Human Impacts
There are four essential questions....
1. What have humans done to the area and how does it relate to the economy?
Direct human pressures on the ecosystem include urbanization, pollution, and habitat encroachment, expansion of large-scale agriculture, strip mining and oil extraction, road construction, logging, and an increasing use of off-road vehicles. Foreign species have been introduced, cattle owned by humans overgraze on the land, and the natural fire patterns have been disrupted.
2. What can people do to preserve the area?
This biome is disappearing due to human urbanization and their need for more and more space.
Along with this intrusion into the shrublands also comes foreign animal and plant species, competing for the same space and resources as native ones. Human intentions to prevent fires in the chaparral do more harm than good, either destroying precious habitats by
There are four essential questions....
1. What have humans done to the area and how does it relate to the economy?
Direct human pressures on the ecosystem include urbanization, pollution, and habitat encroachment, expansion of large-scale agriculture, strip mining and oil extraction, road construction, logging, and an increasing use of off-road vehicles. Foreign species have been introduced, cattle owned by humans overgraze on the land, and the natural fire patterns have been disrupted.
As an example, CalFire is clearing precious habitat land to try and prevent the wildfires in California. Other organizations are trying to prevent wildfires other ways, resulting, however, in a overabundance of shrubbery and undergrowth in places. But this means that if there is ever a fire in that place, the danger of it getting out of control has been elevated. Human intentions to prevent fires in the chaparral do more harm than good, either destroying precious habitats by clearing land, or leaving an overabundance of plant growth even more prone to fires.
Many of these actions are beneficial for certain groups aiming to improve their own economic standing; however, they are not giving the natural environment its due attention. For example, studies of historical fire data has shown that not only have fire suppression activities failed to exclude fire from southern California chaparral, but the number of fires actually increase. Clearing land for urbanization projects and agriculture robs native species of their habitats, leaving them with nowhere else to go. Humans trying to better the economy is essentially robbing chaparral species of their home and means for living.
Many of these actions are beneficial for certain groups aiming to improve their own economic standing; however, they are not giving the natural environment its due attention. For example, studies of historical fire data has shown that not only have fire suppression activities failed to exclude fire from southern California chaparral, but the number of fires actually increase. Clearing land for urbanization projects and agriculture robs native species of their habitats, leaving them with nowhere else to go. Humans trying to better the economy is essentially robbing chaparral species of their home and means for living.
2. What can people do to preserve the area?
This biome is disappearing due to human urbanization and their need for more and more space.
Along with this intrusion into the shrublands also comes foreign animal and plant species, competing for the same space and resources as native ones. Human intentions to prevent fires in the chaparral do more harm than good, either destroying precious habitats by
clearing land, or leaving an overabundance of plant growth even more prone to fires. Educate yourself about this little known region. People can stop developing into this region and stop introducing foreign species. Another way to preserve this area is to make some places into national parks, similar to how wetlands in Florida were made into the Everglades.
3. How is climate change affecting this area?
Studies have concluded that climate change could lead to an increase in the annual area burned by California wildfires and also the number of potentially catastrophic fires, even with the deployment of fire suppression resources at the highest current levels. Climate changes could cause an increase in both the cost of fire suppression and economic losses due to wildfires.
4. How does pollution affect the area?
One type of pollution in the chaparral is pesticide drift. Pesticide drift is basically airborne pesticides drifting away from where it was intended. Pesticide drift can affect everyone, because of the negative effects on health
and the environment. Gases or particles rise into the air and end up miles away from its source because of winds, resulting in widespread air pollution. Pesticide drift is especially a problem in California, simply because of how much is used here- around 200 million pounds worth annually. More than 90% of pesticides used in California (sprays, dusts, or gaseous fumigants) are prone to drift, and once they do, they can drift for weeks.
Pollution resulting in too much nitrogen can also do harm to the area. Researchers have concluded that higher levels of nitrogen led to a decline in shrub seedlings native to the area, whereas there was an increase in nonnative grass species. On this same note, other studies in Australia and California have demonstrated the
link between grasses foreign to the area, known to some as "flashy fuels", and more frequent, larger wildfires.
3. How is climate change affecting this area?
Studies have concluded that climate change could lead to an increase in the annual area burned by California wildfires and also the number of potentially catastrophic fires, even with the deployment of fire suppression resources at the highest current levels. Climate changes could cause an increase in both the cost of fire suppression and economic losses due to wildfires.
4. How does pollution affect the area?
One type of pollution in the chaparral is pesticide drift. Pesticide drift is basically airborne pesticides drifting away from where it was intended. Pesticide drift can affect everyone, because of the negative effects on health
and the environment. Gases or particles rise into the air and end up miles away from its source because of winds, resulting in widespread air pollution. Pesticide drift is especially a problem in California, simply because of how much is used here- around 200 million pounds worth annually. More than 90% of pesticides used in California (sprays, dusts, or gaseous fumigants) are prone to drift, and once they do, they can drift for weeks.
Pollution resulting in too much nitrogen can also do harm to the area. Researchers have concluded that higher levels of nitrogen led to a decline in shrub seedlings native to the area, whereas there was an increase in nonnative grass species. On this same note, other studies in Australia and California have demonstrated the
link between grasses foreign to the area, known to some as "flashy fuels", and more frequent, larger wildfires.