Rhiannon Furness

 70% of all the rubbish that ends up in the sea is made up of plastic (Kornei, 2017). This puts a lot of aquatic species at risk. Creatures eat and become trapped in it and it strangles plant life under the water. Litter from the sea often washes up on the shore where it's also accessible to birds and other animals.  Synthetic textiles are the greatest cause of microplastics in the ocean, other contributors include tires, city dust, road markings and personal care products (Horiba, no date). All plastic can break down into  microplastics through biodegradation and exposure to natural elements. These microplastics scatter all over the planet. Toxic chemicals bind themselves to microplastics which create a poison that is ingested by marine animals (Bauman, 2019). In order to reduce waste (especially plastics) from damaging our seas we can reduce use and consumption. Switching to biodegradable materials, recycling materials and ensuring all waste is properly disposed of will...

 Woodland environments contain a huge diversity of habitats in which a variety of animals and plants can live. There is a full range of plant types; trees, shrubs, climbers, bulbs, grasses, mosses and lichens. Grazing animals maintain any open grassy areas. Areas that are unsuitable for tree growth due to rocks or water provide further habitats for other creatures and plants. (Fleming, 2020) Woodlands are complex communities, all elements weave together to benefit the ecosystem as a whole. Each woodland are unique due to different species of flora, fauna and geography mixing in each of them (Natural Forest Practice, no date). Individuals in the forest interacts with the ecosystem and therefore is constantly evolving, the weak die out and the strong develop new traits to keep up with the ever changing surroundings. Our intervention doesn't consider this, we grow specific trees for materials and put efforts into conserving particular species and their habitats. This kind of intervent...

 “What is "Environmental Resilience"? Environmental resilience is the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to disturbances by resisting damage, recovering quickly, and reorganizing while undergoing change to eventually retain the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks (Channel Islands, no date) The word resilient means that something has the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. To be resilient is to be strong, irrepressible, adaptable, hardy and flexible.  Why is environment resilience important? Climate-related disasters are causing huge problems for ecosystems and communities all over the world. In order to protect these communities and natural habitats we must build defences, restore ecosystems, and implement warning systems and resilient infrastructure and agriculture. This will help prevent the loss of jobs, homes and even lives (The CivTech Alliance, no date). Environmental resilience can refer to an ecosystems natural ability to ...

 Coral reefs are just one kind of marine ecosystem. They exist in the layer of sea water that receives enough sunlight to allow photosynthesis to occur. The exoskeletons excreted by coral provide shelter to many different organisms. Coral reefs are extremely diverse ecosystems that home to sponges, sharks, crustaceans, molluscs, fish, turtles, dolphins, and many more. It is said that coral reefs can account for a quarter of all ocean species (National Geographic, no date). There are many attributes that make coral reefs resilient. High levels of biodiversity increase the chances of varied responses to any threats. There a more than one species that have the same role on reefs, providing a safety net should something happen to a species. A process called recruitment (young creatures becoming a part of the adult population) ensures high levels of biodiversity on healthy reefs and recovery on damaged reefs. High herbivore populations stop macroalgae from overgrowing and preventing cor...