i) Environment - This term encompasses all external conditions, both living and non-living, that affect an organism throughout its life. Douglas and Holland describe the environment as the sum total of all external forces that influence the behavior, growth, and nature of living organisms.

ii) Organisms - Any form of life is referred to as an organism. It is a living entity characterized by an organized structure, the ability to react to stimuli, reproduction, growth, and adaptation. This includes animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria on Earth.

iii) Population - A specific group of individuals of the same species occupying a particular area at a given time form a population. For example, human beings living in a city form a population.

iv) Ecosystems - A community made up of various species interacting with each other and with the chemical or physical elements that make up their non-living environment is called an ecosystem.

v) Ecological resources - These are natural resources that provide the necessary system maintenance functions required by living organisms to sustain themselves within an ecosystem.

vi) Economic resources - These include natural resources, capital goods, and labor used in an economy to produce material goods and services.

b) Outline the objectives of environmental management:

- Identifying and addressing environmental issues and challenges.

- Establishing environmental regulations and guidelines.

- Building institutions that effectively support environmental research, monitoring, and management.

- Identifying threats and opportunities for conservation.

- Improving the quality of life.

- Identifying new technologies and methodologies that are beneficial.

c) Describe any forest management practices that contribute to environmental degradation:

- Logging, where the removal of trees exposes soil to significant erosive forces.

- Livestock grazing, leading to overgrazing, weakening stream banks, and contaminating water supplies with fecal matter.

- Road construction and maintenance, which results in increased erosion and interference with the flow of water over and through the ground.

d) Propose three strategies you would adopt as a teacher to protect the school environment from degradation:

- Planting trees - Buying tree seedlings and engaging staff and students to plant and water them around the school.

- Starting environmental clubs - Encouraging students passionate about the environment to start clubs within which they reduce, reuse, and recycle waste within the school, while educating members about environmental conservation.

- Composting - Encouraging the school to collect food waste after meals for composting, enriching the soil and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

e) Explain the environmental effects of extracting and using mineral resources:

- The land above underground mines can collapse; causing houses to tilt, sewer lines to crack, and gas mains to break. The flow of groundwater systems is also interrupted.

- Water seeping through the mine or mine wastes could become contaminated with harmful chemicals, which may cause health issues in people and animals that consume the contaminated water.

The process of harvesting and transferring resources consumes a significant amount of energy, which contributes to environmental problems like acid rain and global warming. These issues have huge implications for our planet and the livelihoods of its inhabitants.

Human settlements around the world face numerous environmental challenges that can affect their wellbeing. Some of these challenges include overcrowding and urban decay in urban areas due to a high influx of people from rural areas in search of better livelihoods. There is also a lack of proper services and infrastructure in both rural and urban settlements, particularly in the areas of clean water supply and sanitation. Environmental degradation caused by rampant waste disposal from individuals and industries, as well as air, noise, and soil pollution, is another concern.

As populations continue to grow, there is an increasing need for shelter and basic amenities that many people can't afford, resulting in substandard housing projects. Rapid urbanization and migration further exacerbate this issue. Human settlement areas also face the risk of losing their cultural heritage as more people interact, resulting in erosion of individual cultures and a move towards a common one.

These environmental problems have a significant impact on the social, economic, and environmental aspects of human settlements, with deteriorating living conditions and accompanying health effects. By better understanding and addressing these challenges, we can work towards ensuring sustainable and healthy human settlements.

References:

Robertson, D. P., & Hull, R. B. (2003). Public ecology: environmental science and policy for a global society. Environmental Science & Policy, 6(5), 399-410.

Cunningham, W. P., & Saigo, B. W. (1999). Environmental science (p. 640). McGraw-Hill.

Peters, D. P., Groffman, P. M., Nadelhoffer, K. J., Grimm, N. B., Collins, S. L., Michener, W. K., & Huston, M. A. (2008). Living in an increasingly connected world: A framework for continental-scale environmental science. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 6(5), 229-237.