If a university is a planet, does it have enough resources for its inhabitants? The case of the ecological footprint and biocapacity of Central Mindanao University
Paper Details
If a university is a planet, does it have enough resources for its inhabitants? The case of the ecological footprint and biocapacity of Central Mindanao University
Abstract
This study was done to determine the ability of the landholdings of Central Mindanao University in providing for the needs of its populace (students, faculty, and staff). Biocapacity was used to measure how much land is available for the demand of the CMU populace to provide for its needs. Using land area data of the different land uses in CMU as well as calculation values from the Global Footprint Network, the biocapacity of CMU was computed. It was found out that CMU’s biocapacity is equivalent to 6,928.61 ghas which can be used to allocate 0.693 ghas for every member of the CMU populace. Based on ecological footprint calculation of the CMU populace from previous studies, it is revealed that although CMU lands won’t be enough for the lifestyle of the whole populace, it can be able to sustain its food requirements from agricultural crops. Furthermore, changes in some aspects of the ecological footprint of the populace (reduced consumption of animal based food, lessened dependence on wood, cutting down carbon footprint, etc.) and conversion of some crop lands and grazing lands into forest lands can lead to the sustainability of CMU in terms of independently and continuously providing for the resource needs of its inhabitants.
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Michael Arieh P. Medina (2022), If a university is a planet, does it have enough resources for its inhabitants? The case of the ecological footprint and biocapacity of Central Mindanao University; JBES, V21, N3, September, P11-17
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