What are the effects of land use change on biodiversity and ecosystems?
Searched over 200M research papers
Summary
10 papers analyzed
These studies suggest that land use change generally leads to biodiversity loss, reduced ecosystem functioning, and negative impacts on ecosystem services such as carbon storage and water quality.
Not a yes or no question
To use the Consensus Meter, try asking a simple yes or no question
Research summarized with Copilot
Beta20 papers analyzed
Introduction
Land use change, driven by human activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and deforestation, significantly impacts biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Understanding these effects is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystem services.
Key Insights
-
Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Services:
- Land use intensification leads to biodiversity loss, which in turn affects ecosystem multifunctionality, particularly in agricultural grasslands .
- Conversion and degradation of habitats reduce species richness and abundance, with significant declines in local biodiversity .
- Land use changes, especially agricultural expansion, result in large losses in stored carbon and negative impacts on water quality, leading to reduced net social benefits.
-
Impact on Specific Ecosystems:
- In drylands and Mediterranean environments, land use changes cause significant species turnover and reduced biodiversity, with Mediterranean ecosystems showing high sensitivity even to past disturbances.
- In tropical grasslands and savannahs, combined pressures of land use and climate change are predicted to cause substantial species loss.
-
Functional Composition and Productivity:
- Shifts in functional composition towards fast-growing species can increase provisioning services but may reduce supporting and cultural services.
- Small-scale plant species diversity is crucial for maintaining productivity and stability in managed grasslands, with both intensification and extensification affecting species number and productivity.
-
Community Stability and Asynchrony:
- Land use impacts community stability more through changes in species asynchrony than through species diversity alone, with higher fluctuations observed in grasslands compared to forests.
-
Global and Regional Variations:
- Biodiversity losses are more pronounced in economically poor but biodiverse regions, with international trade exacerbating these impacts.
- In North America and Western Europe, reductions in forestry and agriculture impacts have been observed, partly due to economic factors like the financial crisis.
Conclusion
Land use change significantly impacts biodiversity and ecosystem functions, with effects varying across different ecosystems and regions. Biodiversity loss, changes in functional composition, and reduced community stability are common outcomes, leading to decreased ecosystem services and productivity. Addressing these challenges requires integrated land management strategies that consider both local and global impacts, promoting sustainable practices to mitigate biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystem health.
Sources and full results
Most relevant research papers on this topic
