ROLE OF MAN IN ECOLOGY

The man appeared late in the ma’s history, but was able to change the earth’s environment by its actions. Humans first appeared in Africa and they quickly spread throughout the world. Having unique mental and physical capabilities, humans were able to change the environment to meet their needs.

Early humans obviously lived in harmony with the environment but they began the first prehistoric agricultural revolution. The ability to control and use fire allowed them to modify or eliminate natural vegetation, and the domestication and herding of grazing animals resulted in overgrazing and soil erosion. The domestication of plants also led to the destruction of natural vegetation to make room for crops and the demand for wood, for fuel left bare mountain and exhausted forests. Wild animals were killed for food and destroyed as pests and predators.

While human population remained small and human technology modest, their impact on the environment was localized. As population increased and technology improved and expanded, however, more significant and widespread problems arose. Rapid technological advances after the Middle Ages culminated in the Industrial Revolution which involved the discovery, use and exploitation of fossil fuels as well as the extensive exploitation of the earth’s mineral resources. With the Industrial Revolution, humans began in earnest to change the face of the earth, the nature of its atmosphere, and the quality of its water. Today, unprecedented demands on the environment from a rapidly expanding human population and from advancing technology are causing a continuing and accelerating decline in the quality of the environment and its ability to sustain life.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 835