(a) Explain the term natural environment (b) Highlight four advantages and four disadvantages of man's intervention with the natural environment

Answer Details

(a) The term natural environment

The natural environment refers to all the physical surroundings that exist naturally without being made or altered by man. It is made up of the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of the Earth. These include the land (relief, rocks and soils), water bodies (rivers, lakes, seas), the atmosphere (air and climate), and plant and animal life. In short, it is the total sum of natural features and conditions within which man lives and carries out his activities.

(b) Advantages and disadvantages of man's intervention with the natural environment

Four advantages

• Increased food production: clearing land, irrigation and mechanised farming raise agricultural output to feed a growing population.
• Provision of settlement and infrastructure: building of towns, roads, dams and industries provides shelter, employment and services.
• Harnessing of resources and energy: mining, damming of rivers for hydro-electricity and exploitation of forests supply raw materials and power for development.
• Control of natural hazards: construction of embankments, drainage and afforestation helps to control floods, erosion and desert advance.

Four disadvantages

• Deforestation and loss of vegetation: excessive clearing destroys forests and the habitats of wildlife, reducing biodiversity.
• Soil erosion and land degradation: overgrazing, bush burning and poor farming expose the soil, leading to gullying and loss of fertility.
• Pollution: industrial, oil and domestic wastes pollute the air, water and land, harming human and animal health.
• Climate change and desertification: emission of gases and removal of vegetation upset the climate and encourage the spread of deserts, drought and flooding.