Natural environment

Million of termites built this termite city. However, termites are not people, so this city is a natural environment.

Natural environment means all living and non-living things that are natural. The universe is natural, but often the term "natural environment" only means nature on Earth.

Two aspects are usually included::

• Ecological units which are natural systems without much human interference. These include all vegetation, microorganisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere, and natural events.
• Universal natural resources and physical phenomena which lack clear-cut boundaries. These include climate, air, water, energy, radiation, electric charge, and magnetism.

In contrast to the natural environment is the built environment. There, man has changed landscapes to make urban settings and agricultural land. A simpler human environment largely replaces the complex natural environment.

Etymology

The roots of Natural Environment can be simply defined. 'Natural' can be classified

• EEA multilingual environmental glossary
• EU Environment Directorate-General
• Rehbar Development Foundation — Development Foundation/Organization working on Environment, Education and Health