5.1 Managing or meddling

Transcript

Having a better understanding of how ecosystems function, and the energy flows through them, means that future damage and disruption can be limited.

Here are some questions raised by this video and the previous one. Make brief notes on possible answers in preparation for the discussion at the end of this week.

• Can you think of examples where ecosystems have been negatively affected by human activity, and where they have been managed and operated to benefit humans without damage to the system?
• How does damage to one ecosystem have an impact on another? Why are small changes so significant?
• Do you agree with the following assessment: ‘Some elements [of ecosystems] are crucial but there are some additional extras the system could survive without.’