Biology · Lesson 19

Conservation & pollution

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: Natural resources and their conservation; pollution: air, water, soil, noise, their sources, effects and control; conservation agencies

WAEC: Conservation of natural resources: renewable and non-renewable resources, reasons for and methods of conserving soil, water, forests and wildlife, conservation agencies and laws, problems of conservation; pollution: types (air, water, land, noise), sources, effects and control; ecological problems such as global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, desertification and eutrophication

NECO: Conservation of natural resources: renewable and non-renewable resources, reasons for and methods of conserving soil, water, forests and wildlife, conservation agencies and laws, problems of conservation; pollution: types (air, water, land, noise), sources, effects and control; ecological problems such as global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, desertification and eutrophication

What you will learn

Classify natural resources as renewable or non-renewable with Nigerian examples.
Explain the reasons for conservation and describe methods of conserving soil, water, forests and wildlife.
Name conservation agencies and laws in Nigeria and internationally.
Identify problems facing conservation in Nigeria.
Define pollution and describe the sources, effects and control of air, water, land and noise pollution.
Explain global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, eutrophication and bioaccumulation.
Suggest practical ways individuals and communities can reduce pollution.

Key points

Renewable resources can be replaced if managed; non-renewable resources (oil, coal, tin) cannot.
Conservation = wise, sustainable use and protection of resources.
Soil: cover crops, contour ploughing, terracing, rotation, manure, windbreaks, no bush burning.
Forests: afforestation, reforestation, reserves, selective logging; wildlife: parks, reserves, anti-poaching laws.
Agencies: Federal Ministry of Environment, National Park Service, NESREA, NCF; IUCN, WWF, UNEP, CITES.
Pollution: harmful substances or energy in the environment; biodegradable vs non-biodegradable.
Air: CO, SO₂, NOₓ, soot, CFCs; acid rain; gas flaring in the Niger Delta.
Water: sewage, oil spills, heavy metals; eutrophication kills fish by oxygen depletion.
Land: refuse, plastics, pesticides; bioaccumulation concentrates poisons up food chains.
Global: enhanced greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, desertification; reduce, reuse, recycle.

Start here: Natural resources

Everything we eat, wear and build comes from the environment. The yam in your pot grew in soil; the water in your bucket came from a river or borehole; the wood of your school desk came from a forest; the petrol in your father’s car came from crude oil in the Niger Delta. These are natural resources.

Natural resources are materials or energy sources provided by nature that people use to meet their needs.

Renewable resources can be replaced by natural processes within a reasonable time if they are used wisely: forests, wildlife, fish, soil, fresh water, air, solar and wind energy.
Non-renewable resources exist in fixed amounts and cannot be replaced once used, because they formed over millions of years: crude oil, natural gas, coal (mined at Enugu), tin (Jos Plateau), limestone, iron ore and gold.

Even renewable resources can be destroyed if used faster than they are replaced. If trees in a forest are cut faster than new ones grow, or fish are caught before they can breed, the resource runs out just as surely as oil does.

⚠️ Common mistake: treating soil as non-renewable because it forms slowly. In WAEC answers, soil is classed as renewable if properly managed, though topsoil lost to erosion takes centuries to rebuild.

Try it yourself. Classify: timber, crude oil, fish, tin.

Show solution

Renewable: timber, fish. Non-renewable: crude oil, tin.

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Practice questions

1. Conservation means

the wise use and protection of natural resources
destroying forests
hunting all animals
using up resources quickly

Show answer

A: the wise use and protection of natural resources
For future generations.

2. Which is a renewable resource?

Crude oil
Coal
Natural gas
Forest

Show answer

D: Forest
It can be replaced.

3. A major cause of deforestation is

afforestation
conservation
logging and clearing land for farms
reforestation

Show answer

C: logging and clearing land for farms
Trees removed faster than replaced.

4. A game reserve helps to

pollute rivers
protect wildlife
increase poaching
destroy habitats

Show answer

B: protect wildlife
For example, Yankari Game Reserve.

5. Which gas from car exhausts is poisonous?

Carbon monoxide
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Argon

Show answer

A: Carbon monoxide
It binds haemoglobin.

Key words

Natural resource: Any material from nature that humans use, such as soil, water, forests or minerals.
Renewable resource: A resource that can be replaced naturally within a human lifetime if used wisely.
Non-renewable resource: A resource that cannot be replaced once used up, such as crude oil.
Conservation: The planned management and protection of natural resources to prevent waste and loss.
Game reserve: An area where wild animals are protected and hunting is controlled.
National park: A large protected area where wildlife and habitats are preserved by law.
Endangered species: A species at risk of becoming extinct.
Poaching: Illegal hunting or capture of wild animals.
Pollutant: A substance or form of energy that causes pollution.
Biodegradable: Able to be broken down by decomposers such as bacteria and fungi.
Eutrophication: Over-enrichment of water with nutrients, causing algal blooms and oxygen loss.
Acid rain: Rain made acidic by dissolved sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

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