This essay will discuss the issue on increased pressure being placed up on ecosystems which is resulting 'in a significant loss of biodiversity'.

by jsnazeer (student)

Juhie Nazeer 'Ecosystems are coming under more pressure now than at any other time during Earth's History resulting in a significant loss of biodiversity'

(W137787321)

The term Ecosystem is used to describe a 'community of' organisms that 'live, feed reproduce and interact in the same environment' (what is an ecosystem). The term Biodiversity on the hand describes the number of living organisms found "in a given area" (B.Bush, 1997, p. 21). A large number of ecosystems are now under more pressure than at any other point in the Earth's history. Major causes of this all leads to human influence on the environment. A number of human activities have increased global warming and climate change and are affecting many ecosystems across the world (The Capture and Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide). One of the main reasons of Global Warming is due to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas (B.Bush, 1997, p. 320). The burning of these fossil fuels result in the release of a number of pollutants, such as Carbon dioxide, methane and ozone which increases 'global temperatures' (B.Bush, 1997, p. 320). A number of data were collected between a given period of time which indicates an increase in global temperatures (Unravelling misconceptions of climate change).

As a result of human activities a number of ecosystems are coming under threat. Past events in the Earth's history are also the reasons as to why a number of species are now under more pressure than ever before. Pressure groups such as Green Peace and Friends of the Earth are all looking into environmental issues surrounding not only nature but also the organisms within these habitats. An example of a past event which till today is affecting many both within and in the surrounding areas is the issue of the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea was once the fourth largest inland sea which started to shrink since the 1960s (The Aral Sea). During the 1960s the 'Soviet Union diverted' the water from two main rivers, which lead to the Aral sea, to 'grow cotton in the desert' (Welsh, 2000). However the Aral started to shrink as a result of this and it began to dry up. Many 'fisheries and the communities that depended on them collapsed' (Shrinking Aral Sea, 2012). Both the people of the surrounding villages and the creatures that lived within Aral sea were affected by this. A number of fishes died as a result and people living in the surrounding villages developed cancers, tuberculosis and other illnesses. Although there are plans made to restore the Aral Sea it is a long and difficult process which is very expensive, and reminds people that when trying to improve human activities there must be no threat to the environment (Forestier-Walker, 2012).

Yet another example of ecosystems being under threat would be the Cerrado which is one of the most biodiverse regions. There had been deforestation of an area of over 14 000 km2 per year 'between 2002 and 2008' (Ecosystems and Wild life under threat). A large number of 60 'animal species' and nearly 300 plant species can be found in the Cerrado most of which are endangered due to deforestation and farming.

Coral reefs are well known ecosystems that are endangered. These are habitats to a number marine species and are full of biodiversity. Coral reefs ...

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Coral reefs are well known ecosystems that are endangered. These are habitats to a number marine species and are full of biodiversity. Coral reefs and 'freshwater organisms' are now under threat due to the unethical methods of fishing such as the use of cyanide and dynamite (The World's Most Endangered Ecosystems: Coral Reefs, 2010). These techniques break down the 'extensive food web' that corals depend on by producing water pollution and disrupting the life cycle and nutrient cycles of this ecosystem (The World's Most Endangered Ecosystems: Coral Reefs, 2010). Due to this large areas of 'reefs can be destroyed' and disruption in life cycles and nutrient cycles is caused (The World's Most Endangered Ecosystems: Coral Reefs, 2010).

Greenpeace UK are carrying out a protest into a more recent issue which is to 'save the Arctic....from oil drilling' (Save the Arctic). Oil companies such as Shell have planned to drill for oil in the Arctic even though there are chances of oil spills as the one that occurred in the gulf of Mexico. Oil spills can kill many species and disrupt food chains, the oil spill in the gulf of Mexico had a huge impact on not only the biodiversity but also the businesses and the livelihoods of the local people as well. The Arctic is a 'breathtaking landscape' home to many species which will suffer the consequences of human activity (McKenna, 2013). Already due to global warming a number of glaciers are melting endangering certain land species, however oil drilling could cause a larger number of species to become endangered.

Around the globe there are a number of industries which are producing pollution in many ways. Some textile industries in China were found to have been releasing toxic waste in to nearby rivers (Albert, 2011). These are 'hazardous' chemicals with 'hormone-disrupting properties' (Dirty Laundry, 2011) that have been discharged into marine ecosystems affecting not only marine life but also people living in the surrounding area. These industries in China work in corporation with brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Converse, H&M, Lacoste, Nike and Puma (Dirty Laundry, 2011). Already the worst water polluted country in the world is China with about 70% of its waters being polluted by a number of different water pollutants 20% of which are produced by Chinese industries (Dirty Laundry ). According to studies into Chinese water pollution found species of fishes that had consumed 'hormone-disrupting pollutants' (Dirty Laundry), which in turn could affect other species connected to the food chain, including humans.

Overall, a large number of human activities affect many ecosystems and the biodiversity within them. These are only some of the many ecosystems and species that are under threat due to human activities such as oil drilling, discharging toxic wastes into marine life systems, over fishing and methods of fishing and many more. Although work is being done by governments and pressure groups to help protect the environment less is being done by the public in order to help the situation. However now, due to better and improved technology and scientific research, there are chances of recovering damaged ecosystems and protecting those that are now under threat. Already some projects are taking place in order to recover damaged ecosystems such as the Aral Sea.

Bibliography

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