Human Pressures on Other Species
Biodiversity
- Is defined as the number of different species that live in a particular area
- Human activities have tended to force biodiversity downwards, whereas, high biodiversity is needed for stable ecosystems
- Habitat destruction by humans is a major downward pressure on biodiversity
Reasons for Habitat Destruction
- The increasing human population on Earth is destroying many habitats from rainforests to woodland to marine
- Many habitats are destroyed by humans to make space for other economic activities, or by pollution from these activities, and this reduces the biodiversity of these areas
- This interrupts food chains and webs, meaning that more species may die because their prey is gone
- The main reasons for habitat destruction include:
Habitat Destruction Table
| Reason | Explanation |
| Clearing land for farming and housing |
Crops, livestock, and homes take up a lot of space As the population grows and the demand for food increases, the amount of land available for these things must be increased by clearing habitats such as forests (deforestation) |
| Extraction of natural resources |
Natural resources such as wood, stone, and metals must be collected to make different products Therefore, many trees are cut down, destroying forest habitats. In addition, some resource extraction takes up a large amount of space For example, mining, which means that the land must be cleared first |
| Marine pollution |
Human activities lead to the pollution of marine habitats In many places, oil spills and other waste pollute the oceans, killing sea life In addition, eutrophication can occur when fertilisers from intensively farmed fields enter waterways This causes a huge decrease in biodiversity in these areas, as most aquatic species living in these waterways die from lack of oxygen |
