HUMAN IMPACT
Human impact is not strictly a modern phenomenon. Areas of the Amazon rain forest once thought to be pristine were in fact considerably altered by ancient communities for farming and fishing. Human settlement in Africa and South Asia involved grazing and the use of fire to clear land, creating the savannas in areas that might otherwise have developed into forest land. The Mediterranean region, now considered shrubland, oak, and other trees prior to their harvest by ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Expansive deciduous forests once covered Europe and China, now largely felled by humans clearing and harvesting the trees.
The long term effects of global warming are a matter of debate, but many believe human influenced climate change could cause an even more profound impact on the world's biomes than the direct change caused by chopping trees, planting food, and building cities. Organizations including the United Nation' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have documented a gradual rise in temperatures in the permafrost areas of the Arctic Circle, a trend that, if continued, would alter the nature of the tundra biome-and beyond. Rising sea levels and changing salinity patterns could affect a niche biome like the coastal mangrove forests, while larger changes in weather patterns could enlarge the world's deserts.
FAST FACTS
Most of China's temperate deciduous forests were cleared as many as 4,000 years ago.
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