The Importance Of Sustainable Development

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' Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs '. ( Our Common Future ). Since the 1960's it has been widely recognised that human activities are having harmful and large-scale effects on the environment. The concept of 'Sustainable Development', which aims at striking a balance between preserving the environment and achieving economic progress, has emerged as the biggest challenge for mankind today. It was recognised as an issue of great importance in the last decades of the 20th century and continues to be so in the 21st century as world population burgeons and natural resources across…show more content…
Given the serious challenges facing the world community the United Nations has formulated the 'Millennium Development Goals' and one of these is preservation of the environment and ensuring environmental sustainability. Thus, in this context creating and preserving nature reserves has become an important priority for most countries and Singapore is no exception, inspite of it's limited land availability. Population growth and urbanisation leads to air and water pollution, increased energy demand, increased waste generation, and other human and industrial. activities that increase the carbon footprint. Creating and preserving nature reserves is therefore essential for maintaining harmony between the environment and development. What then is a 'nature reserve' and what are it's benefits ? "A nature reserve is an area of land that is protected and managed for various ecological reasons. It could be designated to protect and reserve wildlife, flora, fauna, geological features or other special interests that plays a part in the biodiversity of…show more content…
A sufficient biodiversity is essential in order to preserve a natural balance in our environment. With sufficient biodiversity, the loss of any part of the food chain will not result in a serious effect or disruption on other organisms since they can obtain nutrients from a variety of sources. If there is any disruption in the food chain then it will lead to a stop in the nutrient cycle path and a collapse of the entire ecosystem would be inevitable. A healthy biodiversity provides a number of natural services for everybody and so, is of utmost importance. It also helps in keeping our climate stable and by maintaining the nitrogen and water cycles, ensuring fertile soil for crops and an abundance of water supply. (https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/) Secondly, they encourage and support education and research. They provide field areas for the long-term study of natural changes and balancing forces in undisturbed ecosystems. Nature reserves enhance our understanding of our natural heritage. Some species of plants have medicinal properties which after scientific research may provide cures for ailments and
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