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Human activity and biodiversity

Human activity, such as , burning fossil fuels and using excess fertiliser, can have a negative effect on biodiversity.

Smoking chimneys

Other human activities are trying to reverse or slow down these negative effects.

If the current level of deforestation continues, rainforest resources will be completely destroyed in the next few decades.

Chopped down and burnt trees

In order to address this problem, some countries have developed sustainable woodlands.

Within these woodlands, can still be harvested in a controlled way.

They have adopted the following strategies:

  • Only a small number of large trees are harvested at the one time.
  • are planted to replace the trees harvested. This is called reforestation.
  • Harvesting of the same area does not happen again until the medium trees have grown to become large (after a period of 25–30 years).

International treaties

International treaties (Kyoto, 1997 and Paris, 2015) are ways in which humans are trying to reduce global carbon dioxide levels by agreeing to international strategies.

They are legally binding and in 2015, 195 countries signed up to bring about positive change in this field.

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