Efficient farming can damage the environment in a number of ways, but we are becoming aware of some of the problems we have caused. Maybe we can do better in the future?
Mankind is responsible for damaging many habitats. Sometimes the removal of key species is important, and at other times the accidental or intentional introduction of species is to blame. Often deforestation, pollution and agricultural practices cause serious problems.
Removal of Key Species
Trapping tropical fish for the aquarium trade can seriously damage Coral Reefs, and shell collecting (for example of the Giant Triton) can add to the problem in unexpected ways. (The Giant Triton eats the Crown of Thorns Starfish which destroys coral – removal of the Triton allows these starfish to reproduce unchecked.)
Deforestation and Agricultural Practices
Clearing land for agricultural use can destroy important habitats in one go. (Deforestation is an extreme example of this.) Less obvious ways of damaging the environment include the removal of hedgerows to create the large fields needed for efficient Monoculture.
Pollution
On land the inappropriate use of pesticides and herbicides can damage useful insects directly, and many pollinators (including bees) are put at risk in this way. In freshwater the effects of industrial waste and runoff from farmland can make stretches of rivers and streams impassable by migratory fish. In other cases ‘thermal pollution’ might be equally destructive (see Allis Shad).
Introduced Species
There is a long list of invertebrate species that are causing problems. (See Killer Bees, Asian Hornets in France, The Harlequin Ladybird, Louisiana Crayfish and Earthworms for examples of the kind of damage these introduced species can do). In a very few cases we become aware of a potential risk before these creatures become a nuisance – as with Stick Insects, where it is possible to suggest steps that can be taken to avoid unwitting release into the wild (in this case by effectively sterilising waste from their cages before throwing it away).
Migratory Species
There are sometimes small areas of natural habitat which are essential for species that migrate annually (such as the Monarch Butterflies). Here it is the precise geographical location of the ‘resource’ that is important. Long-distance travelling requires resting and re-fuelling places along the route, and since these migration routes are coded in the genes they cannot change rapidly.
Hopeful Signs
We are now aware of some of the problems we are causing in the natural world, and this means that we are a little closer to limiting the damage that we do. Lobbying by an informed public can affect legislation, so it is important that people are made aware of what is going on in the world of small beasties (and large for that matter!). (See Human Effects and Biological Problems for more details).
Other articles by John Blatchford
