How Humans Influence Ecosystem Wetlands are special ecosystems high biodiversity filter many impurities out of the water that slowly flows through them sometimes called the “kidneys” of the Earth their water-logged soil hold large amounts of water, which can help prevent flooding Up to 70% of the wetlands in the lower Fraser Valley have been lost Up to 85% of the wetlands in the South Okanagan have been lost. Land use is how humans use land around us for urban development, agriculture industry, mining and forestry Resource use refers to the ways we obtain and use naturally occurring materials (BC -sulfur/coal/lumber) Land and Resource Use has been the cause many BC wetlands to disappear

Habitat Encroachment Two Terms: Habitat loss refers to loss of habitats due to human activities. Habitat fragmentation is the splitting of large habitats into many smaller ones, resulting in disrupted natural activities for plants and animals.

Agriculture can remove entire ecosystems and leaves the area exposed to wind/water (erosion, affecting healthy topsoil) agricultural usually only plants 1 species (monoculture) This reduces biodiversity, and leaves the crop vulnerable to pests or disease Polycultures, of many plant species, are more economically and biologically diverse (sustainable) the soil compaction happens due to farm animals and vehicle With no room for water to enter the soil it then runs off and increased erosion can occur Aeration = remove small plugs of soil Addition of farm fertilizers and pesticides to the area has adverse effects on the ecosystem

Deforestation the clearing or logging of forests such that the land is never reclaimed or replanted Leading to soil degradation, where wind and water erode topsoil and leave bare unfertile land

Resource Exploitation Humans depend on resource exploitation for jobs, materials, food, shelter and energy Resource collecting can lead to habitat loss, soil degradation and contamination of water supplies Overexploitation is the extraction of resources until they are gone This can result in extinction, such as with the passenger pigeon Many mining and resource exploitations require reclamation efforts reduces environmental impacts of exploitation, and tries to restore the original (or at least functional) habitats

Sustainability Two ways: The ability for an ecosystem to sustain ecological processes - continued biodiversity and healthy ecosystem People using an ecosystem to meet their needs today without reducing the function or health of the ecosystem in the future Example: Returning young coho salmon to rivers near Port Alice can help maintain sustainability With sustainability can bring: Economic opportunity biodiversity healthy ecosystem