Land System Change
The transformation of natural landscapes, such as through deforestation and urbanization, diminishes ecological functions like carbon sequestration, moisture recycling, and habitats for wildlife, all crucial for Earth system health.
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Deforestation is where we can see the biggest impact of land-system change. We lose around five million hectares of forest every year due to deforestation, primarily for industrial agriculture. Around 80% of all animals and plants that live on land live in our forests, meaning that deforestation is also a huge threat to biodiversity. These ecosystems act as enormous carbon sinks and play a vital role in our freshwater supplies.
Latest news on Land System Change
Impact
The transgression of the Land-System Change boundary has myriad consequences for the Earth system, and is closely connected to other boundaries such as:
Change in Biosphere Integrity (i.e., via habitat loss),
Freshwater Change (i.e., via changes to evapotranspiration),
Climate Change (i.e., via the release of stored carbon) and others).
Regionally, many negative consequences are felt by local populations, including degraded local ecosystems, changing local climates, and even outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Control Variables
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Forest Area
Drivers
Introduction on invasive species
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Harvesting and burning of biomass
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Connected Tipping Points
If the status of this Planetary Boundary continues to deteriorate, it will push many tipping elements toward tipping, including:
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Thaw in land permafrost
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Dieback Amazon rainforest and boreal forests
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Changes to the West African Monsoon (WAM)
Degradation of savannas & grasslands
Death of mangroves
Drivers & Interconnections
Human activity is the central contributor to breaching the Planetary Boundaries. Our actions almost always affect the planet in many ways. We need to take a holistic view, considering a whole earth approach to the decisions that we take.
Find out more about tipping points
The most viable areas for positive transformation are in energy generation, land use and consumption of resources. All can have substantial, positive effects on maintaining our safe operating space for humanity.
The Planetary Health Check is an initiative supported by:
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