Tropical+Grassland+Human+Impacts

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Farming/Urban Development The biggest impact that humans have on grasslands is by developing open areas for farming or urban development. Land development drives animals away from populated areas and changes the conditions of the environment. (I1) Farming: Urbanization: (I2)
 * Grazing reduces the competitiveness of grass
 * Affect the development of the fuel load
 * Shift away from shifting cultivation caused the decline in soil fertility
 * Soil exhaustion and erosion
 * Carrying capacity being reached
 * Small farmers have to shift to support larger populations
 * Farmers shift to crops that can tolerate soil with low fertility
 * May abandon land to find more fertile areas
 * May not be able to find anymore fertile land
 * “Farming Systems of the African Savanna: A Continent in Crisis” by Andrew Ker
 * Population is starting to reach or exceed carrying capacity in certain Tropical savannas
 * Deficit of food
 * Drought in many African savannas
 * Malnutrition and poverty
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">“Farming Systems of the African Savanna: A Continent in Crisis” by Andrew Ker

<span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">GLOBAL WARMING
<span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">As the Earth’s climate changes in response to human involvement, the grasslands become vulnerable. Climate change causes ecological succession, in which the ecosystem of an area develops into another (I1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #434343; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Hunting to Extinction <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Hunting presents a serious impact on grassland biomes. Poachers likewise kill rhinoceroses for their tusks, and elephants for their ivory in Africa savannas without any regard to protection of the species. (I1) <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #434343; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Controlling the environment Humans affect the Savanna by trying to control it. They stop fires that would naturally clear out the land, keep out animals that should be there and remove plants and trees which grow there. (I4) Positive Effects <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Some positive impacts that humans have had on the savanna is, humans are starting to develop more and more preserves and wildlife parks, that are protecting animals from hunters and giving them natural space which are being destroyed by tourism and urban developments. (I5) <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Greenhouse effect
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Released through the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of vegetation
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Climate change <span style="background-image: url(">(I3)
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Ecological, social, economic impacts
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Very vulnerable to the negative effects
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Rising sea level
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Large impact on storms caused by the climate change
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Floodplains subject to extreme amounts of change due to saltwater intrusion
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Fires and flood makes ecosystems vulnerable to “exotic” species
 * <span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Changes in CO2 throw off balance between the flora and fauna

<span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">(I1)

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