Human Alterations To Biomes

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ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPACTS OF
HUMAN
ALTERATIONS TO
BIOMES
INTRODUCTION
There are advantages and disadvantages to
human alterations of a biome.

Advantages to human alterations of a


biome
People depend on biomes for a variety of
purposes; they are considered advantageous
for different groups of people. It is a matter
of deciding whether the advantage of the
alteration outweighs the disadvantage to the
biome.
Advantages of altering a biome include:

❖ Drainage or clearing of vegetation supplies land for agriculture, housing and roads.

❖ Housing and transportation for communities and businesses are improved.

❖ Small-scale (intensive) farming provides food and supplies for families and communities.

❖ Large-scale (extensive) farming provides income for a region or country.

❖ Jobs are created for locals.

❖ The profits from selling natural resources (such as mineral deposits or raw
materials such as wood) can be used for infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.
DISADVANTAGES OF HUMAN
ALTERATIONS OF A BIOME
Unfortunately, for every benefit of a human alteration to
a biome, there is a cost. The disadvantages of altering a
biome include:
❖Land clearance or drainage to allow for the
construction of farms, roads and mines can cause
erosion and deforestation.

❖These are significant issues, as erosion degrades the


land, with soil being washed away into river systems
and potentially causing flooding.

❖Additionally, it can take many years for hardwood


trees to grow and replace those that have been
removed.
❖Roads can divide up a biome and cut
off essential parts of the ecosystem.
For example, in the rainforest biome,
roads can prevent animals travelling to
gather food and alter distribution of
seeds through the forest.

❖Profits from large-scale (extensive)


farming or the selling of natural
resources often go directly to large
companies and not to the local
communities.
HABITAT AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS
When land is drained or cleared there can be
major loss of habitat, and some animals and
plants become endangered or extinct.
Although species become endangered due to
various factors, habitat destruction is widely
considered the largest cause of biodiversity
loss around the world.
When humans make alterations to biomes in
order to convert wild areas into spaces for
agriculture, urban development, water projects
or forestry, the habitats of species that live
there can be severely damaged or even
eliminated.
One example of human alterations to biomes resulting in
habitat loss can be seen in New Zealand, which was 85%
covered by forests before human settlement, and now is
only 23% covered. After humans first arrived in New
Zealand, around 1000 years ago, large areas of forest
were destroyed by both naturally occurring fires and
human-made fires used to clear land or hunt for food.

It Is believed that early Maori settlers set fire to both


upland and lowland forests, which destroyed areas in the
drier eastern parts of both the North and South Island. By
1600 more than a third of the forest originally covering
New Zealand was gone; however, various habitats such as
coastal areas and wetlands remained mostly untouched
and unchanged. When European settlers began to arrive,
half of the remaining forest land was converted into
towns and farmland. The new settlers also introduced
plants and many new animals, some of which preyed on
or displaced the native wildlife.
Today in New Zealand, many rivers,
streams and lakes have also been
converted into dams, modified by
irrigation and drainage, or polluted
by urban areas and farms.
The consequences of these alterations
have meant that the continuous and
expansive area of ecosystems that
once covered New Zealand has been
replaced by more isolated habitats.
While most of the clearing of native
forest has now ended, the impacts of
human activities on native species are
still being felt.
DO NOW: BYOD TASK
1. Investigate habitat and biodiversity loss in both Australia and North America since
colonisation by Britain. Develop a chart indicating what percentage of both nations was
forest before British settlement, and what percentage is forest today.

2. Imagine you are at a local government meeting to discuss the drainage of a local
wetland in your area. Identify the different groups of people you might see at this
meeting and what their perspective would be on the advantages and disadvantages.

3. Investigate what the Australian Government is doing to manage the problem of


salinity. In your own words, explain how the Murray–Darling Basin Authority’s Basin Plan
aims to address the problem of salinity.
Do Last:
Refer to the worksheet provided, Drainage and Salinity, read through the
information and complete the activity questions as directed.

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