Rethinking Ecology and Environment: 21st Century Perspectives

The term “environment” means the surrounding in which organisms live. It is the sum total of conditions that surround us at a given point in time and space. The environment can be biotic (living) or abiotic (physical or non-living). It influences the growth and development of living forms. Environment regulates the life of the organisms including human beings. Human beings interact with the environment more vigorously than any other living beings. Ordinarily, environment refers to the materials and forces that surround the living organism. It provides us with all the resources for leading a comfortable life.

Ecology, on the other hand, may be defined as the scientific study of the relationship of living organisms with each other and with their environment. The term ecology was first coined in 1866 by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel. It has been derived from two Greek words, ‘oikos’, meaning home or estate and ‘logos’ meaning study. The emphasis is on the relationships between organisms and the components of the environment namely abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living).