Land Use (AQA GCSE Biology: Combined Science)

• The increasing human population of the planet means an increasing amount of land is required for activities such as building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste
• This is causing the destruction of many habitats, such as rainforests and woodlands
• This reduces the biodiversity of these areas and interrupts food chains and webs, meaning that more species may die because their prey is gone
• The main reasons for habitat destruction include:

Increasing human land use table

• Bogs are areas of land that are waterlogged and acidic – plants living in bogs do not decay fully when they die due to a lack of oxygen
• The partly decomposed plant matter accumulates over very long periods of time and forms peat
• The carbon that would have been released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (if the plants had been able to fully decompose) is instead stored in the peat
• Peat bogs are also important habitats for many species (eg. migrating birds)

Why they are being destroyed

• Peat bogs are drained so that the area can be used for farming
• Peat can be dried and used as a fuel
• Peat can be used to produce compost for gardens or farms to increase food production

Negative impacts

• Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when peat is burned as a fuel – this contributes to global warming
• Similarly to fossil fuels, peat bogs take so long to form that peat is effectively a non-renewable energy source
• The available peat bog habitat area for many species of animals, plants and microorganism is decreasing, reducing biodiversity
• Peat bogs are being destroyed faster than they can form – they are being used unsustainably