Population

POPULATION

by Antonio C. Antonio

February 27, 2015

“Population growth” and “population explosion” are nagging terms that have remained bothersome in the human psyche.  On a larger sense, population has a direct relationship to other equally nagging statements and concerns such as: (a) food security; (b) land use conversion; (c) terrestrial carrying capacity; (d) biodiversity conservation; (e) ecological balance; etc.  Before we jump into the more complex impact and effects of population on the environment, it is more important for us to understand the simple word “population”.

So… what is population?  Population comes with an avalanche of definitions, such as:

• A group of organisms of the same species occupying a particular space at a particular time and may be described on worldwide and continental scales or a local level.  (“Principles of Ecology”. Florece, Espaldon, Cuevas, Sierra and Medina, 1999)
• The whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or region.
• The total of individuals occupying an area or making up a whole.
• A body of persons or individuals having a quality or characteristic in common.
• The organisms inhabiting a particular locality.
• A group of interbreeding organisms that represents the level of organization at which speciation begins.
• The whole assemblage of groups as a population composed of subpopulations, or each subpopulation as a population, depending on the purpose of the study. (“Principles of Ecology”. Florece, Espaldon, Cuevas, Sierra and Medina, 1999)
• A group of individual persons, objects, or items from which samples are taken for statistical measurement.

There are more available definitions of the term “population” but some of them might only bring our understanding to a confused state.

So… why is population important in our environmental concerns?  We should realize that Mother Earth, a place we call home, is finite (Meaning: having limits or bounds) and we cannot overextend her capacities and capability to provide for all of us.  The more we increase in number, the less allocation we get from her finite natural resources.  Man has to do his share… man has to help her.  We could all start by seriously addressing this particular problem we call “population”.

Just my little thoughts…

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