Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry
Land use, land-use change and
forestry
(LULUCF) all have impacts on
the global
carbon cycle and as such these activities can add or remove
carbon dioxide (or, more generally,
carbon) from the atmosphere, contributing to
climate
change. LULUCF has been the subject of two major reports by the IPCC.
Additionally, land use is of critical importance for
biodiversity.
Climatic impacts of land-use, land-use change and
forestry
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by country including land-use change
Land-use change is a large source
of CO2 and is thus an important contributor to climate change.
IPCC
estimates that land-use change (e.g. conversion of forest into agricultural
land) contributes a net 1.6 ± 0.8
Gt carbon per year to the atmosphere. For comparison, the major source of CO2,
namely emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production amount to 6.3
± 0.6 Gt carbon per year.
IPCC also states that from 1850 to
1998, about 136 (+ 55) Gt carbon has been emitted as a result of land-use
change, predominantly from forest ecosystems. For comparison, 270 (+ 30) Gt
carbon has been emitted as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from fossil fuel
burning and cement production.
Land use and biodiversity
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by country not including land-use change
The extent, and type of land use
directly affects
wildlife
habitat
and thereby impacts local and global biodiversity. Human alteration of
landscapes from natural vegetation (e.g.
wilderness) to any other use typically results in
habitat
loss,
degradation, and
fragmentation, all of which can have devastating effects on
biodiversity. Land conversion is the single greatest cause of
extinction of
terrestrial species[1].
Of particular concern is
deforestation, where logging or burning are followed by the conversion of
the land to agriculture or other land uses. Even if some forests are left
standing, the resulting fragmented lands typically fails to
support many species that previously existed there.
|
Career| Links|
© Carillon Group