Human activities often effect whole ecosystem With great advancements in the medical field, modern farming techniques

and better infrastructure, the worlds population has grown to over 6 billion today

The rapid destruction of woodlands / the removal of trees from forest is known as deforestation Every year, vast areas of forests are cleared to make way for agriculture and development

Despite their importance, it has been estimated that more than 50 million acres of rainforests are destroyed / seriously degraded every year

CAUSES SOIL EROSION, LANDSLIDES

CAUSES FLASH FLOODS

IMPROPER DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNIG

THE ABSENCE OF PLANT ROOT SYSTEM

SOIL EROSION

THE TOP LAYER OF THE SOIL SCRUMBLES

WHEN HEAVY RAINS FOR A LONG PERIOD

LEADS TO
LANDSLIDES

THE ERODED SOIL IS THEN CARRIED BY MOVING WATER

FLASH FLOODS

DEPOSITED AT THE BOTTOM

OF RIVERS

RESULTS IN THE LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

The destruction of millions of hectares of forest by human activities means: the removal of bases of numerous food webs the loss of habitats of flora and fauna the extinction of countless sp. and varieties of plants and animals

DISRUPTS THE CARBON & NITROGEN CYCLES

THE
REMOVAL OF PLANTS
THE RECYCLING OF NITRATES & OTHER IONS SLOWS DOWN

DISRUPTS THE NUTRIENTS CYCLES

LEVEL OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2 RISES

LEVEL OF ATMOSPHERIC O2 DROPS

CAUSES CLIMATIC CHANGES

deforestation disrupts the normal weather patterns, creating hotter, drier weather and causing climatic changes the removal of trees reduces transpiration, rainfall and the rate at which plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis

this lead to increase in the level CO2 in the atmosphere. High level of CO2 prevent heat from escaping from the atmosphere. This is known as the greenhouse effect which is believed to lead to global warming

forest clearing and burning of wood result in air pollution and release more CO2 into the atmosphere Burning of trees in the tropics adds about 25% more CO2 to the atmosphere

The burning of fossil fuels adds about 75% of to the atmosphere An increase in level is associated with the greenhouse effect and global warming

Excessive use of land for intensive farming decreases the space and resources available for other species In intensive farming, farmers often use inorganic fertilizers, which contain nitrates, phosphates and potassium ions, to improve crop yields

Since nitrate and ammonium ions are highly soluble, they do not remain in the soil for long and are quickly leached into the surrounding rivers and lakes This leads to eutrophication. Eutrophication is discussed later in the section on water polllution

An increase in human population generates an increase in both domestic and industrial waste The dumping waste in landfills poses a great danger to living organisms as toxic substances and other pollutants from the dumpsites leak into the ground and eventually pollute the nearby water sources