Transcript Human Impacts - WordPress.com

HUMAN IMPACTS
1. Deforestation
■ What is deforestation?
– Clearing forests to create farms, Logging operations,
urban sprawl
■ At what rate do you think deforestation is occurring?
– Each year, it is estimated that 18million acres of
forest are destroyed (the size of panama).
■ What do you think is being lost with the loss of these
forests?
■ Link:
2. Habitat Fragmentation
■ What is Habitat Fragmentation?
– Occurs when habitats become
split up into fragments due to
land development (into homes,
roads, etc).
■ What are some issues/concerns
of Fragmentation?
■ Link:
3. Overfishing
■ What is overfishing?
– Fishing so much that the fish cannot sustain their
population. The fish get fewer and fewer, until finally
there are none to catch.
■ How much of the oceans are being overfished?
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52% of fish stocks are fully exploited
20% are moderately exploited
17% are overexploited
7% are depleted
1% are recovering from depletion
4. Pollution (air, land pollution)
■ What are the most common sources of pollution?
– Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, or soil
contamination from chemicals, sewage, waste
■ What are some ways to reduce air and land pollution?
5. Biomagnification (water pollution)
■ What is Biomagnification?
– Is the increased concentration of chemicals in
tissues of organisms as you move up the food
chain due to the pollution of water.
■ What’s at stake?
6. Invasive Species
■ What is an Invasive Species?
– An organism that is not
from a specific area originally
■ Why are invasive species dangerous?
– They tend to spread at a much higher rate due to
lack of predators, often damaging the ecosystem
balance, human health, and the environment.
 Link:
7. Global warming/
greenhouse gases
■ What is Global worming?
– An increase in the earth’s average surface
temperature due to rising levels of greenhouse
gases, CO2, pollutants that trap heat.
■ What are some impacts?
– Heat waves, droughts, heavier rainfall, powerful
hurricanes/tropical storms, melting glaciers,
rising sea levels, damaged crops, habitat
destruction (coral reefs), etc.
8. Urban Sprawl
■ What is Urban Sprawl?
– Describes the expansion of human
populations away from cities into less
dense area.
■ What are the effects on the environment?
– Displacement of wildlife that live in these lands.
This can cause a ripple effect in the environment.
9. Genetically modified crops
■ What are GMCs?
– GMCs are plants used in farming that have had their DNA
modified using genetic engineering techniques, introducing a
new trait that did not exist before.
■ What are some Cons?
– Allergic reactions, decrease antibiotic efficacy, some not safe to
eat, not natural, unusual taste
■ What are some Pros?
– Insect resistant, stronger crops, larger production, less
pesticides, higher yield/cheaper
10. Overhunting, poaching
for wildlife products
■ What is overhunting?
– Hunting wildlife for food, recreation or
trade while causing damage to a
population.
■ What are the effects of overhunting?
– Will cause a decline in the species population,
which can then affect other species around it.
Can lead to extinction.