Human Activities Impacting Natural Habitats
There are numerous ways in which people can engage in activities that may affect the natural habitat in the areas of residence. Most of the time, while at home, I ensure the surroundings look good. Occasionally, I may have to cut down a few trees to clear the compound and do some landscaping. In the process, the natural habitat gets affected due to the interference with the life of organisms that consider the trees their home.
Another form of affecting the natural habitat could be through the light and noise from the house that can disrupt the natural behavior and migration patterns of some species. Finally, consuming some resources at home, such as energy, food, and water, can strain the local ecosystems due to the depletion of the resources consumed by species in their natural habitat.
Daily Resource Consumption and Waste Management
In everyday life, I use water to cook, clean, drink, and carry out various household activities such as gardening. I use energy and wood resources in the house, such as gas, electricity, heating, lighting, and furniture. There is the daily consumption of food resources at home at different intervals. While moving from one location to another, I use energy resources in transportation. I use paper resources at school, mainly derived from trees, for writing and sitting.
I reside in a neighborhood with designated bins where garbage from the house is deposited. The garbage collection service provider has provided different containers for different kinds of waste. The trash is collected regularly and loaded onto trucks that transport it to a landfill allocated for garbage collection and disposal within the city. Some garbage from the dump is used for recycling, and non-recyclable waste may be burned.
I regularly drive while moving around, and it is definite that while going, the car will need to be powered using energy that may be derived from fuel or gasoline. The vehicle may emit greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide, contributing to air pollution. Buying food can also contribute to the destruction of the environment through transportation to the local grocery store.
The food may have been planted using intensive agricultural practices, such as applying chemicals, which may adversely affect the environment (Zalisko et al., 2019). The chemicals can cause soil degradation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss. By providing a food market, agricultural practices can be extended to expansive farms, which can lead to deforestation and habitat loss. Packaging materials, particularly plastics, add to the problem of generating garbage that can have negative environmental impacts.
The activities destroy the natural environment due to agricultural expansion and urban activities, which include road construction to facilitate driving. These processes result in the displacement of species, loss of biodiversity, and interference with ecological processes. Zalisko et al. (2019) state that pollution is a significant risk factor that contributes to climate change and is principally caused by human actions centered on deforestation and burning fossil fuels. Pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change are the foremost drivers of biodiversity loss.
Reducing Environmental Impact Through Sustainable Practices
Despite the destruction caused to natural habitats by human beings, they can make efforts to ensure that biodiversity is conserved. Some basic approaches to reducing pollution include reducing the frequency of driving in preference for alternative transportation options such as cycling, walking, carpooling, ridesharing, or using public means of transport (Zalisko et al., 2019). Other options include using electric cars, hybrid vehicles, or fuel-efficient vehicles. Food packaging can be replaced with minimally packaged and eco-friendly packaging alternatives to reduce unnecessary garbage disposal. Local biodiversity can be supported by adopting sustainable practices, such as creating wildlife-friendly gardens and using renewable energy sources to minimize environmental impacts.
References
Zalisko, E.J., Simon, E.J., Dickey, J.L., & Reece, J.B. (2019). Campbell’s Essential Biology, Seventh Edition, and Campbell’s Essential Biology with Physiology, Sixth Edition. [PowerPoint slides]. Pearson Education, Inc.