Human Impact on the Planet Biodiversity - Coursework Example

Human Impact on the Planet Biodiversity Introduction Biodiversity is important in human life as it provides sources of food, medicine and a source of raw materials for industries. Biodiversity, also, forms the bulk of the source of revenue for most countries globally through acts of tourism. In light of this it is evident that biodiversity is utilized widely by human beings as a mode of survival on planet earth. However, with the advances in technology as well as the need for man to improve himself and future generations, biodiversity has been and is being utilized in an unsustainable manner. For instance, the growing population numbers globally have resulted in overuse of biodiversity at rates that do not allow for natural replenishment. The high population has exerted intense pressure on the capacity of the earth to support the population, hence leading to loss of habitats as a way of clearing land for settlement and development. Moreover, these activities have contributed to adverse effects such as climate change and global warming. On the contrary, all is not lost; there is the application of sustainable development practices in all facets of advancement that has improved the quality of biodiversity on planet earth. This is discussed in detail in the discussion that follows. Human Population Growth The rise in human population levels is a key factor that influences the activities on the human planet. Overpopulation implies that there are a larger number of individuals than there are resources to address their issues. All the ecological issues we confront today can be followed back to the increment in populace on the planet. The human populace stands at 6 billion; with a yearly worldwide development rate of 1.8%, three more individuals are added to the earth consistently. The increase in population calls for an increment in food production and the need to improve in economic output. Moreover, the population explosion is one of the major driving forces of urbanization, globalization, and industrialization. Much as all these advances in technology are beneficial to the human populace; they have been employed to extremely unsustainable levels that have led to the current instability experienced on the human planet. A high population is indicative of a strong demand for housing, food, and other social amenities. The discouraging fact is that much as the population is increasing, the quantities of natural resources on the human planet are not increasing. Instead, they are being utilized at unsustainable levels since the rate of consumption exceeds the natural capability for resource replenishment. Tracts of indigenous forests have been cleared to create space for housing and to provide land for agriculture (Groisman, & Gutman, 2013). The result is the extinction of natural biodiversity and the destruction of natural habitats; consequently leading to human-wildlife conflicts that have ended drastically in injuries and at times deaths. Moreover, the worlds carbon sinks are deteriorating which contributes to increased rates of global warming and climate change. The diversion of water courses to avail land for settlement, agriculture, and other industrial uses has also contributed to the recent incidents of flooding and the destruction of marine and aquatic environments. There are solutions to prevent the uncontrollable rise in the population. For, instance, some governments have introduced government legislations such as the one-child policy (e.g. China) as a way of controlling a rise in the population. Family planning methods have been introduced in most countries as a way of keeping the population in check. This has been effective in curbing population explosions. Habitat Loss The rise in international trade agreements in recent decades has prompted an increment in worldwide transit of merchandise. While globalization itself is not specifically impeding to nature, certain parts of expanded transportation (especially maritime delivery activity) have set a strain on characteristic frameworks by encouraging the migration of species to new environments. The result is the introduction of toxins into amphibian biological communities, and modifying and devastating waterfront territories. However, the best effect of globalization has been the acquaintance of fascinating species with local environments. This has regularly happened through the arrival of balance waters from boats. Boats take up water in their weight from their purpose of root for adjustment as they cross the seas and discharge it when they touch base at their port of destination (Groisman & Gutman, 2013). This counterbalance water may contain numerous plants and creatures from different locales of the world. Some of these creatures survive the intersection and multiply in their new found habitats. Moreover, they may be to a high degree pose some danger to the local untamed life because they do not share common predators. For instance, samples of exotic species touched base in the St. Lawrence stream along these lines include the zebra mussel and the sharp water bug. The issue of extraordinary species is examined in more prominent detail in the ‘Presentation of colorful species’ segment. Additionally, expanded transport movement additionally means expanded probabilities of unplanned spills of substances that present a danger to amphibian untamed life, for example, raw petroleum and the expanded arrival of fills to oceanic environments. Humans destroy the habitat through over-extraction/overexploitation and misuse of natural resources. This is being done at a rate at which the biodiversity cannot replenish itself. After habitat loss, over-reaping has had the worst impact on biodiversity (Groisman, & Gutman, 2013). Over- collecting and habitat loss frequently happen at the same time, as the expulsion of an organic entity from its surroundings can have irreversible effects on the earth itself. The impact on biodiversity is seen by the inability of the natural resources to replenish. Most plant and animal species have been faced out entirely and are not available for reproduction; hence posterity is compromised. People have openly misused biodiversity to augment transient benefit, to the detriment of manageability of the species or populace. Initially, species reaped from the wild can turn a considerable interest, urging more individuals to get involved in their extraction. This expanded competition empowers the advancement of more advanced and proficient strategies for extraction, which inexorably exhaust the asset (David, Wardle, & Olle Zackrisson, 2005). In the long run, quantity frameworks are connected, prompting more competition, diminished income and the requirement for legislations to guide the extraction business. This scenario has been observed in the fishing and marine environments (it is presently happening), the logging business, and the nibbling of cattle on open grounds. The advanced methods of natural resource exploitation drive the population to increase to levels that are unmanageable and at drastic levels it leads to the global extinction of the world’s natural resources. The issue with biodiversity overuse is the point at which the rate of increment in the demand for the resource far overwhelms the regenerative rate of the populace. The demand surpasses supply and drives the value of an asset higher; expanding the motivation to extract the resource. Eventually, this contributes to the degeneration of the resource populace (David, Wardle, & Olle Zackrisson, 2005). Such a destiny has occurred for whales, elephants, spotted felines, cod, old-development woodlands, ginseng, parrots, fish and traveler pigeons, just to give some examples. Natural surroundings obliteration is a colossal issue in the marine environment. Environments are crushed in various ways, such as damaging fishing activities through the introduction of alien species into oceans and aquatic environments. The use of fishing nets indiscriminately destroys marine life and also promotes imbalance in the natural habitats. Diversion of sea waters as a means of clearing land for development also leads to loss of habitat as well as the destruction of marine life (Joseph & David, 2005). Additionally, the contamination of land through land pollution destroys natural flora and fauna as well as destroys the esthetic value of the earth. Moreover, contamination of seaside waters pollutes the ocean with lethal substances, for example, modern chemicals, pesticides, and engine oil. All these are by-products of development. The use of animal habitats for experiments as well as invading natural habitats to carry out experiments has also resulted in the introduction of deadly diseases. Some of these diseases, such as Ebola, have wiped out populations (Peter, Andrew & Hyatt, 2000). Environment protection for wild species is a standout amongst the essential issues confronting the earth today — both in the sea and ashore. As human populaces build, demands for the land use increase, and wild species have fewer spaces to call home (David, Wardle & Olle Zackrisson, 2005). More than 50% of Earths physical surface has been adjusted because of human movement, bringing about radical deforestation, disintegration and loss of topsoil, biodiversity misfortune, and annihilation. Species cannot survive outside their familiar territory without human intercession, for example, the natural surroundings found in a zoo or aquarium. Saving living spaces is crucial to protecting biodiversity (Hooper, Chapin III, Ewel, Hector and Inchausti, 2005). Transient species are especially helpless against living space annihilation because they have a tendency to occupy more than one standard environment. This makes the need to not just protect the two natural surroundings for transient species, additionally their transitory course. Modifying characteristic natural surroundings even somewhat can bring about a domino impact that damages the whole environment. In an attempt to prevent habitat loss, world governments should invest generously in conservation programs that, for instance, use in-situ and ex-situ modes of conservation as ways of preserving biodiversity for posterity. Evacuation of all people that have settled in biodiversity environments is another way to curb habitat loss. Grassroots efforts should be made to seclude the biodiversity habitat locales for conservation and preservation (Groisman & Gutman, 2013). Sustainable development practices should be practiced daily as a way of correcting the downward trend in biodiversity degradation. Another solution to curbing habitat loss lies in establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs include asylums, fisheries management ranges, state preservation regions, and untamed life shelters built up to protect imperiled species. MPAs can help to restore the wellbeing of marine biological communities in zones endangered by natural surroundings and species misfortune. The development of biodiversity locales (Game Reserves) would also contribute to the substantial conservation of flora and fauna. Game reserves give a higher level of biological system assurance by preventing fishing in certain zones, mineral extraction, and other biodiversity altering processes. Climate Change Human practices are changing the climate system by increasing the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. As the rate of deforestation increases, carbon sinks are destroyed globally and hence the rate of carbon sequestration is reduced significantly. This implies that the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere at a rate at which they cannot be removed from the atmosphere (Farmer, 2014). The result is the formation of a blanket around the environment that leads to the accumulation of heat in the atmosphere, hence a subsequent increase in the global temperatures. Further, the rates of industrialization have resulted in increased numbers of automobiles release a lot of carbon monoxide and sulfur oxide gases into the atmosphere. On the other hand, industries use coal as a source of energy that emits tons of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere leading to changes in the climate. Climate change affects biodiversity by destroying the natural conditions of mating and fertilization. Extreme high or low temperatures that are as a result of climate change and global warming have led to the forced migration of animal species in search of environmental conditions that can favor mating (Casper, 2009). The high temperatures have resulted in changed seasons that often impede plant growth and the subsequent growth of plants and animals. Disease strains have also changed which has impacted biodiversity negatively as they are no longer resistant to the native disease strains. Increased cases of floods due to changing seasons have resulted in the destruction of natural habitats. Emission of poisonous gases into the atmosphere, such as sulfur and nitrous oxides, has affected the hydrological cycle. This is evidenced in the formation of acid rain that is detrimental to both plant and animal life (Cuff & Goudie, 2009). When this acid rain falls on vegetation, it leads to plants and natural flora drying up. Moreover, when acid rain flows into water bodies such as lakes, seas and oceans, marine and aquatic life is destroyed; animals that drink the contaminated water die. When this water infiltrates the soil, it contributes to soil acidification that destroys the soils natural micro-organisms; hence, rendering a soil infertile and it cannot support plant growth. A solution to climate change can be realized by encouraging the use of environmental friendly energy. Energy sources such as biogas and the use of green fuels (Jatropha Corcus oil and Croton Mengalocarpus oil) are god examples here (Groisman & Gutman, 2013). The use of scrubbers can also alleviate climate change since they reduce the harmful impacts of these poisonous gases by producing a less harmful product. Further, climate change can be arrested by increasing the number of trees through afforestation and reforestation. If at all farming has to take place, practicing agroforestry as a means of sustainable development will increase carbon sequestration as well as reduce the harmful effects of climate change and global warming. Conclusion It is imperative that development goes hand in hand with biodiversity conservation. From the discussion, it is evident that all the environmental problems on the human planet concerning biodiversity destruction stem from unsustainable development practices. Thus, local, regional and global governments have united in developing sustainable development practices in tandem with the achievement of Millennium Development Goals. The governments are doing this with a particular emphasis on environmental protection in all facets of development. Moreover, there has been the enactment of treaties and agreements globally that champion for the protection of diversity. Thus, the human populace should be educated on the importance of preserving biodiversity. When all is said and done, all of us have an active role to play in protecting biodiversity as we are the stewards of nature. References Casper, J. K. (2009). Climate systems: Interactive forces of global warming. New York: Facts on File. Cuff, D. J., & Goudie, A. (2009). The Oxford companion to global change. New York: Oxford University Press. David, A. & Olle Zackrisson, W. (2005). Effects of species and functional group loss on island ecosystem properties. Nature 435, 806-810. 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