Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction refers to the degradation of natural landscapes to a point where they can no longer support their native species, posing a significant threat to global biodiversity and leading to species extinctions. Most habitat loss in the twenty-first century is occurring in developing nations, driven by factors such as overpopulation and poverty, which necessitate the conversion of forests into agricultural land. This transformation often involves practices like deforestation, draining wetlands, and mining, which directly impact ecosystems. While altering land for human purposes has been a part of civilization's development, modern practices often result in monocultural agriculture that diminishes biodiversity. Habitat destruction also contributes to increased disease transmission as wildlife is pushed closer to human populations, exemplified by the zoonotic origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts to mitigate habitat loss include promoting sustainable agricultural practices, utilizing new technologies, and restoring native habitats, particularly in urban areas. Understanding and addressing the complex interplay of human needs and ecological health is crucial for fostering sustainable solutions to habitat destruction.
Subject Terms
Habitat destruction
DEFINITION: Degradation of a natural landscape so that it becomes functionally incapable of supporting its native species
The destruction of habitat represents a pressing threat to global biodiversity, as habitat loss leads to species extinctions. In the twenty-first century, most habitat destruction is occurring in developing nations, where overpopulation and poverty contribute to the need to convert forestland to agriculture.
Habitat destruction occurs when human beings remove or significantly alter the land or aquatic communities in which other animal species dwell. Certainly, habitat destruction is not always a negative practice; human civilization was built on the practice of altering land for human purposes, such as the burning of forests for pasture, logging for construction materials, the draining of marshland for development, and mining for resource extraction. In the twenty-first century, however, the density of the human on the earth, combined with modern industrial technology, has resulted in human alteration of the natural landscape to greatly exceed the ability to render land productive for other human needs. Also, the most biodiverse ecoregions of the world, such as tropical rain forests and coral reefs, have seen rapid increases in habitat destruction. The size of tropical forests significantly reduced from two hundred years ago. Large swaths of coral reefs have been destroyed or have been severely degraded.
Habitat destruction is most often caused by expansion of agriculture. Planting crops or raising livestock requires wide expanses of bare soil or grassy plains. When suitable land is unavailable naturally, many land types can be converted to agricultural uses. Wetlands can be drained, forests can be logged, and deserts can be irrigated. Although the productivity of such converted land may be relatively high, biodiversity and ecosystem functionality drop sharply. Modern agriculture is often monocultural, or devoted to a single type of crop. Agriculture production can occur without topographical complexity as crops are grown for either sale or consumption. Species of native plants can be significantly reduced.
Other causes of habitat destruction include mining, ocean trawling, oil prospecting, urban sprawl, and infrastructure development. These practices directly destroy ecosystems, but other practices indirectly degrade surrounding ecosystems. Desertification is caused by overgrazing of livestock and excessive extraction of groundwater, which render the land unusable, usually affecting communities that already live in resource-impoverished landscapes. Deforestation on a small scale can cause ecosystem collapse by dividing a forest into fragments, rendering the land unfit to support animals with large ranges and plants with wide dispersal needs. Coral degradation is rarely caused by direct destruction; rather, coral is negatively affected by increased water temperature and changes in water chemistry resulting from climate change and industrial pollution.
Depending on terrain characteristics and climate patterns, landscapes naturally acquire ecosystem types that are functional to their locations. When humans alter these land types for unnatural purposes, the consequences can be deleterious. Modern examples include the levy system in New Orleans, which replaced an extensive natural wetland buffer; when Hurricane Katrina impacted the city in 2005, the levy system failed and the city was flooded. The devastation that resulted when Haiti was struck by a massive earthquake in 2010 was magnified by its high rate of deforestation, and the resulting soil erosion now characteristic of the country. Maintaining functional natural landscapes is increasingly seen as a priority, and restoration efforts are being developed to restore native habitat types even in urban areas.
Developing Countries
Since the mid-twentieth century, a significant amount of the world’s habitat destruction has taken place in developing countries, as developed countries have already exhausted their most accessible resources and altered much of their land for development.
The main factors contributing to land alteration in the developing world are poverty, overpopulation, lack of sustainable technology, and adherence to cultural practices. For example, many communities in the developing world frequently cook with charcoal, as electricity and natural gas are in short supply. Charcoal is acquired through the burning of forestland, and the results are mass deforestation and air pollution. New technologies that do not require large monetary investments, such as solar ovens and permaculture techniques, are increasingly being offered as solutions to poor communities that rely on habitat destruction to survive.
Many farmers in the developing world are wary of foreign technology and are unwilling to risk the failure of a crop to adopt a new technology, even if it could result in increased production. Because of this wariness, education is needed to help farmers ease into the use of new technologies that can benefit them, and the environment, in the long term. For ecological conservation to be sustainable, it must be beneficial for both the farmers and the environment.
Other Impacts
The main factors contributing to land alteration in the developing world are poverty, overpopulation, lack of sustainable technology, and adherence to cultural practices. For example, many communities in the developing world frequently cook with charcoal, as electricity and natural gas are in short supply. Charcoal is acquired through the burning of forestland, and the results are mass deforestation and air pollution. New technologies that do not require large monetary investments, such as solar ovens and permaculture techniques, are increasingly being offered as solutions to poor communities that rely on habitat destruction to survive.
Many farmers in the developing world are wary of foreign technology and are unwilling to risk the failure of a crop to adopt a new technology, even if it could result in increased production. Because of this wariness, education is needed to help farmers ease into the use of new technologies that can benefit them, and the environment, in the long term. For ecological conservation to be sustainable, it must be beneficial for both the farmers and the environment.
Other negative impacts of habitat destruction are now becoming apparent. One of these is a greater onset of diseases stemming from closer living proximity of human beings to wildlife. As natural animal habitats are eliminated, animals relocate to new ones that can be co-located with human activity. Species such as bats are especially prevalent in the spread of disease to other animals, such as horses, which can have close interactions with humans. The COVID-19 pandemic, which caused global disruptions beginning in 2019, is believed to have been zoonotic. This means the virus would have existed first in animals before transferring to humans.
Habitat destruction is not confined to only the terrestrial parts of Earth but extends to its marine environment. By the 2020s, large percentages of the coastal rivers and bays in the United States were now subjected to runoff which degrades oxygen levels and water quality. This in turn has impacted nesting grounds for fish. In other parts of the world, warming temperatures caused by carbon emissions have led to increased acidification of oceans, which is causing a demise in the health of coral reefs.
Future Solutions
The ability of humans to alter the land for their own gain is one of the main reasons humans have been able to expand over the planet and live in nearly every climate. Since the dawn of large civilizations, humans have increasingly acquired the means to reap more and more from the environment, sometimes altering it so severely that they have eradicated whole communities of species. Mass extinctions occurred in prehistoric times during the early years of humanity, but the species that died off at that time were mostly those targeted for food. In contrast, in modern times entire ecosystems are destroyed for resources and agriculture, and this can only have increasingly negative effects on both the natural world and human habitations.
In order to measure the direct importance for humans of many landscapes, scientists have defined the ecosystem services provided by the landscapes. These services, such as erosion prevention, storm buffering, soil productivity, and wildfire prevention, are often given monetary equivalents to introduce them into a system of economics.
Other approaches to reducing habitat destruction include the use of modern techniques to increase agricultural productivity that can reduce the need to clear more land for farming. Planting native species, creating tree-shaded spaces, and increasing topographical heterogeneity on agricultural land can increase biodiversity without having a large impact on production. In addition, the incorporation of natural areas around cities to buffer weather, prevent erosion, and safeguard watersheds may save much money in repairs and provide protection against disasters.
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