HIPPO EFFECT

H = Habitat DestructionI = Invasive / Introduced SpeciesP = PollutionP = Population Growth / Explosion O = Over – harvesting / Over – consumption

H = Habitat Destruction

• A habitat is the natural home for an animal or plant

• Habitat destruction is when an animal or plant loses

its natural home

• Usually caused by something humans have done

• If an animal’s habitat gets destroyed, it might die

out

• If this happens, it can affect all animals above it on

the food chain

Causes

• Humans are a major cause of habitat

destruction

• The number of human beings on our

planet has risen steeply in the last few

centuries

• This huge increase is putting pressure

on natural resources

• Our needs are growing, and these

needs are often causing habitat

destruction

• Logging 

• Agriculture

• Building Roads and Cities

• Forest Fires

I = Invasive / Introduced Species

An invasive species is a species occurring,

as a result of human activities, beyond its

accepted normal distribution and which

threatens valued environmental, agricultural

or other social resources by the damage it

causes

• Sometimes, a new plant or animal is taken from its natural

environment and introduced into a new ecosystem

• Or a new plant or animal enters a new environment as its

original habitat is destroyed

• The effects can be drastic

• Some native plants and animals are decimated

• While others may flourish to higher-than-average levels

due to the new introduced species 

P = Pollution

• Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural

environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or

discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living

organisms.

• Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy,

such as noise, heat or light.

• Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign

substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants.

Pollutants

A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil.

Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant:

1.Its chemical nature,

2.The concentration and

3.The persistence.

TYPES:Water pollution• Water pollution is the presence in water of harmful material, such as sewage,

dissolved metals, waste from farms and factories and includes  crude oil spilled

from shipwrecked tankers.

• The three main substances that pollute water are nitrates from fertilizers,

sewage and detergents.

• Pollution causes harm to living things in water and can also harm to people's

health, and can problems such as cancer.

• The main sources of water pollution is from sewage, farms and factories.

Air pollution 

• Harmful gases and tiny particles (like carbon

monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide) when

released into the air pollute the air. The smoke released

from burning fuel, from factories and not to forget the

motor cars are the major sources of air pollution. 

• Air pollution is one of the major cause of that funny

cough, asthma and burning eyes that you develop.

These are following gases that are known as the "Big Six" air pollutants":

• Carbon Dioxide

• Carbon Monoxide

• Sulfur Oxide

• Nitrogen Oxide

• Hydrocarbons (Benzene, Terpene, etc.)

• Particulates

Noise pollution

The harmful noise in our environment, such as the sound of

cars in a city, loud speakers ,etc. is called noise pollution.

Noise pollution can cause ear problems or even permanent

deafness, especially to older people.

Land pollution

•All that plastic and dirt that you throw on the ground dirties

the land and when you don't maintain the hygiene, then

disease prevails.

Light pollution

• Is too much artificial light at night which makes it difficult

to see the stars and planets.

• Light pollution is an effect of modern civilization.

• It is most severe in highly industrialized, densely

populated areas of North America, Europe, and Japan and in

major cities in the Middle East and North Africa, but even

relatively small amounts of light can be noticed and create

problems.

P = Population Growth / Explosion

With the world's population estimated to double

within the next 12 years, more people means

increased use of natural resources, possible increase

in habitat destruction and more waste generated.

O = Over – harvesting / Over – consumption

• Over harvesting is an extreme use of some important areas like wetlands and damaging them without knowing that these areas could help many people.

• Most of wetlands that people destroy by overusing them could make drinking water for those people who do not have fresh water.

• Over harvesting is also when you over harvest an animal to an extent were the population goes extremely low or even to extinction

Overharvesting:

Also called Overexploitation, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns.

Sustained overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource. The term applies to natural resources such as:

wild medicinal plants,  grazing pastures,  fish stocks,  forests water aquifers

THANK YOU

Compiled & Edited by:

Saurabh Deshpande

References:

http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/naturalconnections/hippo.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/00473/habitatdestruction.html

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution

http://www.pediatriconcall.com/kidscorner/whywhat/what_is_pollution.aspx

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_harvesting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overexploitation