HUMAN INFLUENCES
How are the species impacted?
All species on this planet are affected by Global Warming and the effects of industrialization and oil and gas exploration. With climate change, this is creating a challenge to all species in the Arctic. The region is fragile and the plant and animal species are all negatively impacted. It takes millions of years to adapt to environment. With the sudden changes through global warming because of human activity, the species of the Arctic are not adapting.
Species in the Arctic are also impacted by the oil industries and human interaction. The hunt for fossil fuel is particularly damaging to the Arctic as it is difficult to both work and make pipelines safe because of the permafrost. The Native people of the North have complained that the caribou herds are getting smaller and their land and water sources are contaminated. Without clean water and land for vegetation to grow naturally, it is a major threat to the entire Arctic ecosystem.
In recent years, the development of industry in the Arctic has seen an increase in humans and various activities in the region. As with all ecosystems, this interference negatively impacts this fragile ecosystem.
What economic interests and industries create major impacts in the regions?
By far, the oil and gas industry has the highest impact in the Arctic.
Other impacts include: Hunting, over-fishing and pollution. In some parts of the world, there is development of housing and nuclear plants (Russia).
What conservation efforts are being made to protect some of these regions/biomes (name some organizations that are working to protect your biome or parts of your biome)?
Positive and negative impacts of human activity on the Arctic Tundra.
Positive Impacts of Human Activity on the Arctic Tundra
Negative Impacts of Human Activity on the Arctic Tundra
According to the website Parliament of Canada, the three main negative impacts of human activity on the Arctic Tundra are:
climate change
changes in biological diversity
the use of toxic substances.
All species on this planet are affected by Global Warming and the effects of industrialization and oil and gas exploration. With climate change, this is creating a challenge to all species in the Arctic. The region is fragile and the plant and animal species are all negatively impacted. It takes millions of years to adapt to environment. With the sudden changes through global warming because of human activity, the species of the Arctic are not adapting.
Species in the Arctic are also impacted by the oil industries and human interaction. The hunt for fossil fuel is particularly damaging to the Arctic as it is difficult to both work and make pipelines safe because of the permafrost. The Native people of the North have complained that the caribou herds are getting smaller and their land and water sources are contaminated. Without clean water and land for vegetation to grow naturally, it is a major threat to the entire Arctic ecosystem.
In recent years, the development of industry in the Arctic has seen an increase in humans and various activities in the region. As with all ecosystems, this interference negatively impacts this fragile ecosystem.
What economic interests and industries create major impacts in the regions?
By far, the oil and gas industry has the highest impact in the Arctic.
Other impacts include: Hunting, over-fishing and pollution. In some parts of the world, there is development of housing and nuclear plants (Russia).
What conservation efforts are being made to protect some of these regions/biomes (name some organizations that are working to protect your biome or parts of your biome)?
- The Arctic Council is a "high level intergovernmental forum that works to promote the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development in the Arctic region". The council is made up of interests on behalf of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States. For more information on this group, click here
- The World Wildlife Fund is also actively trying to protect the North. For more information, click here
- Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme "is an international organization established in 1991 to implement components of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy". The website is available here
- The PEW Environmental group has a campaign called Ocean's North. "It promotes science and community-based conservation of North America’s Arctic Ocean" For a link to the campaign, click here
Positive and negative impacts of human activity on the Arctic Tundra.
Positive Impacts of Human Activity on the Arctic Tundra
- This region has provided economic wealth in terms of oil and gas which has continued to grow jobs and industry in the region
- There has been more learned about the Arctic and its biodiversity in recent years. It has created an awareness of the world about its biodiversity and its fragile nature. In fact, when I did a search, all of the information was on environmental protection and sustainability of the North.
Negative Impacts of Human Activity on the Arctic Tundra
According to the website Parliament of Canada, the three main negative impacts of human activity on the Arctic Tundra are:
climate change
changes in biological diversity
the use of toxic substances.