Geography 9: Introduction to Geography: Environment and Population

This report, prepared for a Geography 9 course, provides an overview of key geographical concepts. It begins with an introduction to biodiversity, examining the interdependence of life within ecosystems and the impact of human activities on species. The report then discusses biogeography, exploring the distribution of living organisms across geographical regions and the factors influencing their dominance in specific areas, such as fire patterns in the Savannah. Sea level rise is addressed, highlighting its causes, global impact, and potential consequences, including the threat of flooding in coastal areas. Population transitions are examined, focusing on changes in population size and the factors influencing these changes, such as technological advancements and family planning. Finally, the report concludes with a discussion of sustainable development, emphasizing the need to balance human needs with environmental preservation and the importance of public participation in project implementation. The student emphasizes the interconnectedness of these topics and the need for individual and collective action to address environmental challenges.

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INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHY
Name of Student:
Name of Institution:
Date:

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Introduction
Geography is one of the most interesting subjects. The subject explains how certain physical
features such as mountains were formed. There are very many other areas covered in Geography.
However, in this paper, we shall only discuss biodiversity, sustainable development,
biogeography, sea level rise, and population transitions.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the co-existence of all types of life within the same area and how they
depend on one another in the eco-system to maintain balance and at the same time support life
(Mace, et al., 2012). The major elements that make up a complete ecosystem include plants,
animals, fungi, bacteria, and even microorganisms. All of them depend on one another in a way
and jointly contribute to supporting life in the ecosystem.
To understand this better, take a simple case of the environment where you live. Trees can either
grow naturally or they are planted by human beings. Animals like birds build their nests on the
branches of these trees. Bees require nectar from flowers for food. As they source for nectar from
the flowers, they pollinate them and therefore make it possible for fruits to be formed.
Also, human beings breathe in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide. On the other hand, plants use
carbon dioxide excreted by the human to make their food. These cycles create a balanced life and
make the lives of all entities sustainable. This interdependence is what makes the ecosystem
complete and self-sustainable. Through it, plants, animals and any other components around are
able to meet their daily needs and survive day after day.
However, a shocking trend has been witnessed over the previous years. There has been continued
pressure by human beings to the other members of the environment including other animals and

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trees (Young, et al., 2010). Due to increased demand for resources for the increasing human
population, human beings have resulted in the massive cutting of trees and poaching of wild
animals, making some species totally extent. The pressure on natural resources is set to continue
over the years and this possesses a big threat to biodiversity. This conflict, otherwise known as
biodiversity conflict ought to be managed to avoid extinction of certain species from the earth.
In the research paper (Nogales, et al., 2013), data is reviewed from previous reports indicating
the population trends of domestic cats and how their numbers have been declining in the islands.
The objective is to identify islands that are most likely to have the species eradicated within the
shortest time and prioritize them when allocating conservation funds. Some of these funds
include scarce conservation funds. All this is aimed towards managing human conflict with cats
and to ensure the species is not extinct from the islands as their contribution to those islands is
highly valued.
In my own view, in order to ensure there are continuity and a natural balance in the way the
ecosystem operates, it is very important to design long-lasting mechanisms of solving
biodiversity conflicts. Environmental conservation would be my main option to consider to
achieve this. It is my honest opinion that this should be a collective responsibility.
Biogeography
This refers to the study of how living things are distributed among different geographical regions
as well as within certain geographical times (Crisci, et al., 2009). At certain times, a specific
species dominates a given area. At such times, probably the prevailing factors in the region, for
example, the weather and availability of food favors that species. As a result, many organisms of
the same species migrate to that particular area at that time.

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To put this into context, here is a good example. The main species within the Savannah are the
trees and the grass. However, how these species are distributed within the Savannah is
determined by a number of factors (Laris, 2011). One of the major determinants of how trees and
grass are spread within the savannah region is the fire patterns within the area. In most cases, the
growth of a tree is highly suppressed by fire breakouts. In the savannah region, the main source
of fire is not human beings as is the case in most other regions and incidences. This is according
to a research finding as published in the article (Laris, 2011).
It goes without saying that areas that experience less or no incidences of fire have better tree
vegetation cover. This is a completely opposite scenario for areas that have frequent fire cases.
Some of the main factors that affect the mosaic fire patterns in the savannah include the purpose
for which the land is used, edaphic conditions and the most dominant vegetation patterns in the
area. With this, it comes out clear that at any given time, the most dominant species within the
savannah is determined by a number of other independent factors, the main one being fire
patterns in the area.
Also, a team of researchers found out that nematodes were the most common species in the
Victoria land. They attribute this to the favorable climatic conditions in the area and the unique
type of soil (Byron, et al., 2014).
Evidently, my paper clearly indicates that it is very important to not only understand which
species are dominant in which areas at what time, but also understand why that is the case and
what are the major influencers towards that phenomena. I strongly believe that this can helps in
planning for certain activities, for example, agriculture and even prediction of weather patterns.
In my view, the aspect of biogeography is one that is very key for every individual.

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Sea Level Rise
A sea level rise refers to the rise in the level of the sea surface above the normal level. The sea
level concept is a concept commonly used to describe the height of mountains and hills across
the globe. Weather professionals and geographers in general usually quote the sea height of
mountains as being a certain number of meters above the sea level.
The rate at which the sea levels rise every year is 3.2 millimeters (Nunez, 2019). This is largely
attributed to the climate changes experienced across the world. The major contributors to these
changes are things like global warming. All these are major environmental hazards that ought to
be adequately and timely addressed to avoid their adverse effects on the climate patterns. Sea
level rise has become a global problem due to its effects on climate changes across the globe. It
is attributed to the emission of harmful gasses by human beings into the atmosphere.
Based on the rate at which the sea levels are rising, it is projected that the southwest coast of
Western Australia might experience flooding in the near future (Kuhna, et al., 2011). This
information is from the GIS data that is available for public scrutiny. The coastal section of
Australia is a residence to approximately 80% of the country’s population (McInne, et al., 2016).
This implies that should this area be struck by any calamity such as the foreseen flood, almost
the whole nation would feel the effect. This situation can, however, be contained in the relevant
precautionary measures are taken in good time. The state and other interested parties can lead
this initiative to avoid the possible losses from the food incident in future.
From my analysis, it is important for everyone to play their role in preventing environmental
pollution as this will in the long run help maintain sea levels at the recommended levels. I
believe that if each and every one of us takes it upon themselves to conserve the environment
around us, we shall, in the long run, win this fight.

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Population Transitions
This basically refers to the changes in population over time from country to country across the
world. In most countries, the national census is usually carried out to estimate the population size
of such countries. The information on how many people occupy a certain area is very useful to
the government as they use it in planning and allocation of national resources (Green & Milligan,
2010).
The evolution theory which forms the basis for the origin of man dates back to between five to
six million years ago (Martins, et al., 2008). Since then, there has been constant growth in the
world's population as the rate of birth keeps rising. As more babies are born, there are those who
die on a daily basis. According to (Krausmann, et al., 2009), the world's population grew to 6.4
billion people in the 20th century. This was four-time the world’s population compared to that
recorded in the 19th century. This rate of growth is however noted to have slowed down over
time. Some of the main reasons behind this are technological changes and the adoption of the
western concept of family planning in most countries. Due to limited resources, governments
have rolled out awareness programs encouraging their citizens to adopt one of the numerous
family planning techniques as a way of reducing constraint of resources.
It is worth noting that climate change affects population transition across the word. In his
research, (Barbieri, et al., 2015) investigates how the current and future climatic changes will
affect the population changes and what effects these changes would have on the economies of
the various states.
It is, therefore, my honest position that a lot of seriousness should be taken when conducting a
national census. I feel that governments should not only focus on the number of people in an
area, but also investigate how easy it is for these people to access basic human needs.

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Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is the ability to meet the needs of the society around without depleting
the available resources (Nations, 2015). Sustainable development is one of the main objectives of
the United Nations at the moment. Even as we strive to meet our daily needs, it is important that
some of the resources are preserved for use by the generations to come. If this is not done, then
the world might face a serious economic crisis in the near future.
There exists a very close relationship between human beings and natural resources (Franks,
1996). As individuals strive to meet their daily needs, they should be keen not to overstretch the
available resources. Basically, any rolled out projects should be self-sustaining in the long run.
One of the most sustainable ways of achieving this is by preserving our environment (Mikulčić,
et al., 2017). My independent opinion about this is that before any project is fully rolled out for
implementation, it should be subjected to public participation and thorough scrutiny by experts in
the respective field. Those involved should ensure that in the long run, the project is self-
sustainable and the society around would be comfortable enough to run the project on their own.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident from the topics I’ve discussed above that the ecosystem is self-
sustaining and that its various components are related to one another. As human beings, we have
a role to preserve the environment around us in order to achieve sustainable development goals.
Part of the responsibility that comes along with this is the need to keep track of the changes in
human population around the world and to appreciate the role played by every component of the
ecosystem. I also believe that personal initiative marks the beginning of environmental
conservation.

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References
Barbieri, et al., 2015. Population transitions and temperature change in Minas Gerais, Brazil: a
multidimensional approach. December.32(3).
Byron, et al., 2014. Ecological Biogeography of the Terrestrial Nematodes of Victoria Land,
Antarctica. 23 une.pp. 29-71.
Crisci, J. V., Katinas, L. & Pasadas, P., 2009. Historical Biogeography, An Introduction.
s.l.:President and Fellows of Havard College.
Franks, T. R., 1996. Managing Sustainabe Deveopment: Definition, Paradism and Dimensions.
Sustainabe Deveopment.
Green, D. A. & Milligan, K., 2010. The Importance of the Long Form Census to Canada. Four
Perspectives on the Proposed Elimination of the Mandatory Census Long Form, September,
36(3), pp. 383-388.
Krausmann, F. et al., 2009. Growth in global materials use, GDP and population during the
20th century., s.l.: s.n.
Kuhna, M., Tuladharb, D. & Corner, R., 2011. Ocean & Coastal Management. November,
54(11), pp. 796-806.
Laris, P., 2011. Humanizing Savanna Biogeography: Linking Human Practices with Ecological
Patterns in a Frequently Burned Savanna of Southern Mali. 30 March, 101(5), pp. 1066-1088.
Mace, G. M., Norris, K. & Fitter, A. H., 2012. Biodiversity and ecosystem services: a
multilayered relationship. January, 27(1), pp. 19-26.

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Martins, J. M., Guo, F. & Swanson, D. A., 2008. Global Population in Transition. s.l.:Springer
International Publishing.
McInne, K. L. et al., 2016. November, 139(1), p. 69–83.
Mikulčić, H., Duić, N. & Dewil, R., 2017. Environmental management as a pillar for sustainable
development. 1 December, 203(3), pp. 867-871.
Nations, T. U., 2015. Sustainable Development Agenda. [Sound Recording] (UN).
Nogales, M. et al., 2013. Feral Cats and Biodiversity Conservation: The Urgent Prioritization of
Island Management. 63(10), p. 804–810.
Nunez, C., 2019. Nationa Geographics. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/sea-level-rise/
[Accessed 20 May 2919].
Young, J. C. et al., 2010. The emergence of biodiversity conflicts from biodiversity impacts:
characteristics and management strategies. 19(14), pp. 14-32.