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📘 Kharidar syllabus: Paper I, Section A, Unit 4.3 (Environment, population, urbanisation, settlement) · Open the full Kharidar course
Unit 4.3 is wide: ecology, biodiversity, sustainable development, climate change, environment management, pollution, population, urbanisation and migration. Pollution basics are in Environment, Pollution and Climate Change and population figures in Population of Nepal. This note covers the rest.
1. Ecology and ecosystem
- Ecology is the study of relationships between living things and their environment.
- An ecosystem has living parts (plants, animals, microbes) and non-living parts (air, water, soil, sunlight).
- Producers (green plants) make food; consumers (animals) eat it; decomposers (bacteria, fungi) break down dead matter.
- A food chain shows who eats whom, for example grass → deer → tiger.
2. Biodiversity
- Biodiversity means the variety of life: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity.
- Nepal covers only about 0.1% of the earth’s land but is very rich in biodiversity because of its height range from about 60 m to 8,848 m.
- Conservation: national parks, wildlife reserves, conservation areas, buffer zones and community forests.
- The Convention on Biological Diversity came from the Rio Earth Summit (1992). International Day for Biological Diversity is 22 May.
3. Sustainable development and the SDGs
- Definition (Brundtland Report, 1987): development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- The UN adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 as “Agenda 2030”; the target year is 2030.
- Examples: Goal 1 No poverty, Goal 2 Zero hunger, Goal 3 Good health, Goal 4 Quality education, Goal 5 Gender equality, Goal 13 Climate action.
- Nepal has integrated the SDGs into its periodic plans.
4. Climate change agreements
| Agreement | Year | Main point |
|---|---|---|
| UNFCCC | 1992 | Framework convention on climate change (Rio) |
| Kyoto Protocol | 1997 | Binding emission cuts for developed countries |
| Paris Agreement | 2015 | Keep warming well below 2°C, aim for 1.5°C |
| Montreal Protocol | 1987 | Protect the ozone layer |
| Day | Date |
|---|---|
| World Environment Day | 5 June |
| Earth Day | 22 April |
| World Ozone Day | 16 September |
| Biodiversity Day | 22 May |
5. Environment management
- EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) and IEE (Initial Environmental Examination) are studies done before big projects to reduce harm to the environment.
- The 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
- Waste management, clean energy, afforestation and pollution control are key tools.
6. Urbanisation, settlement and migration
- Urbanisation is the growth of the share of people living in towns and cities.
- After the formation of municipalities in the federal structure, the 2078 census found about two-thirds of Nepal’s people living in municipal areas.
- Problems of fast urbanisation: unplanned settlement, traffic, pollution, waste, water shortage and pressure on services.
- Migration is the movement of people from one place to another: internal (hills to Terai, villages to cities) or international (foreign employment).
- Causes: jobs, education, health services, conflict, disasters. Effects: remittance income and skills, but also labour shortage in villages and family separation.
7. Key facts at a glance
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| UNFCCC | Adopted at the Rio Earth Summit, 1992 |
| Kyoto Protocol | 1997 |
| Paris Agreement | 2015; keep warming well below 2°C, aim for 1.5°C |
| Nepal’s target | Net-zero emissions by 2045 |
| Local levels in Nepal | 753: 6 metropolitan, 11 sub-metropolitan, 276 municipalities, 460 rural municipalities |
8. Problems of urbanisation in Nepal
- Unplanned housing on farmland and riverbanks.
- Air pollution and traffic congestion in Kathmandu Valley.
- Poor waste management and drinking water shortages.
- Flood risk from encroached rivers.
9. How this topic is asked in the exam
Objective questions ask the years of climate agreements, Nepal’s climate targets and the number of local levels. Subjective questions ask about the effects of climate change or the problems of urbanisation, with solutions such as land-use planning.
📌 Key points to remember
- Ecosystem = living + non-living parts; producers, consumers, decomposers.
- Sustainable development: needs of today without harming future generations (Brundtland, 1987).
- 17 SDGs, adopted 2015, target year 2030.
- Paris Agreement 2015 (1.5–2°C); Kyoto Protocol 1997; Montreal Protocol 1987 (ozone).
- World Environment Day 5 June; Earth Day 22 April; Ozone Day 16 September; Biodiversity Day 22 May.
- EIA/IEE are done before big projects; 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
📝 Quiz
Test yourself: Ecology, Biodiversity, Sustainable Development, Climate Agreements, Urbanisation and Migration
50 questions on Ecology and ecosystem, Climate change agreements and Urbanisation, settlement and migration. Each attempt picks 25 at random.
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