(a) What is Environmental Intervention? Definition Environmental intervention refers to the forces of nature and activities of man, that change the natural existence of the components of the ecosystem.
(b) Types of Environmental Intervention (i) Natural Intervention: These include the following:
(a) Earthquake
(b) Vulcanicity
(c) Drought
(d) Flooding
(e) Hurricane
(f) Desert encroachment
(g) Tectonic movement
(h) Climatic changes
(i) Sea level changes
(ii) Human Intervention:
(1) Deforestation
(2) Bush burning
(3) Grazing
(4) Hunting
(5) Pollution
(6) Farming activities
(7) Mining / quarrying
(8) Fishing
(c) EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL INTERVENTION
(i) Natural Intervention Effects:
(a) New features different from those initially produced such as vulcanism creates volcanic mountains
(b) Changes in the landscape such as earthquake will result in digging trenches and gullies where it was not initially present, raising and lowering beaches
(c) Wide spread destruction
(d) Extinction of aquatic life e.g drought results in drying up the water and this wi!I lead to the extinction of water animals
(e) Displacement of man
(f) Displacement of animals
(g) Can lead to lighting Human Intervention
Effects:
(1) Soil erosion
(2) Deforestation
(3) Changes in energy balance
(4) Atmospheric and water pollution
(5) Land pollution leads to reduction in agricultural land
(6) Hunting causes depletion of animal reserve
(7) Destruction of the vegetation cover of the soil through bush burning
(8) Depletion of the vegetation cover of the soil through overgrazing exposes the soil to erosion.