Human Impact on Environment, Conservation, Biodiversity

1
Human Impact on Environment, Conservation,
Biodiversity
2
Human Impact..
3
All Species Impact Environment

• Understanding how humans interact with the
  biosphere is CRUCIAL to protecting natural
  resources.
• Humans impact the environment more than any other
  species!!

4
Overview

• 6 Main Ways of Impact
• Hunting
• Agriculture
• Industry
• Urban Development
• Waste Production
• Energy Use

5
Industry

• Industrial Revolution mid 1800s
• Economy, Conveniences and Productivity advances
• More stuff ? more waste
• Increase use of Tools, Technology, Science
• Use of Fossil Fuels release CO2 ? Greenhouse
  Effect
• Chemical and waste by-products of manufacturing

6
Urban Development

• Physical Changing of Ecosystems
• Soil, Flora and Fauna ? Concrete
• Suburban Sprawl Commuters to Urban Areas
• Increases Drive time to work air pollution
• Decreases
• Biodiversity
• Oxygen Production
• Increases
• Water Run Off, pollution, heat, habitat problems
• (Destruction, Degradation and Fragmentation)

7
Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

• What is it?
• CO2 Keeps heat radiation in - blanket
• Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas,
  responsible for 60 of global warming
• http//www.epa.gov/globalwarming/kids/greenhouse.h
  tml

8
Air pollution

• breathing problems ? irritation of membranes
• burning of fossil fuels is the biggest source
• (smog)
• Ozone layer is being broken down by CFCs
  (carbofluorocarbons) found in refrigerators and
  air conditioners as coolants this allows
  radiation to reach earth, causing genetic defects
  and cancer

9
Figure 54.27a Erosion of Earths ozone shield
The ozone hole over the Antarctic
10
Biotic and Abiotic Issues of Fragmentation

• -dfn breaking up a habitat into unconnected
  patches
• -some organisms need large areas to gather food
• Ex. Lions
• Ex. Zebra
• -no migratory routes to re-establish populations
  lost due to natural disasters
• -climate change

11
So what do we do????

• Carefully use both renewable and nonrenewable
  resources sustainable use
• dfn way of using natural resources at a rate
  that does not deplete them.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle, replant

12
Find out more

• Air water U.S. EPA
• Plants Animals U.S.D.A. Forest Service, NOAA,
  NRCS