Indira Gandhi National Open University MLE-021 School of Law Introduction to Environment Block 1 UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENT UNIT 1 What is Environment? 5 UNIT 2 Nature and Ecosystem 32 UNIT 3 Environment and Law 54 UNIT 4 Origin of Environmental Law 73 Expert Committee Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon Dr. R.D. Jakati Chairman, Former Director Director National Judicial Academy Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy Bhopal Member, Dr. Vinod B. Mathur Commission on Centre- Dean, Wildlife Institute of India States Relations, New Delhi Mr. Samir Sinha Prof. B.B. Pande Former Head, Traffic – India Professor of Criminology Delhi University Mr. Raj Panjwani Senior Advocate, Supreme Court Justice Madan B. Lokur Chief Justice, Guwahati High Court, WWF-IGNOU EC Members: Guwahati Mr. VN Rajasekharan Pillai Dr. Luther Rangreji Vice-Chancellor, IGNOU Senior Legal Officer Legal & Treaties Division Mr. Ravi Singh Ministry of External Affairs SG & CEO, WWF-India Prof. Venkata Rao Prof. Srikrishna Deva Rao nd st Vice-Chancellor Former Director (2 May, 2007 to 1 National Law School Bangalore, May 2010), School of Law, IGNOU Karnataka Ms. Mansi Sharma Asst. Prof., School of Law, IGNOU Dr. K. Vijaya Lakshmi Assistant Vice President Ms. Moulika Arabhi (Environment), Development Programme Coordinator, Centre for Alternatives Environmental Law, WWF-India Block Preparation Team Programme Coordinator : Ms. Mansi Sharma, School of Law, IGNOU Ms. Moulika Arabhi, Centre for Environmental Law, WWF Unit Writers : Kaustubh Verma, CEL, WWF– India (Unit 1 & 2) Ms. Gurmeet Kaur, IGNOU (Unit 3) Ms. Priyanka Singh, CEL, WWF-India (Unit 4) Content Editor : Ms. Moulika Arabhi, CEL, WWF-India Language Editor : Ms. Mansi Sharma Format Editor : Ms. Mansi Sharma Material Production Mr. Yashpal Cover Design Word Processing Section Officer (Publication) Mr. Tamal Basu Mr. Yougesh Dawar IGNOU, New Delhi September, 2010 © Indira Gandhi Naitonal Open University, CEL, WWF-India, 2010 ISBN-978-81-266-4843-6 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing from the copyright holder. Further information on the Indira Gandhi National Open University courses may be obtained from the University’s office at Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110 068 or the official website of IGNOU at www.ignou.ac.in Printed and published on behalf of Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi by Director, SOL, IGNOU, New Delhi-110068. Laser Composed by : Tessa Media & Computers, C-206, A.F.E-II, Jamia Nagar, Okhla, New Delhi-25 MLE-021 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENT “For strengthening the professional and educational support base for environmental law and policy” One of the principle features of School of Law, IGNOU and Centre for Environmental Law, WWF-India’s educational activities is the Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Environmental Law. Jointly being launched in 2010, the Diploma is the first such comprehensive programme for enviro-legal education catering to India and International students and professionals. Special emphasis is on conservation and environmental issues, which lie at the core of all environmental law, the study of which enables participants to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the respective law. MLE-021– Introduction to Environment We welcome you to start your journey by understanding ‘What is Environment’. Before you dwell into the major aspects of Environmental Law, here is an attempt to introduce the basics first. ‘Environment’ is a very comprehensive term. It includes within its ambit a wide variety of phenomenon. It is a dynamic term that may be used to describe a limited area on one hand, and the entire planet on the other. The term Environment may be perceived in different connotations. There numerous definitions of the term as provided by different National and International legal instruments. Generally speaking, Environment includes the external conditions, resources, stimuli etc. with which an organism interacts. The Preamble of the United Nations Declaration on Human Environment, adopted in Stockholm in June 1972 states, “Man is both creature and moulder of his environment, which gives him physical substance and affords him the opportunity for intellectual, moral, social and spiritual growth”. The environment is clearly at risk from a variety of sources of harm, mostly of human origin. In order to tackle this problem it is important that we develop strategies for modifying human behavior towards environmentally benign practices and away from environmentally damaging ones. Through MLE-021, we attempt to make you ‘Understand about Environment’, take you through best practices of ‘Environment Management’ and finally to leave our future generations a better world it is important to understand the subject- ‘Environment and Sustainable Development’. We wish you get the best from MLE-021 and also urge you to join the community thinking and acting for environment well being. Best Regards and Happy Reading! SOL-CEL Team Understanding Environment BLOCK 1 UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENT Of the several processes that all human societies in all ages have had in common, none has been more fundamental than their continual interaction with their natural environment. In fact, more than any other aspect of human endeavor, the diverse modes of human societal interaction with the larger ecological setting provide the basis for a genuinely global history of humanity. But, unlike so many of the other themes and patterns from which world history can be constructed, environmental history transcends the human experience. Due to the profound technological and scientific transformations that have occurred over the past millennium, it has come to effect – often fatally in recent centuries – every species of living creature on earth. Following Units will be dealt in Block 1 Unit 1 – What is Environment: The attempt would be, to make you understand the basics of environment, how some of the environment concepts emerged and how society adapted to those concepts. Unit 2 – Nature and Ecosystem: Without understanding how the fragile link between Nature and Ecosystem existed from time immemorial it would be difficult to move forward into the subject of Environment. Unit 3 – Environment and Law: Law is important as it creates a framework within which our entire society operates. In this unit we attempt to explain how environment and law emerged and coexisted. Unit 4 – Origin of Environmental Law: Every subject has to evolve somewhere, in this Unit we explain the Origin of Environmental Law. Source back to all those era’s where an attempt was made to understand our Environment. 4 UNIT 1 WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT? What is Environment? structure 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Objectives 1.3 The Indian Environment: A Historical Perspective 1.4 The World Environment: A Timeline 1.5 The Crisis 1.6 Summary 1.7 Terminal Questions 1.8 Answers and Hints 1.9 References and Suggested Readings 1.10 Bibliography 1.1 INTRODUCTION Of the several processes that all human societies in all ages have had in common, none has been more fundamental than their continual interaction with their natural environment. In fact, more than any other aspect of human endeavour, the diverse modes of human societal interaction with the larger ecological setting provide the basis for a genuinely global history of humanity. But, unlike so many of the other themes and patterns from which world history can be constructed, environmental history transcends the human experience. Due to the profound technological and scientific transformations that have occurred over the past millennium, it has come to effect – often fatally in recent centuries – every species of living creature on earth.[1] The environment is a whole, albeit a complicated one, with many interfacing components. The wise management of the environment depends upon an understanding of its components: its rocks, minerals and waters, its soils and their present and potential vegetation, its animal life and potential for livestock husbandry, and its climate. Positive and realistic planning is needed to balance human needs against the potential the environment has for supporting these needs.[2] Environmental studies deal with every issue that affects a living organism. It is essentially a multidisciplinary approach that brings about an appreciation of our natural world and human impact on its integrity. It is an applied science, as it seeks practical answers to the increasingly important question of how to make civilisation sustainable on the Earth’s finite resources. If we study the natural history of the areas in which we live, we would see that our surroundings were originally a natural landscape, such as a forest, a river, a mountain, a desert or a combination of these elements. Most of us live in landscapes that have been profoundly modified by human beings. Our dependence on nature is so great that we cannot continue to live without protecting the Earth’s environmental resources. Most traditional societies have learned that respecting nature is vital in protecting their own livelihoods. This had led to many cultural practices that have helped traditional societies protect and preserve their natural resources. Respect for nature and all living creatures is not new to India; all our 5 Understanding traditions are based on these values. Emperor Ashoka’s edict proclaimed that all Environment forms of life are important for our well-being, and this was as far back as the 4th century BC. 1.2 OBJECTIVES After