Effects of Land Use Changes. Land use changes occur constantly and at many scales, and can have specific and cumulative effects on air and water quality, watershed function, generation of waste, extent and quality of wildlife habitat, climate, and human health .
Why is land use change important?
Land use change is necessary and essential for economic development and social progress . Land use change, however, does not come without costs (see Table 1). Conversion of farmland and forests to urban development reduces the amount of lands available for food and timber production.
How land use change affects climate?
Climate change involves global warming, precipitation, natural disasters like floods, storms, and droughts [11, 12]. Land-use impacts climate through deforestation and rapid population growth, whereas climate change impacts land use through unpredictable heavy rainfall and increasing temperature .
What are the two main factors that cause land use change?
Population pressure, demand for fuel wood and construction material, agricultural expansion and policy and tenure insecurity were the major driving forces behind the land use/cover change.
Why is land use change bad?
Detrimental changes in land cover and land use are the leading contributors to terrestrial biodiversity loss . These changes generally occur slowly, but they are associated with declines in species diversity and populations, and can have a major impact on ecosystems.
What is the change in land use over time?
The major pattern of land cover change over the last three centuries has been deforestation and agricultural expansion. However, changes in land use practices such as agricultural land management, fire suppression, and urbanization have also been significant drivers of global change.
What is an example of land use change?
4. What is land use change? Land use change simply refers to the conversion of a piece of land’s use by humans, from one purpose to another. For example, land may be converted from cropland to grassland , or from wild land (e.g. tropical forests) to human-specific land uses (e.g. palm oil plantations).
What is land cover change?
Land cover change is defined as the loss of natural areas , particularly loss of forests to urban or exurban development, or the loss of agricultural areas to urban or exurban development. From: Anthropocene, 2018.
What are the major threats to the environment because of the land use change?
Mining and climate change are also major causes. In India, the main reason for desertification is loss of soil cover, mainly due to rainfall and surface runoff. It is responsible for 10.98 per cent of desertification in the country. Water erosion and wind erosion are the two other main reasons in India.
How is air affected by climate change?
Climate change might also affect human health by making our air less healthy to breathe. Higher temperatures lead to an increase in allergens and harmful air pollutants . ... Higher temperatures associated with climate change can also lead to an increase in ozone, a harmful air pollutant.
What causes land changes?
The Earth’s surface is constantly changing through forces in nature. The daily processes of precipitation, wind and land movement result in changes to landforms over a long period of time. Driving forces include erosion, volcanoes and earthquakes. People also contribute to changes in the appearance of land.
What causes land system change?
Land system change may originate from the increasing demands for land-based products , or from competition for land resources, not only to produce food but also to provide materials and feedstock for the bio-based economy, for nature conservation, urban development and recreational facilities [10•, 11, 12, 13, 14].
What are the human activities responsible for land use change?
Human activities also contribute to land degradation through deforestation, removal of natural vegetation, and urban sprawl that lead to land use/cover changes; unsustainable agricultural land use management practices, such as use and abuse of fertilizer, pesticide, and heavy machinery; and overgrazing, improper crop ...
How have humans changed the land cover of the earth?
Explanation: Most of the land under human control is used for the purpose of agriculture, animal grazing and urbanisation (development of road,cities,buildings etc.) ... Humans have also modified the existing plant cover by moving certain number of species from there original habitat to other parts of the world .
What factors determine land use of an area?
Answer Expert Verified
The use of land is determined by physical factors such as topography, soil, climate, minerals and availability of water . Human factors such as population density, available of capital and technology are also important determinants of land use pattern.
What are the 7 types of land use?
... categorized land use into seven types: residential area, institutional area, industrial area, road greenbelt, roadside, park, and forest .
