Anthropogenic factors. Anthropogenic environmental factors

The most significant group of factors currently intensively changing the environment is directly related to diverse human activities.

Human development on the planet has always been associated with impact on the environment, but today this process has accelerated significantly.

Anthropogenic factors include any impact (both direct and indirect) of humans on the environment - organisms, biogeocenoses, landscapes, etc.

By remaking nature and adapting it to his needs, man changes the habitat of animals and plants, thereby influencing their lives. The impact can be direct, indirect and accidental.

Direct impact directed directly at living organisms. For example, unsustainable fishing and hunting have sharply reduced the numbers of a number of species. The growing force and accelerated pace of change in nature by man necessitates its protection.

Indirect Impact carried out by changing landscapes, climate, physical condition and the chemistry of the atmosphere and water bodies, the structure of the earth's surface, soils, vegetation and wildlife. Man consciously and unconsciously exterminates or displaces some species of plants and animals, spreads others, or creates favorable conditions for them. Man has created a largely new environment for cultivated plants and domestic animals, greatly increasing the productivity of developed lands. But this excluded the possibility of the existence of many wild species.

To be fair, it should be said that many species of animals and plants disappeared from the face of the Earth even without human intervention. Each species, like an individual organism, has its own youth, flowering, old age and death - a natural process. But in nature this happens slowly, and usually the departing species have time to be replaced by new ones, more adapted to the living conditions. Man has accelerated the process of extinction to such a pace that evolution has given way to revolutionary, irreversible transformations.

During the historical process of interaction between nature and society, there is a continuous increase in the influence of anthropogenic factors on the environment.

In terms of the scale and degree of impact on forest ecosystems, one of the most important places among anthropogenic factors is occupied by final felling. (Forest cutting within the designated cutting area and in compliance with ecological and silvicultural requirements is one of the necessary conditions for the development of forest biogeocenoses.)

The nature of the impact of final felling on forest ecosystems largely depends on the equipment and logging technology used.

IN recent years new heavy multi-operational logging equipment came to the forest. Its implementation requires strict adherence to logging technology, otherwise undesirable environmental consequences are possible: death of undergrowth of economically valuable species, a sharp deterioration in the water-physical properties of soils, an increase in surface runoff, the development of erosion processes, etc. This is confirmed by data from a field survey conducted by Soyuzgiproleskhoz specialists in some areas of our country. At the same time, there are many facts where the reasonable use of new technology in compliance with technological schemes for logging operations, taking into account silvicultural and environmental requirements, ensured the necessary preservation of undergrowth and created favorable conditions for the restoration of forests with valuable species. In this regard, experience with working with new technology loggers of the Arkhangelsk region, who, using the developed technology, achieve the preservation of 60% of viable undergrowth.

Mechanized logging significantly changes the microrelief, soil structure, its physiological and other properties. When used in summer period felling (VM-4) or felling and skidding machines (VTM-4) mineralizes up to 80-90% of the cutting area; in conditions of hilly and mountainous terrain, such impacts on the soil increase surface runoff by 100 times, increase soil erosion, and, consequently, reduce its fertility.

Clear cuttings can cause especially great harm to forest biogeocenoses and the environment in general in areas with easily vulnerable ecological balance (mountainous areas, tundra forests, permafrost areas, etc.).

Industrial emissions have a negative impact on vegetation and especially forest ecosystems. They affect plants directly (through the assimilation apparatus) and indirectly (change the composition and forest-vegetative properties of the soil). Harmful gases affect the above-ground organs of the tree and impair the vital activity of the root microflora, resulting in a sharp reduction in growth. The predominant gaseous toxicant is sulfur dioxide - a kind of indicator of air pollution. Significant harm is caused by ammonia, carbon monoxide, fluorine, hydrogen fluoride, chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen oxides, sulfuric acid vapor, etc.

The degree of damage to plants by pollutants depends on a number of factors, and primarily on the type and concentration of toxicants, the duration and time of their exposure, as well as on the condition and nature of forest plantations (their composition, age, completeness, etc.), meteorological and other conditions.

Middle-aged plants are more resistant to the effects of toxic compounds, while mature and overmature plantations and forest crops are less resistant. Deciduous trees are more resistant to toxicants than conifers. Highly dense stands with abundant undergrowth and undisturbed tree structure are more stable than thinned artificial plantings.

The effect of high concentrations of toxicants on a tree stand in a short period leads to irreversible damage and death; long-term exposure to small concentrations causes pathological changes in tree stands, and minor concentrations cause a decrease in their vital activity. Forest damage is observed in almost any source of industrial emissions.

More than 200 thousand hectares of forests are damaged in Australia, where up to 580 thousand tons of SO 2 fall annually with precipitation. In Germany, 560 thousand hectares are affected by harmful industrial emissions, in the GDR - 220, Poland - 379 and Czechoslovakia - 300 thousand hectares. The action of gases extends over quite significant distances. Thus, in the USA, hidden damage to plants was observed at a distance of up to 100 km from the emission source.

The harmful effect of emissions from a large metallurgical plant on the growth and development of tree stands extends over a distance of up to 80 km. Observations of the forest in the area of ​​the chemical plant from 1961 to 1975 showed that pine plantations began to dry out first. Over the same period, the average radial increase fell by 46% at a distance of 500 m from the emission source and by 20% at 1000 m from the emission source. Birch and aspen foliage was damaged by 30-40%. In the 500-meter zone, the forest completely dried out 5-6 years after the start of the damage, in the 1000-meter zone - after 7 years.

In the affected area from 1970 to 1975, there were 39% of dried out trees, 38% of severely weakened trees and 23% of weakened trees; at a distance of 3 km from the plant there was no noticeable damage to the forest.

The greatest damage to forests from industrial emissions into the atmosphere is observed in areas of large industrial and fuel and energy complexes. There are also smaller-scale lesions, which also cause considerable harm, reducing the environmental and recreational resources of the area. This applies primarily to sparsely forested areas. To prevent or sharply reduce damage to forests, it is necessary to implement a set of measures.

The allocation of forest lands for the needs of one or another sector of the national economy or their redistribution according to their intended purpose, as well as the admission of lands into the state forest fund are one of the forms of influence on the state of forest resources. Relatively large areas are allocated for agricultural land, for industrial and road construction, significant areas are used by mining, energy, construction and other industries. Pipelines for pumping oil, gas, etc. stretch for tens of thousands of kilometers through forests and other lands.

Great influence forest fires for change environment. The manifestation and suppression of the vital activity of a number of natural components is often associated with the action of fire. In many countries of the world, the formation of natural forests is, to one degree or another, associated with the influence of fires, which have negative influence on many processes of forest life. Forest fires cause serious injuries to trees, weaken them, cause the formation of windfalls and windfalls, reduce water protection and other useful functions of the forest, and promote the proliferation of harmful insects. By affecting all components of the forest, they make serious changes to forest biogeocenoses and ecosystems as a whole. True, in some cases, under the influence of fires, favorable conditions are created for forest regeneration - seed germination, the appearance and formation of self-seeding, especially pine and larch, and sometimes spruce and some other tree species.

On globe forest fires annually cover an area of ​​up to 10-15 million hectares or more, and in some years this figure more than doubles. All this makes the problem of fighting forest fires a priority and requires great attention from forestry and other authorities. The severity of the problem is increasing due to the rapid economic development of poorly populated forest areas, the creation of territorial production complexes, population growth and migration. This applies primarily to the forests of the West Siberian, Angara-Yenisei, Sayan and Ust-Ilimsk industrial complexes, as well as to the forests of some other regions.

Serious challenges in protecting the natural environment arise in connection with the increasing use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides.

Despite their role in increasing the yield of agricultural and other crops and their high economic efficiency, it should be noted that if scientifically based recommendations for their use are not followed, negative consequences can also occur. If fertilizers are stored carelessly or poorly incorporated into the soil, cases of poisoning of wild animals and birds are possible. Of course, chemical compounds used in forestry and especially in agriculture in the fight against pests and diseases, unwanted vegetation, when caring for young plantings, etc., cannot be considered completely harmless to biogeocenoses. Some of them have a toxic effect on animals, some, as a result of complex transformations, form toxic substances that can accumulate in the body of animals and plants. This obliges us to strictly monitor compliance with the approved rules for the use of pesticides.

The use of chemicals when caring for young forest plantations increases the fire hazard, often reduces the plant's resistance to forest pests and diseases, and can have a negative impact on plant pollinators. All this must be taken into account when managing forests using chemicals; Special attention should be paid to water protection, recreational and other categories of forests for protective purposes.

IN lately The scale of hydraulic engineering measures is expanding, water consumption is increasing, and settling tanks are being installed in forest areas. Intensive water intake affects the hydrological regime of the territory, and this, in turn, leads to disturbance of forest plantations (often they lose their water protection and water regulating functions). Significant negative consequences for forest ecosystems can be caused by flooding, especially during the construction of a hydroelectric power station with a reservoir system.

The creation of large reservoirs leads to the flooding of vast territories and the formation of shallow waters, especially in flat conditions. The formation of shallow waters and swamps worsens the sanitary and hygienic situation and negatively affects the natural environment.

Particular damage is caused to the forest by livestock grazing. Systematic and unregulated grazing leads to soil compaction, destruction of herbaceous and shrub vegetation, damage to undergrowth, thinning and weakening of the tree stand, a decrease in current growth, and damage to forest plantations by pests and diseases. When the undergrowth is destroyed, insectivorous birds leave the forest, since their life and nesting are most often associated with the lower tiers of forest plantations. Grazing poses the greatest danger in mountainous areas, since these areas are most susceptible to erosion processes. All this requires special attention and caution when using forest areas for pastures, as well as for haymaking. An important role in the implementation of measures for more effective and rational use forest areas for these purposes, the new rules for haymaking and grazing in the forests of the USSR, approved by the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of April 27, 1983, are intended to play a role.

Serious changes in biogeocenosis are caused by recreational use of forests, especially unregulated ones. In places of mass recreation, strong compaction of the soil is often observed, which leads to a sharp deterioration in its water, air and thermal regimes, and a decrease in biological activity. As a result of excessive trampling of the soil, entire plants may die or separate groups trees (they are weakened to such an extent that they become victims of harmful insects and fungal diseases). Most often, the forests of green zones located 10-15 km from the city, in the vicinity of recreation centers and places of public events, suffer from the recreational pressure. Some damage is caused to forests by mechanical damage, various types of waste, garbage, etc. Coniferous plantings (spruce, pine) are least resistant to anthropogenic impact, while deciduous ones (birch, linden, oak, etc.) suffer to a lesser extent.

The degree and course of digression are determined by the resistance of the ecosystem to recreational pressure. The resistance of the forest to recreation determines the so-called capacity of the natural complex ( limit quantity vacationers, which can withstand biogeocenosis without damage). An important measure aimed at preserving forest ecosystems and increasing their recreational properties is the comprehensive landscaping of the territory with exemplary management there.

Negative factors, as a rule, do not act in isolation, but in the form of certain interrelated components. At the same time, the effect of anthropogenic factors often enhances the negative impact of natural ones. For example, the influence of toxic emissions from industry and transport is most often combined with increased recreational load on forest biogeocenoses. In turn, recreation and tourism create conditions for forest fires. The action of all these factors sharply reduces the biological resistance of forest ecosystems to pests and diseases.

When studying the influence of anthropogenic and natural factors on the forest biogeocenosis, it is necessary to take into account that the individual components of the biogeocenosis are closely related both to each other and to other ecosystems. A quantitative change in one of them inevitably causes a change in all the others, and a significant change in the entire forest biogeocenosis inevitably affects each of its components. Thus, in areas of constant exposure to toxic industrial emissions, the species composition of vegetation and fauna gradually changes. Of the tree species, conifers are the first to be damaged and killed. Due to the premature death of needles and a decrease in the length of shoots, the microclimate in the plantation changes, which affects the change in the species composition of herbaceous vegetation. Grasses begin to develop, promoting the proliferation of field mice, which systematically damage forest crops.

Certain quantitative and qualitative characteristics of toxic emissions lead to disruption or even complete cessation of fruiting in most tree species, which negatively affects the species composition of birds. Forest pest species that are resistant to toxic emissions are emerging. As a result, degraded and biologically unstable forest ecosystems are formed.

The problem of reducing the negative impact of anthropogenic factors on forest ecosystems by carrying out a whole system of conservation and protective measures is inextricably linked with measures for the protection and rational use of all other components based on the development of an intersectoral model that takes into account the interests of the rational use of all environmental resources in their interrelation.

Given brief description The ecological relationship and interaction of all components of nature shows that the forest, like no other of them, has powerful properties to positively influence the natural environment and regulate its condition. Being an environment-forming factor and actively influencing all processes of the evolution of the biosphere, the forest also experiences the influence of the relationship between all other components of nature, unbalanced by anthropogenic influence. This gives grounds to consider the plant world and the natural processes occurring with its participation as a key factor determining the general direction of the search for integral means of rational environmental management.

Environmental schemes and programs should become an important means of identifying, preventing and solving problems in the relationship between man and nature. Such developments will help solve these problems both for the country as a whole and for its individual territorial units.

Conditions of existence

Definition 1

Conditions of existence (Conditions of life) are a set of elements necessary for organisms, with which they are in an inextricable relationship and without which they cannot exist.

The adaptation of organisms to their environment is called adaptation. Adaptability is one of the most important properties of life, which provides the possibility of its life, reproduction and survival. Adaptations manifest themselves at various levels - from the biochemistry of the cell and the behavior of an individual organism to the functioning and structure of the community and ecosystem. Adaptation arises and changes during the evolution of species.

Some environmental elements or properties that affect the body are called environmental factors. There are a large number of environmental factors. They have different natures and specific actions. All environmental factors are divided into three large groups: biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic

Definition 2

An abiotic factor is a complex of conditions in the inorganic environment that affect a living organism indirectly or directly: light, temperature, radioactive radiation, air humidity, pressure, salt composition of water, etc.

Definition 3

A biotic environmental factor is a set of influences that other organisms have on plants. Any plant does not live in isolation, but in interaction with other plants, fungi, microorganisms, and animals.

Definition 4

An anthropogenic factor is a set of environmental factors determined by intentional or accidental human activity and causing a significant impact on the functioning and structure of ecosystems.

Anthropogenic factors

The most important group of factors in our time, which intensively changes the environment, is directly related to multilateral human activities.

The development and formation of man on the globe has always been associated with environmental impacts, but currently this process accelerated significantly.

The anthropogenic factor includes any impact (both indirect and direct) of humanity on the environment - biogeocenoses, organisms, biosphere, landscapes.

By modifying nature and adapting it to personal needs, people change the habitat of plants and animals, thereby influencing their existence. Impacts can be direct, indirect and accidental.

Direct effects are aimed directly at living organisms. For example, unsustainable hunting and fishing have sharply reduced the number of many species. The accelerated pace and increasing force of modification of nature by humanity awakens the need for its protection.

Indirect impacts are carried out through changes in climate, landscapes, chemistry and physical state of water bodies and the atmosphere, the structure of soil surfaces, flora and fauna. A person unconsciously and consciously displaces or exterminates one species of plant or animal, while spreading another or creating favorable conditions for it. For domestic animals and cultivated plants, humanity has created a new environment to a significant extent, increasing the productivity of the developed land a hundredfold. But this made it impossible for many wild species to exist.

Note 1

It should be noted that many species of plants and animals disappeared from planet Earth even without anthropogenic human activity. Like an individual organism, each species has its own adolescence, heyday, old age and death - this is a natural process. But in natural conditions this happens very slowly, and usually the departing species has time to be replaced by a new one, more adapted to the living conditions. Humanity has accelerated the processes of extinction to such a pace that evolution has given way to irreversible, revolutionary reorganizations of ecosystems.

Anthropogenic factors - various forms of activity of human society that lead to changes in the habitat of other species or directly affect their lives.

Man began to influence the natural environment around him since he moved from gathering to hunting and farming. The result of hunting was the disappearance of a number of species of large mammals and birds (mammoths, bison, sea cows, etc.). Many species have become rare and are on the verge of extinction. The development of agriculture led to the development of ever new territories for growing cultivated plants. Forests and other natural biocenoses were replaced by agrocenoses - plantations of agricultural crops poor in species composition.

Since the middle of the 19th century, impacts on nature associated with the development of industry, accompanied by changes in the landscape due to mining and the release of pollutants into the environment, have become increasingly important.

Pollution is the introduction of new, uncharacteristic substances into any environment or an excess of the natural level of these substances in the environment. We can also say that pollution is an undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of air, land and water, which may now or in the future have an adverse effect on the life of a person, the plants and animals he needs, and on various kinds of production processes and living conditions.

Influences production activities man to his environment

Impact on the atmosphere

The main sources of air pollution are cars and industrial enterprises. According to scientists, more than 200 million tons of carbon oxide and dioxide, 150 million tons of sulfur dioxide, more than 50 million tons of nitrogen oxides, and approximately the same amount of hydrocarbons enter the atmospheric air every year. In addition, a large amount of fine particles are emitted into the atmosphere, forming the so-called atmospheric aerosol (from 200 to 400 million tons annually). Due to the combustion of coal in power plants, mercury, arsenic, uranium, cadmium, lead and other elements are released into the environment in quantities exceeding the possibility of their involvement in the natural cycle of substances. The operation of vehicles and environmentally polluting enterprises in industrial centers leads to the fact that the air above them contains 150 times more dust than above the ocean, and extends to a height of 1.5-2 km, detaining a significant (from 20 to 50%) part of the sun. rays. It should be taken into account that some of the gases emitted by cars (CO, CO 2, etc.) are heavier than air and accumulate at the surface of the earth.

It is necessary to pay special attention to the consequences of increasing CO 2 concentrations in the atmosphere. As a result of the continuously increasing combustion of fossil fuels, the CO 2 content has increased by 10% over the past 100 years. CO 2 prevents thermal radiation into outer space, creating the so-called “greenhouse effect”. According to scientists' calculations, a further increase in the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere will create conditions for an increase in planetary temperature, a retreat of the polar ice boundary to the north and an increase in the level of the World Ocean.

In rural areas, air pollutants include ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and pesticides.

Impact on the hydrosphere

The waters of the Earth are in continuous movement. The water cycle connects all parts of the hydrosphere together, forming a single system: ocean - atmosphere - land. For human life, industry and agriculture highest value have fresh waters rivers due to their easy accessibility and renewability.

The main cause of pollution of water basins is the discharge of untreated or insufficiently treated wastewater into water bodies by industrial and municipal enterprises. Mineral fertilizers and pesticides are washed off from agricultural lands and end up in rivers. In recent decades, to the traditional mineral, organic and bacterial pollutants of water bodies, ever-increasing amounts of synthetic surfactants included in detergents and petroleum products have been added. More than 10% of the total flow of the world's rivers is spent on wastewater treatment.

Pollution causes deterioration in the quality of drinking water and causes the death of spawning grounds for valuable commercial fish.

The level of pollution in the waters of the World Ocean is increasing. With river runoff, from the atmosphere with rain, when washing oil tankers, during oil production on the ocean shelf, it enters the water. huge amount lead (up to 50 thousand tons), oil (up to 10 million tons), mercury, pesticides, household waste, etc. This leads to the death of many organisms, especially in the coastal zone and in areas of traditional routes of sea vessels. Oil has a particularly harmful effect on marine life. Oil films on the surface of seas and oceans not only poison living organisms living in the surface layer, but also reduce the oxygen saturation of water. As a result, the reproduction of plankton, the first link in the food chain in the seas and oceans, slows down. Many kilometers of oil films on the surface of the water reduce its evaporation and thereby disrupt the water exchange between the ocean and land.

Effect on soil

Fertile soil layer in natural conditions takes a very long time to form. At the same time, tens of millions of tons of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus - the main components of plant nutrition - are removed annually from the vast areas occupied by agricultural crops. Soil depletion does not occur only because in cultivated agriculture organic and mineral fertilizers are annually applied to the fields. Crop rotations aimed at creating conditions for the accumulation of nitrogen in the soil (planting legumes) and making it difficult for pests of cultivated plants to reproduce also contribute to the preservation of soil fertility. Unfavorable changes in the soil occur when sowing the same crops for a long time, salinization due to artificial irrigation, waterlogging due to improper reclamation.

Excessive use of chemicals to protect plants from pests and diseases, and the use of herbicides lead to soil contamination with compounds that, due to their synthetic origin and toxicity, are very slowly neutralized by the microbial and fungal population of the soil. Recently, many countries are abandoning the use of synthetic potent drugs and switching to biological methods of protecting plants and animals.

Anthropogenic soil changes include erosion. Erosion is the destruction and removal of soil cover by water flows or wind. Water erosion is especially destructive. It develops on slopes due to improper cultivation of the land. With melt and rainwater, millions of tons of soil are carried away from the fields into gullies and ravines.

Radioactive contamination of the biosphere

The problem of radioactive contamination arose in 1945 after the explosion atomic bombs, dropped by the Americans on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Before 1962, all nuclear powers tested nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, which caused global radioactive contamination. A great danger is posed by accidents at nuclear power plants, as a result of which vast areas are contaminated with radioactive isotopes that have a long half-life. Particularly dangerous are strontium-90 due to its proximity to calcium and cesium-137, which is similar to potassium. Accumulating in the bones and muscles of affected organisms, they serve as a source of long-term radioactive irradiation of tissues.

Despite the fact that humanity constitutes an insignificant part of the biomass of our planet, its activities are enormous. It has become one of the most important forces changing processes in the biosphere.

Before our eyes, a transition is taking place from evolution, which is controlled by spontaneous biological factors (the period of biogenesis), to evolution, controlled by human consciousness - to the period of noogenesis, the period of conscious control of the biosphere on the basis of perfect technology.

The new state of the biosphere, in which labor activity turned out to be very significant, was called by V.I. Vernadsky the noosphere, as a kind of new geological phenomenon on our planet, new stage development of the biosphere, when for the first time humanity becomes the largest natural strength. The high pace of industrial development has necessitated the need to protect natural resources.

Human environmental activities

Protection of inanimate nature and environment

To protect water sources of the environment, a mandatory condition for the construction of enterprises was the construction of facilities for the neutralization and treatment of wastewater. Technological cycles that require large amounts of water began to improve. Systems with multi-circuit or closed cycle use of the same volume of water are increasingly being used. Non-waste technologies are being developed, work is being carried out to intelligently regulate the number of algae in water bodies, causing “water blooms”, which significantly worsens its quality.

The most effective measures are those that eliminate the causes of the massive development of algae - thoroughly cleaning the bottom of the future sea from organic residues (trees, shrubs, humus layer of soil), limiting the leaching of fertilizers from fields and their entry into the reservoir, reducing the influx of nutritious mineral salts with household wastewater and industrial wastewater (primarily phosphorus, nitrogen) and other elements that cause eutrophication of reservoirs and watercourses, i.e., enriching them with nutritious mineral elements.

To protect the air environment from significant amounts of impurities (chemical and mechanical) emitted by industrial enterprises, systems of chemical, mechanical and electrostatic treatment facilities and filters are used.

Wildlife protection

Excessive hunting and human destruction of the natural environment have led to the fact that a significant number of animals (especially game animals) and plants have become rare and even endangered. Over the past 200 years, over 150 species of animals have disappeared from the face of the Earth, and this happened with the direct participation of humans. Among the species lost forever, of course, there were economically valuable ones: aurochs, tarpans (wild European horses), sea (Steller's) cow, great auk, passenger pigeon, etc. Humanity has lost many representatives of the animal world for selection and genetic work with them , a significant part of the genetic pool for modern animal husbandry. In many cases, only the crossing of wild and domestic animals makes it possible to increase the productivity of the latter, despite the fact that they are under constant human care, in incomparably better growing conditions.

The numbers of some species of animals and plants have decreased so much that their continued existence is threatened. Currently, on our planet, about a thousand species of animals belong to this category. In this regard, the “Red Book” was created, which lists the most valuable species that are under threat of destruction or extinction and therefore require careful protection.

The fauna independently and quite effectively regulates the numbers of individual species. Human intervention, not always well thought out, interferes with this. Not so long ago, birds of prey and animals were destroyed. In Norway, at one time, hawks (enemies of white partridges) were almost completely exterminated, but the number of partridges still did not increase; the destruction of sparrows in China did not produce the expected results positive results. Regular shooting of wolves in many hunting farms in our country has led, oddly enough, to a decrease in the number of wild ungulates - elk, deer due to diseases and weakening of the offspring. A small number of wolves performed the function of orderlies, destroying primarily sick and weakened animals, as a result of which effective biological rejection of genetically undesirable specimens occurred.

To control the preservation of the ecological situation from further destruction, for the continuation in the biosphere of a stable cycle of substances formed during evolution, ensuring the harmonious interaction and self-renewal of its most important elements, at the 16th session of the General Conference of UNESCO in October 1970, the International Coordinating Committee for the Implementation of new long-term program "Man and the Biosphere".

The main objective of the program was the preservation of ecosystem values ​​through an in-depth study of the basic laws of interaction between nature and society. The program includes 14 projects covering various aspects of environmental protection and rational use of biosphere resources, as well as the fight against pollution.

The program's projects focus on the selection of new highly productive plants and animals in order to eliminate the deficiency of dietary protein, the use of fertilizers and land reclamation, and the control of pests and diseases; better study of the replacement of natural ecosystems with artificially created ones and assessment of the future activities of such systems. The productivity of different biocenoses, the prospects and consequences of a possible overpopulation of the planet, the prospects for the development of cities, industrial, hydraulic structures, etc. are carefully studied. Particular attention is paid to the need to teach environmental sciences in schools and universities in order to deeply understand the relevance of this problem by the public.

As part of one of the projects of the Man and the Biosphere program, biosphere reserves are being created. UN experts have proposed a zoning concept for biosphere reserves, which consists of creation of three special zones: core, buffer zone and transition zone, or zone of cooperation with the local population. In 1974, the first biological reserve was founded in the United States, the main activity of which was to conduct long-term research.

In our country, there are nature reserves in almost every natural zone, which makes it possible to preserve animals and plants characteristic of this zone. The 20th session of the UNESCO General Conference classified seven reserves as biosphere reserves in our country: Berezinsky, Prioksko-Terrasny, Central Chernozemny, Caucasian, Repeteksky, Sary-Chelek, Sikhote-Allnsky, and since 1985 - two reserves and on the territory of Ukraine - Askania-Nova and Chernomorsky. The largest and most famous reserves, in addition to the listed biosphere reserves, are: Altai, Astrakhan, Barguzinsky, Darvinsky, Ilmensky, Suputinsky, Teberdinsky (RSFSR); Carpathian, Polessky (Ukrainian SSR); Berezinsky (BSSR); Alma-Ata (KazSSR); Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyz SSR); Borjomi, Pontinsky (GSSR), etc. In addition, there are numerous game reserves, several thousand landscape, zoological, botanical and geological reserves and individual protected natural sites.

School forestries play an important role by procuring seeds of valuable species of trees and shrubs, hanging artificial nests for birds, monitoring the cleanliness of lakes and rivers, protecting fish resources, rescuing fry from drying up reservoirs, and conducting certification of small rivers and springs.

Active participation in the campaign "For Nature Conservation" native land"accept student construction teams. Students check the sanitary condition of rivers and lakes, promote the ideas of nature conservation and rational use natural resources among the population.

Due to the limited and non-renewable nature of mineral resources, currently serious attention is paid to the protection and rational use of organic and mineral resources, the protection land resources, including improvement and targeted changes in land masses. Environmental protection during the development of mineral resources by mining enterprises is strictly regulated.

There is a system of state bodies for the protection of nature and its resources. These include bodies of state standard control, water protection, mining supervision, forest protection, quarantine service, fisheries supervision, state hydrometeorology committee, etc. Any activity that could lead to undesirable changes in the natural environment is limited or stopped.

A number of resolutions have been adopted aimed at improving the environment and improving the use of natural resources. These are measures to preserve the wealth of lakes Baikal and Sevan, the Caspian Sea, the Volga and Ural basins, and the Donetsk basin. Many new reserves and sanctuaries have been created as unique reference examples of nature, including biosphere and national parks.

We have every opportunity to keep water, air, soil with their animals and animals clean for ourselves and future generations. flora. All these are important and irreplaceable details of a single mechanism - the Earth's biosphere, of which man himself is a part and outside of which he cannot exist.