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CS#2 Human Impact On Ecosystems

The human activities of deforestation and conversion of land for development have significantly impacted tropical rainforests like the Amazon Rainforest. Over the past 50 years, about 17% of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed, reducing biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides. Deforestation increases greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for 8% of the world's annual carbon dioxide emissions. It also disrupts the water cycle, making soils dry out and become barren through a process known as desertification. These impacts are damaging to the environment and threaten many plant and animal species.

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John Andrae Manglo
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161 views1 page

CS#2 Human Impact On Ecosystems

The human activities of deforestation and conversion of land for development have significantly impacted tropical rainforests like the Amazon Rainforest. Over the past 50 years, about 17% of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed, reducing biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides. Deforestation increases greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for 8% of the world's annual carbon dioxide emissions. It also disrupts the water cycle, making soils dry out and become barren through a process known as desertification. These impacts are damaging to the environment and threaten many plant and animal species.

Uploaded by

John Andrae Manglo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

CASE STUDY NO. 2: HUMAN IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS

Name:

Manglo, John Andrae B.

Select a type of ecosystem. Discuss how humans can impact this type of ecosystem.

The Human Impact to Tropical Rainforest

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in terms of size and diversity comprising the 10% of
world’s diversity and 15% of its freshwater. This made Amazon Rainforest to be considered as “lungs of the world”
which provides ecological services to our planet and offers natural sources to indigenous people that depend to
the ecosystem for their needs and livelihood. We cannot deny the fact the major destruction of the tropical
rainforests is mainly caused by the human activities. Deforestation has been widely practiced all over the world,
converting the forest to subdivision, plantations, factories, roads and highways, and power plants. According to
National Geographic, about 17 percent of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed over the past 50 years,
and losses recently have been on the rise. Aside from that, statistics from World bank states that the world lost
502,000 square miles (1.3 million square kilometers) of forest between 1990 to 2016. About 30 percent of the
world is still covered by rainforest but sadly Forests are disappearing at an enormous rate.

About 65 % of the amazon is part of Brazil, the government having the rights to exploit the rainforest to boost the
economy of the country by logging, conversion to roads, palm oil industry, mining and etc., the environmentalist
urge the government to conserve the rainforest and reduce the wide range of commercial developments as it
reaching the point where the damage done are irreversible by our time. One of these major damages we can’t
reverse is the loss of animal and plant species. Deforestation has immensely increased greenhouse gasses
emission worsening the Climate Change we are experiencing right now by increased likelihood of natural disasters
and change of weather patterns. Tropical forest depletion currently accounts for 8 percent of the world 's annual
carbon dioxide emissions, according to Global Forest Watch data. Meaning, if tropical deforestation were to be
considered a country, it would be the world's third-biggest emitter – ranked just below the United States and
China. Another problem chained from deforestation is water cycle disruption. The water that was  normally
collect, store and release into the environment is no longer present when large numbers of trees are cut down.
Thus, cleared forests that once had moist and fertile soil become dry and barren due to no rain. This type of
conversion is termed desertification.   Such dry conditions can lead to an increased risk of fire on the peatland and
considerable loss of life for the animals and plants.

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