Many scientists consider humans as the most invasive species, as humans can greatly change an environment and impact living things that reside there. Are we being stewards of the world? Take a look at an issue in which human intervention has positively or negatively affected the biodiversity of our ecosystems.
Steward means someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else. Are we being stewards of the world? Before I get into that question, let’s first talk about how scientists consider us humans as the most invasive species.
Humans- The Invasive Species
A species becomes invasive if it becomes some sort of pest or disrupts the local ecology. An invasive species can endanger the survival of other species through competition for shelter, food, etc. It could also change the environment to suit their own needs and make it become less suitable for native species.
(The picture shows an invasive species in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a Japanese vine called Kudzu. It is said to grow out of control with no natural predators. The Kudzu can grow up to 30 centimeters a day. This plant covers other plants, though which no sunlight can penetrate. It can take over road signs, fences, houses, etc. )
Humans are in fact the most invasive species of the world because we disrupt the environment and endanger the survival of other species. We make life more suitable for our own needs by building buildings, houses, malls, and so on that take up land of other species. For example, the area of Pacific Mall and Market Village used to be a land for growing crops such as corn. This land has been reduced by the building of the malls. You can still find crops along Steeles (Past Steeles and Markham Road, in the area of Pickering) but it is much less since 1990 (that was when Market Village was built.) What used to live in these crop fields are now gone with the destruction of their home.
Human Impacts on Water
Humans have greatly changed the environment and have impacted living things residing there. Water is the most important thing needed for survival. It is something we humans are polluting thus affecting the life of every living species. The earth is covered with two thirds of water. Our human body consists of 60% of water. It is clear that water is the prime element for survival. Water now on earth is far from being pure, containing many deadly chemicals. It not only has chemicals but also bacteria, viruses, and inorganic minerals. This mixture with water becomes a chemical cocktail unsuitable for any species to consume.Let’s take a look at Lake Ontario. The lake is currently heavily polluted with various chemicals, fertilizers, and untreated sewage water. Take a look at this video clip broadcasted on June 24, 1959. (Pretty old video clip, right?)
The video explains how runoff from meat packaging plants in the Humber River flowed into Lake Ontario. The waters of the lake were declared polluted and signs said “swim at your own risk”. As you can see, Lake Ontario was dying. Humans were causing damage to Lake Ontario and the life of species in the water. However, through human intervention of sewage disposal plants and water treatments, the lake has recovered. It is said that walleye, a fish that indicates clean water are found in Lake Ontario.Humans are causing huge negative impacts on the environment, from pollution to deforestation. We are creating three forms of impacts on the environment; physical (e.g. destruction of habitats), chemical (e.g. manmade substances released to the environment), and biological (affects of species). Humans are the invasive species that endanger the lives of other species. But there are human interventions that help the environment and the destruction caused by ourselves.
Are We Being Stewards of the World?
In my opinion we are stewards of the world, some are helping the environment and some are just destroying it to suit their own needs. We are creators seeking to make the goods of earth available. We are also destroyers, eliminating something to fulfill a goal.
From sewage waste to water treatment or deforestation to tree planting, there are positive and negative effects to the environment. We are trying to balance out the current destruction and create but we cannot really balance out the negative actions from the past. Humans in the past did not look much into the future but now we know what will happen at the current situation.
Sources:
http://www.great-lakes.net/humanhealth/lake/ontario.html
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-do-humans-affect-the-environment.html
http://www.abheritage.ca/abnature/environmental/humans_enviro.htm
http://archives.cbc.ca/environment/pollution/topics/1390/
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/kudzu.htm
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/kudzu.htm
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2 comments:
Great entry Jenny!
What you said about Pacific Mall and Market Village really caught my attention. I never actually took time to think about how all these buildings and malls used to be fields where people can grow crops. That is quite amazing...and I wonder what my house used to be before people built houses here.
I can see that from your post, you have a lot more written for the "invasive species" part than the "stewards" part. In my own opinion, the majority of humans are considered more "invasive" than "stewards". Looking at the eco footprint of an average Canadian, we are far from being good caretakers of the world, but it's never too late to change that.
Sigh, I must be really bored to be commenting on bio blogs this late at night, but what are you gonna do, right? Anyways..
I disagree with your statement that we are stewards of the Earth. Stewards, in a literal sense, are those who manage property, or other materialistic things. As humans, we do not manage the Earth. Sometimes it may seem like we are the ones in charge, but just because we are the dominant species, we can not assume such a title. Humans also do not manage the Earth. We simply manage our own worldly possessions on the Earth.
From a much more different and comedic stand point, we are parasites with parasites attached to us. We feed off the Earth so that we may feed our own needs (such as feeding ourselves). And because of this second parasite, we take resource in excess, destroying the Earth, and making us a pest.