Ecosystem Sustainability and Environmental Management

Mediterranean Food Chains and Webs

Construct two food chains and a network using the following organisms from the forest and Mediterranean scrub: lynx, rosemary, wild boar, holm oak (above), grasshoppers, shrews, tits, eagle, rabbit, cork oak, and aphids.

The Crisis of Ecosystem Degradation

More than 60 percent of the resources that sustain life on Earth—forming ecosystems such as freshwater, fisheries, air, and climate—are dangerously degrading or are being used unsustainably. This degradation may increase significantly in the next 50 years.

Any progress achieved in attaining the goals of eradicating poverty and hunger, improving health, and protecting the environment will probably not be sustained if most of the ecosystem resources on which humanity relies continue to be degraded.

The Importance of the Ozone Layer

The ozone layer is the region of the Earth's stratosphere that contains a relatively high concentration of ozone. This layer, which extends approximately 15 km to 40 km in altitude, contains 90% of the ozone in the atmosphere and absorbs 97% to 99% of high-frequency ultraviolet radiation.

Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)

A wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), also called a treatment plant, has the overall aim of achieving better effluent water quality and quantity characteristics from sewage or mixed water through various physical, chemical, and biotechnological processes based on certain standard parameters.

Wastewater Treatment Processes

The wastewater treatment is a series of physical, chemical, and biological processes designed to remove physical contaminants, chemical agents, and biological agents present in effluent water for human use. The goal of treatment is to produce clean water (or treated effluent) for reuse in the environment and a solid waste or sludge (also called biosolids) suitable for disposal or reuse.

It is very common to use the term wastewater to distinguish it from potable water treatment. Wastewater is generated by residences, institutions, and commercial or industrial premises.

Specialized Treatment Stages

These treatment processes are typically referred to as:

• Primary treatment: The settlement of solids.
• Secondary treatment: Biological treatment of dissolved organic matter present in wastewater, turning it into suspended solids that are easily removed.
• Tertiary treatment: Additional steps such as lagoons, microfiltration, or disinfection.

The site where these processes are conducted is called a wastewater treatment plant.