Land Cover Change Flashcards
Define Environment
The living and non-living elements of the earth’s atmosphere, including human change
Define Anthropogenic Biomes
Biomes that are the result of sustained direct human interaction with ecosystems
Ecosystem Dynamics
Sun - producers - herbivores & decomposers - carnivores - decomposers - store of nutrients - producers
Ecosystem Structure
Abiotic: climactic factors, inorganic substances, organic substances
Biotic: producers, consumers, decomposers
Biodiversity Loss
The loss of species, genetic and ecosystem diversity
Climate Change
The long-term change of global, regional, and/or local climate
Sustainability
Meeting the needs of current and future generations through simultaneous environmental, social, and economic adaptation and improvement
Characteristics of populated forests
located near agricultural lands, urban settlements with a high degree of biodiversity, includes parks etc
Land cover change within populated forests
Past and ongoing logging, introduced plants and animals affect/modify natural ecosystems
Characteristics of remote forests
far from large populations, still affected by human impacts
eg. forests in Northern Canada, Russia, the core of the Amazon
Land cover change within remote forests
Exploited and explored due to high biodiversity and resource potential
Australian Forests
Originally covered 55% of continent, reduced to 42%. extensively cleared since colonisation
Divisions of agricultural lands
croplands, rangelands
Characteristics of croplands
Irrigated and rain-fed farming systems; intensive populated and remote extensive cropping systems
Example of intensive populated croplands
SE Asia’s rice farming: village based, intensive, food production for local consumption
Example of remote extensive croplands
Extensive cropping in Wheat-Sheep belt - further away from urban centres
Ecosystem Services
the benefits people obtain from ecosystems - flood and disease control, food and water, cultural services, nutriet cycling
Define biodiversity
the variety of plant and animal life in the world/particular biome
Impacts of anthropogenic biomes on ecosystems
Reduced genetic diversity, increased carbon and reactive nitrogen emissions, removal of native foliage
Reactive nitrogen
Supports growth in/directly; causes smog, acid rain, biodiversity loss
Impact of world population growth on biomes
increased population leads to increased demands on resources - croplands increase, forests decrease, strained resources (water, electricity)
Population growth mitigation
Changing diets, producing food for 5 people per hectare - becoming more efficient, fish farming consumption will increase - 62% in 2030
Rangeland Modification
refers to the modification (fragmentation, degradation, conversion, improper management) of rangelands, affecting their sustainability
Example of rangeland modification
China - degradation begun in the late 60s; increased degradation by 15% each decade
Result of deforestation, over-grazing and cultivation
Effects of rangeland modification
lowered plant productivity & biodiversity, increased pest infestation, large scale dust storms
Expansion and Intensification of Agriculture
2/3 of Australian land use is for agriculture - area hasn’t grown for 10 years despite growing population; become more intensie
Methods of Intensification of agriculture
Improvements to technology and agricultural sciences;s using livestock/crops that thrive in conditions, GM crops
Effects of Expansion and Intensification of Agriculture
Exploitation and degradation of land, loss of natural habitats and biodiversity, soil degradation and erosion, depletion and pollution of natural resources
Definition of urban settlement
A densely populated area comprising of mostly man-made structures containing all of a society’s administrative, cultural, residential and religious functions
Example of Growing Urban Settlement
Sydney - 4.9 millioin by 2026, spreading 50-120km west of the CBD
Most growth occurring in East Asia - 200 million migrated from rural areas to cities (2001-2010)
Effects of Urbanisation
Increased demand for energy, infrastructure pressure, direct threat to biodiversity and biomass loss
Industry Growth
Classified as any form of industry experiencing higher-than-average growth rate, generally pioneer industries
By 2025 - new global consuming class, with majority of consumption occurring in developing nations
Example of Industry Growth
China - rapidly industrializing nation
Effects of Industry Growth
Air pollution (21% US GHG emissions), water and soil pollution due to poor waste disposal
Causes of Land and Soil Degradation
Decline in soil quality caused by improper use (agricultural, pastoral, industrial, urban purposes)
Deterioration in quality of land, its topsoil, vegetation, water resources, caused by excessive/inappropriate exploitation
Caused by overgrazing (35%), agricultural activities (28%), deforestation (30%),
Effects of Land and Soil Degradation
Affects 33% of earth’s surface; consequences for 2.6 billion people over 100 countries
Increased pollution, sedimentation in streams and rivers; clogging results in decline in fish etc, lands are less capable to hold onto water – worsen flooding
Examples of Land and Soil Degradation
Yield reduction in Africa due to soil erosion ranges from 2-40%; average loss of 8.2%
Land Drainage
The flow of the water from the land is made easier so agriculture can benefit from effects of reduced degree of water-logging, reduced present of soluble toxic substances
Consists of reshaped/reformed land surfaces – relatively flat lands with low/medium infiltration soil, lands with high-intensity rainfall
Effects of Land drainage
Results in soils remaining moist and plastic for prolonged periods – damage from tillage tools
Poorly drained land – crops form shallow rooting systems; during dry periods unable to receive enough water
Land Reclamation
Gaining land from sea, wetlands, other water bodies
0.5% total area of Japan is reclaimed
Irrigation
The artificial application of water to the land/soil – assists in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, revegetation of disturbed soils
1955-1975; 3% growth of irrigated areas – growth rate of irrigated areas is decreasing
Examples of Irrigation
India – major and minor canals from rivers, groundwater well-based systems, tanks etc
3 Gorges dam – Yangtze River, Sandouping – world’s largest power station
Effects of Irrigation
bringing dissolved salts to surface
3 Gorges Dam – biodiversity threatened due to flooding, water diversion; fragmentation leads to heavily biodiversity loss
Decrease in freshwater flow, increase in saltwater flow – threatens fish population
50% loss of sediment and nutrients downstream – erosion to river systems, wetlands, seacoast ecosystems
Implications of anthropogenic biomes to the functioning of ecosystems
ntensification of agricultural systems, specialisation, globalisation have reduced genetic diversity of plants and animals
Changes in land use - forestry, pasture, irrigated, built-up and ornamental
Increased carbon emissions and reactive carbon
Reactive carbon - support growth both indirectly and directly; causes smog, acid rain, biodiversity loss
Native foliage is removed for agricultural, urban development - decrease is natural, barren lands, increase in urbanised land
Urbanisation = increased GHG emissions, waste removal, population density
Low population density = higher biodiversity, natural plants, bacteria, animals, low carbon emissions; carbon is removed via photosynthesis
High population density = lower biodiversity, introduced species, carbon emissions increase from fossil fuels, transport, deforestation, reactive nitrogen levels rise due to fertilizers and as a by-product of fossil fuels
Factors affecting world population growth
Population growth increased lots after 1950 - industrial revolution
Higher growth in developing countries as children are required to work, educated women know about/have access to contraception
Increased population growth in urban areas in comparison to rural areas: jobs, urbanisation
Factors affecting Growing Affluence
Increased population growth in urban areas in comparison to rural areas: jobs, urbanisation
Less people available to farm - producing foods; farms are becoming larger, less families involved
Drastically change diets, shifting production areas for familiar crops,
Effects of world population growth, growing affluence, technological advancement and impact on the nature, rate and extent of land cover change
Urban sprawl; providing infrastructure (roads, hospitals, schools), bushland is removed - houses are built
As the population increases, cropland increases - forests decline
Temperature increases of >4C will endanger the ability of farm and ecosystems to adapt
Water cycles will be very different and less predictable - Changes in the intensity frequency and seasonality of precipitation, sea level rises and mental glaciers, changing in groundwater and river flows
As population grows, more food will have to be produced per hectare - 5 people per hectare
Global seafood consumption - 49% farm raised fish (current) vs 62% farm raised fish (2030)
