View allAll Photos Tagged SDG14
Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, is pictured addressing participants during the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Youth Panel Dialogue with the United Nations Secretary-General held at United Nations ESCAP Conference Centre, in Bangkok, Thailand. March 28, 2022.
SDG 14 Life Below Water; “Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. This photo demonstrates the specific target, “By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution”. This photo was taken while on one of the tributaries in the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Crisfield Maryland. The grasses being planted along the water’s edge in the photograph carry out two major ecological functions which conserve under water ecosystems. The first ecological function that the grasses along the waters edge carry out is a stabilizing function which reduces the amount of sediment running off into the bay waters. Sedimentation reduction in the Chesapeake is an instrumental component of a healthy Bay ecosystem which helps in the conservation of it. The grasses in the photo reduce sedimentation by stabilizing the soil where they grow. The grasses do this by extending their intricate root systems into and through the soil entrapping it in a kind of a convoluted net of both large main roots and fine root hairs which can be microscopic. The second function the grasses perform is that of nutrient pollution reduction. The net of root structure which stabilizes the soil also uptakes dissolved nutrient compounds which the grass needs to grow, as the roots absorb the nutrients from the soil they create a zone of nutrient depletion inside of the “net”. The nutrient depleted zone acts as an area of low pressure with regards to certain nutrients and therefore pulls these nutrients out of the water and into the soil through a process of diffusion, reducing the nutrient load in the water body. Reducing nutrient pollution reduces eutrophic algae blooms and contributes to overall Bay health and the conservation of the underwater Bay ecosystem.
Ms. Nantaporn Thirapongphaiboon, a Youth Food Waste Advocate, speaks during the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Youth Panel Dialogue with the United Nations Secretary-General held at United Nations ESCAP Conference Centre, in Bangkok, Thailand. March 28, 2022.
Ms.Ralyn Satidtanasan (Lilly), a Youth Environmental Activist, speaks during the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Youth Panel Dialogue with the United Nations Secretary-General held at United Nations ESCAP Conference Centre, in Bangkok, Thailand. March 28, 2022.
Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, is pictured addressing participants during the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Youth Panel Dialogue with the United Nations Secretary-General held at United Nations ESCAP Conference Centre, in Bangkok, Thailand. March 28, 2022.
Dialogue between the 2022 cohort of the SDGs Youth Panel with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed on March 28, 2022. Photo: ©UNThailand/Cory Wright
Mr. Muhammadharis Jiman, an Advocate for Youth Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, speaks at the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Youth Panel Dialogue with the United Nations Secretary-General held at United Nations ESCAP Conference Centre, in Bangkok, Thailand. March 28, 2022.
This image was taken on November 13 outside of Greenville, NC. It displays a ditched median between opposing lanes of a highway, forested by a number of pine trees. This design shows intention beyond just the transport services provided by the highway, but also reflects concerns for stormwater management, habitat fragmentation, and sustainable development.
UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #11 aims for the development of cities which are safe, resilient, and sustainable. The ditched median shown in this image reflects that goal through several supplemental benefits to the roadway. The increased distance between opposing lanes of traffic reduces potential danger from cars moving off of the road through collision or emergency departure. The greenery provided also has been found to have a calming effect on drivers, making travel safer. Irrigation of water into the ditch also captures rainwater from the road, creating safer driving conditions and water purification services.
This feature also supports developing sustainable cities by addressing the ecological principle of habitat fragmentation - the process of breaking up larger habitats into a number of smaller habitats. Without a median between the opposing flows of traffic, animals have the freedom to cross the roadway and travel between the habitats it would otherwise divide. Otherwise, fragmentation could lead to local patch extinctions and biodiversity loss.
Sustainable development, even through small features, holds great potential for preserving ecosystem services while meeting human needs.
This picture is taken of the Paint Branch stream that goes through College Park, Maryland on September 19th at 8:53 am. This was taken where the stream goes under Route 1 near Lakeland Rd. This stream flows into the Indian creek which flows into the Anacostia river, then the Potomac river, and into the Chesapeake bay. On a day like this, this area is aesthetically pleasing with its crystal clear water and the surrounding trees. However, on a rainy day, this dramatically changes: the water turns murky and brown which rushes through this area at extremely high rates. This water is full of suspended sediments that travel through the watershed and into the Chesapeake bay which causes large negative impacts on fish populations. The Chesapeake bay is a highly productive estuarine system. It has the ability to support a large number of species across its range. However, suspended sediments negatively impact the ability of light to reach submerged aquatic vegetation (SAVs). These SAVs make excellent habitat for fish, crustaceans, and other microorganisms as it gives them places to seek shelter from predators. Historically, SAVs have been greatly reduced in their range across the Chesapeake bay and have been a major factor in decreasing the productivity and health of various species across the bay.
This picture relates to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals because of its connection to goal number 14, “Life Below Water.” Goal number 14 involves the conservation of resources that live in aquatic environments. With this as the goal, agencies or organizations should consider this area of the Paint Branch stream as a candidate for needed restoration in order to maintain the viability of resources in the Chesapeake Bay. This restoration should be focused on decreasing the suspended sediments flowing through this stream which will increase light penetration, SAVs, and therefore fish habitats in the Chesapeake Bay. There has been some restoration work on areas of this stream. In 2016-2019, MDOT worked on Paint Branch stream restoration as mitigation for an addition of the Purple Line. Some of their main goals were related to preventing erosion on the banks to prevent suspended sediments in the water.
Additional readings:
MDOT Restoration: marylandstreamrestorationassociation.org/resources/Paint%...
This is a photo of a compost container in the kitchen of my house. It was taken in College Park on November 17th. The city of College Park recently started a composting program where households can be provided with a compost container and the town will do scheduled pick ups where the collected food waste is then brought to a composting center. An ecological concept that can be seen in the photo is decomposition. When composted food is used to amend soil, the compost begins to decompose, leaving nutrients to disperse through the soil. This process helps to make the surrounding soil more “healthy” and it has shown to increase vegetation yield and health in many cases.
The SDG that I chose to discuss alongside this photo is number 14, “Responsible Consumption and Production”. The focus of this goal is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Composting has shown to be effective at making food consumption more responsible as this process emits less GHGs than the typical landfilling process. Specifically, composting has proven to reduce methane emissions, a GHG that is roughly 27 times more potent than carbon dioxide (EPA). By changing our behaviors in regards to food consumption and waste, we can minimize our effect on the environment. Aside from this, the nutrients provided by composting can reduce the need for fertilizer to be used (EPA).
“Reducing the Impact of Wasted Food by Feeding the Soil and Composting.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/reducing-impact-w....
The introduction of the Purple Line light rail supports the local economy and reduces environmental health threats from vehicle pollutants. In the coming decades, the urban population is set to vastly increase and sustainable infrastructure must be in place to take on the impacts of additional residents. Public transit is a high priority for urban development because transportation is the cornerstone of economic stability and pollution management. Air pollution from exhaust, soot, CO2, and nitrogen oxide which breaks down oxygen in molecules of ozone (O3), markedly decreases when fewer cars and more high occupancy vehicles are on the roads, improving on-ground and tropospheric air quality. According to the organization Purple Line Now, the new light rail would accomplish this by daily removing approximately 17,000 cars from the road.
Supporting residents with improved transportation also allows for economic mobility. Greater access to further reaches of the community via the Purple Line gives local businesses new opportunities to thrive and their client base will broaden. The Purple Line has already provided thousands of jobs through its construction and it will continue to provide expanded employment opportunities. Individuals who do not have access to a car will be able to search out jobs in a wider area which betters effort toward economic equity and bolsters the local economy. Potential financial benefits for the local community can only be fully realized with protections in place for residents already living in the areas set to experience an economic boom. Urban expansion compulsively begs the question, “How will current low-income residents be affected?”. This a critical concern as larger businesses and higher real-estate prices will inevitably arrive in communities that flank the Purple Line route. The development plan for the new light rail incorporates this consideration. The Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC), sponsored by Prince Georges and Montgomery county governments, asserts that there will be a total of 17,000 affordable housing units along the route upon the compilation of line construction (Haslam, 2024). As of 2023, around two-thirds were complete and construction continues.
The addition of this line, including the physical light rail and the benefits it will provide to the surrounding communities, exemplifies the sort of sustainable urban infrastructure that is being called for right now by the United Nations. The ninth of the twelve UN Sustainable Development Goals, “Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure” is met through the Purple Lines’ targeted improvements for lower-income areas, and drastic reduction in contributions to air pollution. The Purple Lines is a major facet of sustainable infrastructure required for a growing urban population in the DMV.
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The environmental impacts of transportation vehicles don’t end at air pollution, tire wear particles that severely affect aquatic life can be mitigated by choosing rail construction over an expanded bus system. Many cities are adding electric buses to support the growing urban population, however, this is not as environmentally friendly as light rail travel. Because of the substantial weight of EV batteries, electric vehicles degrade tires at a highly accelerated rate compared to gas-powered modes of transportation, about double the speed.
Tire particles are a non-point source microplastic pollutant that accounts for 3-7% of roadside particulate matter. There are over 1000 different chemicals in tires but Zinc and a chemical called 6PPD are fatal for aquatic life (Mayer et. al. 2024). Zinc interacts with invertebrates and vertebrate fish as a toxin and becomes more concentrated in organisms higher up the food chain. 6PPD is a tire-specific chemical that protects the rubber from wearing out in a single month of use; helpful for tire longevity but detrimental to fish. A study on Coho Salmon in the Pacific Northwest revealed 6PPD’s harmful impacts. Salmon rely on the full reach of a watershed to complete their life cycles, beginning in secluded headwaters and traveling to the ocean for more abundant food resources, then returning to their streams of birth to reproduce. Coho salmon were found to meet pre-spawn death when passing through urban waterways. In droves salmon met their demise, not only removing themselves from the population but also drastically reducing the total population by failing to meet the fertility replacement rate; Coho perishing before reproducing enough spawn to sustain their population size. This has an ecological domino effect on species at both higher and lower trophic levels. Loss of aquatic life impacts humans as well. Here in Maryland, water quality affects the livelihoods of oyster farmers, crabbers, and anglers whose catch is reduced when pollution runs rampant. In Washington State, Native Americans are experiencing a profound loss as Coho salmon are creatures with a legacy of vital cultural importance, and holistically a dominant food source. Coho populations are now so low that Native Americans cannot rely on salmon to feed their families adequately through even one season.
Zinc, 6PPD, and the cocktail of other chemicals that come from tires are incredibly difficult to mitigate once in the environment making elimination at the source the best chance at alleviating these toxic chemical loads into watersheds. Though many miles away from the sea, the Purple Line rail will help the survivorship of marine aquatic life as well as upstream communities. The United Nations' fourteenth sustainable development goal aims at improving the health and resiliency of life below water which the purple line inadvertently influences heavily. Choosing light rail rather than tire vehicles to expand urban infrastructure reduces the net pollution of local transportation and removes sources of pollutants fatal to aquatic life.
Reference List
Purple Line Now. “What We Want.” Purple Line Now, www.purplelinenow.com/what_we_want.
University of Maryland. “$1.6M FTA Grant Aims to Support Communities along Purple Line Route.” UMD Today, 24 Oct. 2023, today.umd.edu/1-6m-fta-grant-aims-to-support-communities-....
Mayer, Paul M., et al. "Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Emerging Environmental Impacts of Tire Wear Particles and Their Chemical Cocktails." Science of the Total Environment, vol. 927, 2024, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38460683/.
The rocks seen in this photograph taken at the Paint Branch Creek in the fall of 2023 are a part of a larger stream restoration project that runs through the majority of the the UMD area. The stream is high in nutrients which prove to be quite toxic to the flora and fauna that reside in this freshwater streams. The propose of these rocks are to slow the flow of water which allows more time for nutrient processing and cycling to take place. The ultimate goals of this system is the lowers the nutrient levels of the water to more acceptable levels. This project connects to UN sustainability goal 14 which calls for the improvement of aquatic ecosystems through conservation projects and improved sustainability. If the nutrient levels of the stream are brought down to lower levels it would be possible to introduce flora and fauna to the stream that could improve the ecosystem and possibly make it more durable against disturbances. The lowering of nutrient levels would also keep excess nutrients from making its way downstream to larger streams, rivers, and bodies of water which could further disrupt ecosystem is the Chesapeake Bay Estuary.
This photo is of a shipyard practicing excellent containment practices to protect the local aquatic lifeforms, supporting SDG #14 Life Below Water. Beneath the white plastic tarp on the right side of this photo is a ship undergoing a major maintenance availability which includes cleaning its hull and conducting abrasive blasting operations to remove 100% of its hull coating and replace it with fresh paint. This ship has been thoroughly protected with a tarp stretched over a scaffolding frame preventing any abrasive blasting media or paint residue from escaping into nearby waterways (tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay) and harming aquatic life forms. Additionally this containment allows the service provider to conduct hull preservation work even when the external weather conditions would preclude the application of paint, since the interior of the enclosed area can be heated/dehumidified to match the ideal environmental conditions for the paint to be applied. The ecological principle present in the image is the avoidance of unnecessary disturbance to the local communities of organisms caused by uncontrolled releases of material to the environment and local watershed caused by inadequate containment during hull cleaning and preservation work.
Soon, Z. Y., Jung, J.-H., Yoon, C., Kang, J.-H., & Kim, M. (2021). Characterization of hazards and environmental risks of wastewater effluents from ship hull cleaning by hydroblasting. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 403, 123708. doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123708
The image shown is a largemouth Bass that I caught in Lake Artemesia Natural Area in late August. This was taken near the end of summer weather in a overcast day, on top of a metal dock that is provided by the park. During this transition from summer into fall Largemouth Bass are going into mating season and need an abundant amount of food for preparation, so they come out of deeper water columns and become increasingly more aggressive towards any prey they find. Not only can you find Bass but other underwater life like Bluegill, Black Crappie, Black Bullhead, aquatic vegetation, and even insects like the water striders you can see gliding on top, representing the vast amount of life below water and interwinding interactions between all biotic and abiotic factors within the lake. This image represents the UN Sustainable Development Goal-14, Life Below Water. This ecological concept represented is the interaction between humans and the aquatic ecosystem through recreational fishing. This shows the usage of aquatic resources by humans and then raises the concerns of sustainable fishing practices in freshwater environments. Depicting that life below water is used for several activities when interacting with humans and their environment, like recreational fishing, entertainment, sustainable ecosystem, wildlife.
This photo was taken along the Paint Branch stream on campus that feeds into the greater Anacostia River. I took this photo during discussion when we were learning about the ongoing stream restoration project. This photo is related to SDG 14 : Life Under Water. The focus of this goal is mainly focused on the conservation and sustainability of oceans, seas and marine life. While the Paint Branch stream is not an ocean by any means, the Anacostia river feeds into the Chesapeake Bay. In fact the Anacostia river is considered to be one of the most contaminated and altered watersheds. Smaller stream restoration projects like this one do have a gradual effect on the Chesapeake Bay. The restoration efforts that have been taking place along this stream demonstrate the efforts to return the ecosystem to a more healthy and self preserving state. By cleaning up the river and trying to restore it in a way that system will be able to sustain itself amidst flooding and large storms like it has seen in the past. The restoration project has already seen success in aquatic life returning to the stream in the form of small fish and even the sighting of some otters. With the restoration efforts, the quality of the ecosystem's health and sustainability will continue to grow.
Pictured is an expanse of marshes, inlets, and forests at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center in Queen Anne's County MD. This is a nature resurve which aims to keep a more pristine local ecosystem in tact compared to other places around the bay. It goes along well with UN Sustainability Goals 14 and 15; life below water and life on land. In the foreground you can more clearly make out the difference between the lower and upper marshes, separated by the shorter and taller grasses. There is also an artificial bird shelter for some marsh birds. Marshes like this are some of the most important and diverse ecosystems in the entire bay. they serve as a buffer for harmful chemicals and runoff. They also serve as habitat for oysters, and other organisms that help filter the bay In the distance an isolated pine forest island (often called a hamock) can be seen. At one point this hamock was connected to the closer and farther forests, but with sea level rise and saltwater intrusion, it has been isolated. Surrounding the hamock is a ghost forest; groups of dead standing trees. These trees are the most recent victims of saltwater intrusion.
This photo was taken on October 1st, 2023 of the Catoctin Creek in Dorchester County, Maryland while collecting aquatic macro-invertebrates for a friend’s Freshwater Biology class. It shows the stream ecosystem and some of the small components of the ecosystem such as the leaves turning into organic matter and one of the plunge pools where many different organisms live near a small waterfall in the stream.
Many types of aquatic macro-invertebrates were found in the plunge pool, including hellgrammite and beetle larvae, crayfish, leeches, and true bug nymphs. However, among all the different aquatic macro-invertebres found, stonefly nymphs were the most abundant. Belonging to the class Insecta and the order Plecoptera, stoneflies play a crucial role in the ecosystem. These insects are some of the most pollution-sensitive aquatic insects, and they are most commonly found in cold, low-pollution, lotic environments. For example, they would be absent in streams like Paint Branch near the University of Maryland, which shows their preference for colder waters found in higher altitude streams like Catoctin. As well as the warmer water temperature, the dense human population near Paint Branch prevents the presence of stoneflies due to the constant influx of pollutants from the community. In their ecosystem, stoneflies serve as bio-indicators, their presence or absence indicates the health and quality of the water system because of their pollution sensitivity. They're also essential contributors to nutrient cycling, since they serve as both prey and predators, in-turn contributing significantly to the stream's food chain. In addition, while in their underwater nymph stage, which can last for up to four years, they help to aid in nutrient breakdown and decomposition, which benefits the entire stream ecology.
This picture supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Under Water. These pollution-sensitive insects, serve as indicators of water quality, which can show any urgent needs to reduce pollution in aquatic environments. The presence of stoneflies in an aquatic ecosystem implies that the ecosystem is healthy and thriving and that the water remains unpolluted. Protecting stoneflies and their habitats not only contributes to the overall health of freshwater systems but also preserves aquatic biodiversity. By preserving and learning about aquatic ecosystems and its organisms we can achieve the UN Goal 14’s objective to ensure sustainable life under water.
Last week I took this picture of a creek near my apartment. In this creek it looked like there was a school of small fish, perhaps minnows. Although it’s difficult to see in the picture, These fish looked like they were eating algae or off of the rocks in the water. The algae, a biotic factor in the creek, relies on the rocks, an abiotic factor, to grow. The minnows are then consume the algae off the rocks, making them the primary consumer of this ecosystem. This ecological concept also related to the UN SDG 14 relating to life below water. Although this creek is not a major marine resource, I pass this creek going to and returning from class every day. Often times this creek looks heavily polluted and it makes me wonder how this pollution has an effect on aquatic species living in the creek. This creek water is often a clear, dirty brown, but I have witnessed occasions where the water has been almost opaque and other circumstances where the water has been heavily polluted, such as one time the creek was topped with whiteish greenish foam. Although this creek is small, pollution of this river can have drastic effects on its aquatic species and the surrounding ecosystem. Additionally, the water from this creek eventually runs into the Anacostia River, which is a much larger ecosystem containing many more aquatic species.
This photo was taken at the Georgia Aquarium on the 27th October 2023. It shows some barnacles, sea stars and algae growing on the rocks in a tide pool. The tide pool here is meant to be a reflection of the tide pools of the Pacific Northwest where there are diverse marine habitats that are home to sea stars, sea anemones, sea urchins, crabs and others.
This photo ties in with Sustainable Developmental Goal (SGD) 14 which seeks to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The ecological concept that I identified in this image is competition. The barnacles and sea stars represent different species that are existing in the same habitat but are competing for limited resources. In this case, the resource is space, however, there could be competition for other resources such as food too. The availability of these resources are crucial for the survival and growth of organism in aquatic ecosystems.
The competition and relationship between these organism in the image is linked to SDG 14 as this goal aims to conserve and sustainably use the marine environments. The competitive interaction and overall presence of an diverse marine life contributes to the overall health and biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystem. SDG 14 also addresses the well-being of communities that are dependent on these marine resources. Understanding and managing the competition between species in the marine environment can contribute and help with the better use of the resources which aligns with the goals of SDG 14. Thus, the ecological concept of competition in this image is linked to SDG 14 as it highlights the interaction between different species in the marine environment for limited resources and it also emphasizes on the importance of managing these interactions to maintain the overall health of ecosystems.
This photograph was taken of a fish in Paint Branch creek on the University of Maryland campus in late august from the bridge near lot 11. This photo shows local aquatic life which could be put in danger by runoff pollution, microplastics, or debris. Notably, this fish is camouflaged to blend in with the rocky creek bed showing a unique adaptation to its ecosystem.
The sustainability goal of "life below water" highlights the importance of preserving/monitoring aquatic species like these fish. As freshwater becomes increasing scarce, the habitat for these species become harder to come by and more polluted. In freshwater that remains, it is crucial to focus on preventing pollution of debris, fertilizers, etc. As our local water resource on campus, Paint Branch Creek should remain a priority, serving as a direct way to preserve life below water.
The UN sustainability goal emphasizes the impacts of collapsed fisheries, polluted water systems, and disrupted coastal habitats. Our responsibility lies in mitigating human impact by decreasing pollution and interference in these ecosystems.
This photo specific related to the goal of Life Below Water (SDG 14). From an ecological concepts perspective, this fish is specifically adapted to its environment, likely in order to avoid predation. In this way, this photo sheds light on energy flow and food webs. If the ecosystem were to change (for example due to increase sediment runoff), then this camouflage may shift along with it as different traits would be preferred for survival.
This picture was taken on December 3rd, 2022. I took this picture in Elkton, Virginia during a trip with the Environmental Professional Fraternity. This pond was located outside of where we were staying. This pond had greenish clear water. The green color of the pond can be caused by many reasons. There were many houses located around the pond and the runoff from these houses could have potentially gotten in the water. Also runoff from the drainage and septic systems of the houses could runoff into the pond. There was also a goat and cow farm around the area. The runoff from these farms could also cause this green color. The green color comes from algae in the water. This algae thrives from nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. The algae affects the other life in the water because the algae will use up the oxygen in the water cause the dissolved oxygen in the water to decrease. This can impact the survival of the fish and other organisms in the pond. There was very minimal insects around the pond because this photo is taken in late fall to early winter, but during the summer and spring insects most likely use this pond as a place to inhabit. This relates to SDG #14 Life below water because the pond is a place for plants and animals to inhabit and the health of the pond can be in danger. The water not being cleanHuman damages from the houses and farms in the area can harm the ecology of the pond and ultimately the entire area. There needs to be conservation actions taken to prevent these farms and houses from damaging the pond and other bodies of water around this area. Using less fertilizers and preventing runoff of nutrients from the farms would prevent these nutrients from getting into the water. Sustainability of ponds and other local bodies of water is important to ecosystems because they control many interactions in those ecosystems. The life below water in this pond are greatly affected by the sustainable and unsustainable actions contributed by humans. So it is important to keep ponds and smaller bodies of water in mind when considering the affects of human actions and the resulting consequences.
This photo is taken of a Rainbow Trout caught in the Cranberry River within the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. This fish was stocked by the West Virginia DNR and harvested by myself. This represents SDG 14, Life Below Water. Every year the West Virginia DNR stocks several hundred thousand trout to their freshwater bodies. These fish are stocked for a number of different reasons. Among these reasons are supporting recreational fishing, providing food sources, and maintaining ecosystems. The fish caught in this picture had a tag on its dorsal fin. DNR tags fish to indicate to the angler that the fish should be reported when caught. Knowing where the tagged fish are caught helps DNR study migratory patterns, population dynamics, and other research metrics. Sustainable harvesting allows for humans to benefit from ecosystems while also managing a stable population for the fish.
The stocking and harvesting can be considered ecosystem services. One could also relate this to population management and carrying capacity. In a way you could also consider parasitism since the human is benefiting from killing the fish. There are plenty of concepts that can be applied to this concept.
I took this picture on October 20th at the Patuxent Research Refuge. I volunteer there once a week for their longstanding kestrel research efforts, and last Friday one of the full-time employees recognized the bald eagle calls. I went to grab a pair of binoculars and was able to take this picture through the binoculars. The large dot right in the center of the photo is one of the bald eagles and it’s mate is slightly to the right (you have to zoom in). I see this picture relating to two different sustainable development goals: SDG 7 and SDG 14.
SDG 7 is affordable and clean energy. This bald eagle is sitting on an electric tower. Obviously those are used for the transmission of energy. In addition, Electric towers (at the frustration of power companies) can act as bird habitat. Specifically as nesting sites. This demonstrates how infrastructure can utilized by nature.
SDG 14 is life below water. Bald eagles predate primarily on fish. Because of this in the 20th century, bald eagles where impacted by the biomagnification of the pesticide DDT which led to the the sterility of bald eagles as well as brittle egg shells. This lead to a large decrease in the population of bald eagles. It was not until DDT was banned and other protections put in place that the bald eagle population was able to recover. It took removing of DDT in an underwater community in order to recover the population of a different species/population.
#ecology #enst360 #SDG7 #SDG14 #Fa2023 #image2 #UMD #ecology