Concepts: An environment is the complex of physical, chemical, biological and cultural factors affecting an individual population or community.
All living things are a product of their environment and an integral part of it, constantly interacting with it, affecting it and being affected by it.
Continuous change is a normal condition of environments and living things.
Humans are a part of nature, not separate from it.
The survival of the human species depends on the environment and human interactions with it.
Humans are unique among species in that their actions can cause extreme positive or negative change in the global environment.
Human understanding of how this unique planet functions as a dynamic living system is incomplete.
Appreciation of nature is an impetus for many forms of creative expression.
The natural world has intrinsic worth.
Our natural and man-made environments are the basis of our physical, mental, emotional and economic health.
Respect for land, water, air and all living things is important to the maintenance of a healthy environment.
Concepts: Plants and animals in an ecological system live in a dynamic web of interdependence.
Living things interact in many ways including predation, competition and symbiotic relationship.
Each species occupies a niche, playing a special ecological role in its community.
Any organism or other component of an ecosystem can be fully understood only by studying it in relation to other components in the context of the system.
Physical factors such as energy, climate, geology, the water cycle and the sun impact ecological systems.
Food chains and energy transfer are vital processes within an ecosystem.
Toxic substances can move through food chains and tend to accumulate at higher concentrations in the upper trophic levels of ecosystems.
Goal B: Students will develop an understanding that habitat, carrying capacity and limiting factors influence plant and animal populations, including humans.
Concepts: All plants and animals, including humans, require habitat for their existence.
The essentials of habitat, the basic needs of all living things, are food, water, shelter and space in a usable arrangement.
Any given area has a carrying capacity, or a limit to the number of individuals it can support, for each species occurring there.
A population tends to increase in size until limited by one or more factors such as food, space, water or shelter.
Cyclical changes in population size, within limits, are normal phenomenon for many species.
Goal C: Students will develop an understanding of change as a fundamental characteristic of ecosystems.
Concepts: An environment is continually shaped by human and nonhuman forces which alter conditions which can lead to changes in the type of organisms that can live there.
Ecosystems have varying capacities for change and recovery.
Natural events and human activities affect the role and direction of succession.
Plant and animal species have evolved specific adaptations to their environment, including adaptations that are physical, biochemical and behavioral.
Extinction may occur when populations are unable to adapt to environmental change.
Goal D: Students will develop an understanding that our planet is naturally diverse in species and habitats but that this diversity may be threatened by human activities.
Concepts: Numerous variations in the Earth's environment, such as climate, geology and topography, have given rise to a great diversity of species and habitats.
Biodiversity is currently decreasing because human activities have accelerated the rate at which species become endangered and extinct.
Most plant and animal species that are threatened or endangered today became so due to habitat loss or change caused by human activity.
Goal E: Students will develop an understanding that humans are a natural component of many ecosystems.
Concepts: Humans are a natural component of many ecosystems.
Human activities can alter plant and animal distribution, diversity and abundance as well as the distribution and existence of entire ecosystems.
Human influences on life forms and ecosystems may be direct or indirect and resulting changes may range from short-term to irreversible.
Concepts: Nations are interrelated through their technological, economic and environmental activities and through mutual reliance on natural resources and environmental quality.
Environmental problems and concerns often transcend political boundaries and cultural differences.
Conflict and political instability within and between nations often results from uneven distribution and control of resources.
Prehistoric, historic and modern cultures are diverse partly because they evolved as adaptations to diverse natural environments.
Cultural artifacts contribute to understanding historic and prehistoric people and their environments and offer evidence of past environmental conditions.
A healthy environment contributes to the economic well-being of ancient and modern, developed and undeveloped societies; conversely, environmental degradation causes the deterioration of natural life support systems and of societies dependent on those systems.
Societies have developed many environmental belief systems based on tradition, folklore, economics, arts, language and science that shape their attitudes and use of their environment.
Man-made environments reflect and influence values, attitudes and life styles.
Technology buffers humans' contact with the natural environment thereby reducing our understanding of the processes that make it work.
When technological advances exceed human comprehension of their effect on the environment, unanticipated environmental problems may develop.
Today's media coverage greatly influences societal attitudes toward the environment.
How the environment is affected by specific actions is a scientific question, but the choice of what action to take is a question of individual and societal values.
The values and ethics of individuals and societies are important factors in determining human behavior and societal impact on the environment.
Western culture is primarily influenced by the Judeo-Christian ethic of viewing the environment primarily as a source of natural resources to be used for human benefit.
Ethical decisions involve consideration of costs and benefits to self and others.
Concepts: Nonrenewable natural resources are not replenished through natural cycles or are replenished extremely slowly on a geological time frame, and are thus strictly limited in quantity.
Renewable natural resources are replenished through natural cycles, but are still finite.
The original source of all material goods is natural resources.
Resource extraction and use cannot occur without some degree of environmental change.
Increasing human population and increasing per capita consumption are causing a steady increase in the global demand for energy and other resources.
Citizens of the United States use more natural resources per capita than the people of any other nation.
Changes in cultural patterns and the social and economic values of a society affect personal life styles, and thus, the use and conservation of natural resources.
Goal B: Students will understand what natural resources management is, how and why humans manage natural resources and how this management affects humans. Students will further understand that management decisions are based on human- defined goals, values and needs.
Concepts: Effective management of natural resources involves the application of scientific knowledge and technical skills to provide for the sustained use of these natural resources while protecting the quality of the environment.
Management practices can range from no activity to extensive intervention in ecological processes.
The development and enforcement of management policies and environmental laws are affected by economic factors, societal needs, ethics, politics, science and technology and public and private interests.
Conservation of natural resources (wise use and protection from waste depletion or pollution) is the most basic form of stewardship and the most immediate means of maintaining availability of resources.
Specific local, state and federal agencies are charged with management of natural resources and protection of environmental quality.
Private industry, organizations and individuals can influence resource management and environmental protection.
Because no nation is entirely self-sufficient in natural resources, the use and management of resources need to be considered in a context of global human need.
Philosophies, objectives and practices of various types of resource management are sometimes incompatible with each other, and therefore compromises and trade-offs may be necessary.
Management issues and environmental problems may arise when resource use is motivated by short-term goals and not tempered by evaluation of long-term consequences.
Concepts: Developing an ethic of accountability toward the environment is essential for the continued health of the planet.
Both action and inaction of individuals and groups affect the outcomes of environmental issues.
Responsible decision-making involves research, consideration of values, creative evaluation of alternatives, a global orientation and a long-term perspective.
Good citizenship involves understanding environmental issues, participating in public process and taking responsibility for personal life style choices.