Notes+on+ecological+footprint

toc =2.3 Human Niches & Population=


 * Niche** – a unique position that an organism has in an ecosystem

Human Niche

 * humans don’t…
 * run fast like a cheetah on __open plains__
 * swim well like a dolphin __in water__
 * have poison like a cobra __to catch prey__
 * humans have a big brain that allows us to…
 * construct our own niche
 * learn and develop new survival strategies

Sustainable Use
Use of a resource that does not affect availability of resource to future generations or destroy biodiversity
 * humans must use the available resources wisely
 * if we don't extinction of humans and/or other species is real possibility
 * unsustainable use means there's a smaller niche for humans to use
 * e.g. in many parts of the world farmland has been turned into desert because of over-exploitation

Carrying Capacity
How many organisms an ecosystem can support
 * humans have increased Earth’s carrying capacity for humans through technology
 * allowed world human population to double many times since 1800
 * Now have 6.7 billion humans (1.33 billion China, 1.15 billion India, 0.03 billion Canada)

Ecological Footprint
How many resources each person uses or damage caused Can be measured in a variety of ways, including…
 * how much water used to grow food (e.g. beef = 20 000 L/kg, 1500 L/kg, wheat = 700 L/kg)
 * how much land use
 * how much carbon released to atmosphere