving some islands of forests intact. This
method reduces soil erosion, is less disruptive to some wildlife
(birds, moose), and allows natural reseeding to take place.
• Shelter wood cutting: used in an area of trees that are all
generally the same age. Once the trees have regenerated , the
rest of the mature trees are cut again.
• Selection cutting: used where there are different types
of various ages. It is also used to remove diseases in
trees. Selective cutting is the most dangerous and, most
expensive because we have to build roads to get to these
trees.
Forest Resources
Tree Harvesting - 1. Clear Cutting
• forest harvesting
that removes all
trees from an area.
• Includes desirable
AND undesirable
species
• the land is left
uncovered.
Clear Cutting
Advantages
 Most rapid
economical
and least dangerous form of harvesting.
Disadvantages
• Leaves behind a poor
looking landscape.
• Ecosystem has a very
difficult time recovering.
• Soil is defenseless to
erosion. Especially
sloped land
• Wildlife habitats are
disturbed.
Tree Harvesting –Clear Cutting
Tree Harvesting –Strip Cutting
a variation on clear cutting where strips of forest about 1 or 2 ha are left between
the clear cut areas.
Strip Cutting
Advantages
 Less ecological disruption than clear cutting.
 Soil erosion is less severe.
 Forest can regenerate naturally without human help.
Disadvantages
 Requires a larger section of forest to produce the
same amount of yield.
 More disruption to the ecosystem. Ex: extra roads.
Tree Harvesting –Selective Cutting
• forest harvesting that
removes only mature
trees and leaves the
other trees in place.
• Immature trees,
undesired species and
underbrush is all left
intact.
Selective Cutting
• Clear cutting has the advantage of being economical and safe
whereas selective cutting has the advantage of leaving the ecosystem
intact.
• Selective cutting is the most expensive method of cutting for
companies.
• Proves to be the most dangerous as well.
3. Selective Cutting
Advantages
 Leaves the biggest portion of the forest
intact.
 Causes the least ecological disruption.
Disadvantages
 Most
expensive method.
 Yields are lower.
 Care must be taken to avoid damaging unharvested trees.
 Roads must be maintained longer to keep harvesting mature
trees.
Importance of the Forests
• Forests prevent soil erosion through the use of their roots
(roots hold the soil together).
• Prevent flooding… Trees take up much of the water.
• Prevent soil from drying up… SHADE soil and forest floor
from warm temps.
• Wind break that prevents wind erosion… Wind would
blow the soil away…epsecially dry soil.
Importance of the Forests
• Forests also add decaying material to the soil (humus
content) otherwise the soil would have less to no
nutrients.
• Help filtrate the water.
• Recycles air…CO2 into O2.
• Base of the food chain for many ecosystems.
Sustainable Forestry
• Sustainable means to manage or
maintain something so that it remains
and provides benefits over the LONG
term.
• Sustainable forestry… is a method of
harvesting AND using the forests so
that the resource is not depleted or
permanently damaged.
FACT
• If we cut trees faster than they grow
back, we will run out of trees... NO
KIDDING!!!
Jeopardizing “Sustainable forests!”
WORLD POPULATION INCREASES CAUSES:
• The demand for forestry products increases (It is a RESOURCE with
value)
• the demand for forestry land to be converted to other
uses…housing, mining, and hydro-electricity projects, etc..
Sustainable Forestry…HOW??
1.
Improve what we input into forestry (replanting & seeds)
2.
Improve processes like:
o road construction
o harvesting techniques
o environmental protection actions
o reducing losses (use all of the tree)
3.
Reduce the need of output product Or even Maximize use.
o Recycle, use all parts, reduce wastage etc..
o Use of alternate building materials
Concerns of the forest:
• People are overusing our forests which is a major concern for their
sustainability. If we cut down all our trees, were driving animals out
of their natural habitats which will probably result in them dying out.
Canada’s forests are home to thousands of different species, and
mistreatment of land causes these animals to migrate to unknown
areas.
• If there is no forestry people will get laid off and have to find new
jobs. People will lose jobs in forestry, hunting, farming, etc... People
over use our trees and it is putting stress on the environment to
support our breathing needs and needs of the forestry economy.
• If people keep cutting trees at the rate they are now, there will be
more concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as trees
filter the carbon dioxide and produce oxygen for humans and
animals. People are tearing up natural pieces of land for city
construction, polluting the air.
Important terms involving
forestry:
• Boom/Bust cycles: when times are good, more houses are built and more books
are sold creating more jobs. In times of recession people are laid off and jobs
decreases.
• Commercial forest: Forested land that is capable of producing marketable, such
as timber.
• Timber: the wood that has been prepared for use as a building material.
• Carbon Sink: a natural storage of carbon in forests, soil, or the ocean that would
otherwise be in the atmosphere.
• Forest Management Plan: a plan of long-term goals for an area to be logged
that is required by law in Ontario.
• Model Forests: a new approach to sustainable management of small areas of
local forest that involves input from all stakeholders who work together as a
team.
• List and describe reasons why people cut down trees and what
they use them for?
• Do you think there’s one or more type of pollution affecting
trees? Explain.
• How important are forest in your life? How might your view of
forests be different from that of a logger?
• Imagine that you are the owner of a large forest woodlot. Which
method of cutting would you use to cut down trees? Explain why
would you use this method.
Statistics
-An average person uses
approximately 343 liters of
water per day, making it one of
the highest consumers of water
in the world.
-The majority of Canada’s fresh
water is found in the form of
rivers, lakes, groundwater, ice
and snow.
-Canada has 20% of the fresh
water
in the world.
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Importance of Water
Water is very important in our everyday lives. Our body is composed
mostly with water around 60-70% and even while getting ready in the
mornings we shower, brush our teeth or even drink it.
To farmers water is also very helpful, water is used to grow crops or
water their gardens.
Without water, many people wouldn’t have jobs. Jobs such as
skippers, marine engineers, fishermen, and even cooks rely on water
for a source of capital.
About 40 million people in Canada and the United States depend on
the largest fresh water system in the world known as the Great Lakes
for water.
Some people think water is not a natural resource, it’s a basic human
right. I agree with this because even though it comes from nature you
can’t survive without it. Water is not just a essential part of life for
humans but for animals such as fish especially.
Acid rain and its affect in our
water
• The ecological effects of acid rain are most clearly seen in the
aquatic environments, such as streams, lakes, and marshes.
• Acid rain flows into these bodies of water after falling on forests,
fields, buildings, and roads. Acid rain also falls directly on
aquatic habitats.
• Acid rain primarily affects sensitive bodies of water, which are
located in watersheds. It can also occur in the form of snow, fog,
and tiny bits of dry material that settle to Earth. When humans
burn fossil fuels, they are released into the atmosphere.
• These chemical gases react with water, oxygen, and other
substances to form mild solutions.
• Acid rain has many ecological effects, but none is greater than
its impact on lakes, streams, wetlands, and other aquatic
environments. Acid rain makes waters acidic and causes them
to absorb the aluminum that makes its way from soil into lakes
and streams.
Global Warming and its affects
on our Water Systems
• Ocean currents are partially responsible for distributing heat
around the Earth. As global temperatures rise, Arctic ice melts
and massive amounts of fresh water pour into the North Atlantic
and slow the Gulf Stream down.
• By slowing or stopping this ocean current, global warming
actually would cool Europe down dramatically. If other ocean
currents were disrupted, the entire planet could experience the
same cooling effect and cause an ice age.
• The increase in the waters temperatures can also harm the
species of animals that live in water or depend on water for
survival.
Canada’s wetlands
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Canada has 25% of the worlds total wetlands.
Provide food such as cranberries, wild rice, and fish, as well as
important wildlife habitat.
Play an important role in protecting local water quality. Wetland
plants clean water by filtering out sediments and pollution-even
toxic chemicals.
Wetlands can be defined as water in a marsh, swamp, or fen (an area of
low land covered with shallow water) that is fresh or salty, standing or
flowing, and two to six metres in depth.
Are there any wetlands close to where you live?
Water is host to many microscopic living organisms like bacteria, viruses and parasites. A lot of
these organisms are harmless, but the ones that cause diseases are called pathogens. In general,
those organisms that are potential disease-producers are of primary concern. These are five types
of organisms:
-bacteria,
-protozoa,
-worms,
-viruses,
-fungi
The presence of certain organisms of these many types can lead to infectious diseases such as
jaundice, hepatitis, typhoid fever, cholera, as well as other diseases spread through drinking unsafe
water. Tremendous strides have been made in the control of these diseases within recent years.
Most of the credit has to go to sanitary engineers for their careful, consistent control of public water
supplies. As proof, outbreaks of typhoid fever in either this country or Canada are rare. Natural
disasters can play havoc with water supplies, but under routine conditions typhoid is no longer a
serious threat. For now whole generations have grown up without the opportunity to develop a
natural immunity to such diseases. Thus a failure in the protective system could result in far more
people succumbing to the disease than in the past.
Erosion: The process of water slowly
degrading the soil quality.
 When erosion occurs, the primary concern that it causes is
washing away the top soil and making it more difficult for plant
life to grow.
 After a long period of time, erosion will make the farmland useless
due to the loss of fertile soil
 Erosion will also cause habitat loss if the water lasts long enough
In that area.
 Erosion is dangerous to farmers because of the effect of ruining
soil, if erosion occurs close to crops, farmers will have to replace
the soil, costing them more money and lowering their profit.
Sewage
People living in rural areas send their waste water to a
septic system that must be approved by the local
Municipal Government.
Most people in Canada live in communities with a
municipal sewer system underground.
When the water is flushed down the drain it needs to
be treated before being released back into the lakes
and rivers.
Water Ethics: A set of moral principles or beliefs about what is right and wrong when
considering the use of water.
Commons: The natural resources such as the ocean or the atmosphere that belong to
everyone.
Commodity: An economic resource such as a raw material or agriculture product that
is exchanged for money.
Wetlands: A place where the water table is at ground level. (e.g, bog, swamp and
marsh)
Water Diversion: The rerouting of water from one drainage basin to another.
Privatization: Changing ownership of a property or resource from public ownership by
government to private ownership by an individual or business.
.. Key terms
Groundwater: Water found beneath the Earth’s surface in the spaces in soil
and bedrock.
Fen: An area of low land covered with shallow water.
Algal Blooms: A rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae
(typically microscopic) in an aquatic system.
Septic System: A system that help clean the water that is deposited down the
drains.
International Joint Commission (IJC): An organization created by a Canada-US
treaty to prevent and resolve disputes over shared water and to approve
water projects affecting both countries.
Water Sustainability
How can we sustain our water resource? In Canada, if we had control over all of
our water resources would we be able to sustain it? Would we keep it all for our
selves or export some to other countries who needed it? A good question to ask
is:
Who controls Canada’s Water?
As part of the global marketplace, Canada is involved in the worldwide trend
toward privatization (changing ownership of a resource from public ownership
by government to private ownership by an individual or a business) of water
supplies. This means the water is owned by a corporation and not the Canadian
public. The main goal of any corporation is to make as much profit as possible.
This would mean that they have little reason to conserve, and, in fact,
consumption is encouraged. Would this effect water sustainability?
Several organizations in Canada are fighting against water privatization in order
to protect water sources for the future to help keep it sustained. So far, Canada
has not given permission for bulk fresh water exports, although bottled water
exports are allowed.
Many counties have asked Canada to begin exporting bottled
water to countries where there are water shortages. What
advantages and disadvantages would result if Canada did
start exporting water? If we don't?
Canada has more than enough water to meet the needs of its
population. This has led to people taking this resource for
granted. How would you rate the water usage in your
community and why?