Our planet’s tapestry of ecosystems isn’t static, and regional ecologies undergo constant change. But in recent times, the pace of these transformations has accelerated, driven by a complex interplay of natural and human-induced factors. From the relentless march of climate change to the ever-expanding web of human impact, these influences reshape landscapes, disrupt established food chains, and alter the balance of life’s delicate dance. But these ecological shifts aren’t isolated ripples in the pond; they cascade outwards, impacting the very wellspring of human health. Understanding the intricate web of causes and consequences – how deforestation fuels floods, rising temperatures spawn new disease vectors, and polluted air poisons our lungs – is crucial, for within that knowledge lies the power to safeguard both the ecological tapestry and the human threads woven into its fabric. This exploration delves into the multifaceted drivers of regional ecological change and their cascading impacts on human health, urging us to listen to the whispers of the environment and weave a future where our own well-being is inextricably linked to the vitality of the ecosystems that sustain us.
Answer
In nature everything is in some kind of balance. This balance is possible because nature works in a negative feedback loop. Increasing anthropogenic activities have caused significant global ecosystem disturbances on various scales.
Factors affecting Regional Ecological Changes->
Deforestation due to agriculture, urban development ,mining activity , infrastructure development.
- Intensive agriculture and mono cropping- due to increasing food productivity demand, profitable aspect, and human behavior
- Modification of natural bio geo cycle due to excessive pollution in air water.
- Destruction of natural hydrology by making dams, barrages, diverting river channels.
- Introduction of invasive alien species. etc
Effects of these Activity Shown in many ecological changes
- Compromising primary trophic level– in both terrestrial and marine affecting other organism.
- Habitat Loss- According to IUCN Habitat loss is the main threat for almost 85% of IUCN red listed.It effects in unnecessary animal-animal conflict and man animal conflict, resource scarcity etc. Eg:Mining activity in Dalma hills in Jharkhand forces elephants to stray in human habitats resulting in the deaths of human and domesticated animals, the destruction of agricultural produce in the Singhbhum dist of Jharkhand and the western dist of West Bengal.
- Simplification of Food Webeg-Introduction of invasive species like Common carp results in reducing other animals and plants in the lake ecosystem.
- Elimination of HIghest Order Predator(Keystone Species)– This results in uncontrolled growth of lower-order organisms and ecological imbalances. eg: Loss of keystone species like Sea Otter in the Northern Sea leads to the non-existence of kelp forests in that region.
- Disruption of Ecological Niche – Species extinction, Species interaction changes, Loss of Ecosystem Services.
- Extinction of Foundation Species – Eg:Warming of Tasmanian Sea and Marine heat of on that region 95% of East Tasmanian Kelp forest(Marine Foundation Species) destroyed in last 2-3 decades —results in extinction many organisms like Sea Urchin from tasmanian Sea.
Impact of ecological changes on Human Health:
With the ongoing population increases, rapid urbanization, changing consumption pattern effects of these changes are very serious in human health.
A. Ecosystem Services Impacted which further impact the Human Health:
- Provisioning Service:
- Reduces Food availability impacted Food Security , malnutrition etc
- IPCC Report – Global Food Production reduced by 2% in every decade due to drought and deforestation.
- Regulatory:
- The scarcity of water is a major contribution of waterborne diseases like cholera Dysentery and polluted water results affecting crop quality.
- Supporting:
➔ Impacted Soil formation and Fertility- results in hunger, food security, and malnutrition.
➔ Loss of Culture
➔ Due to displacement-mental health affected- mostly the tribal people- a sense of alienation, and discrimination happens.
➔ About 15 million people are displaced every year. In India only the last 75 years more than 80 million people displaced and more than 50% of them went through severe poverty, malnutrition, mental health issue like alienation, etc.
B. Impact of Vector Borne Disease:
- Due to Habitat loss, disease-carrying animals are more in human contact- resulting in new virus disease outbreaks like Ebola Zika, covid 19, Saars, Maars, etc – which turned into epidemics and pandemics.
- In India – Early summer and erratic monsoons in Gangetic plains, Kerala, manifests severe health issues including a dengue outbreak in eastern India and Bangladesh and NIpah Outbreak in Kerala.
C. Global Warming, Extreme climate events like heat waves, cyclones etc increase the chances of food insecurity, people displacement, diseases, will be increased more.
As the climate change and anthropogenic activity in the environment increase, these ecological changes tend to get permanency- resulting in ecological imbalances. Addressing regional ecosystem changes and its impact required interdisciplinary efforts including ecologist,public health expert, policy maker and communities to develop strategies for migration, adaptation and sustainable resource management.
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