Anthropogenic Interventions and their impacts on environment

Anthropogenic Interventions and their impacts on environment. Anthropogenic Interventions (human interventions) in natural ecosystems. Many groves are suffering what is called “Sanskritization”, the transformation of primitive nature worship into formal Hindu practice.

Natural forest areas degraded due to anthropogenic interventions like shifting cultivation, over exploitation of forest produce, cattle grazing and changes in land use by converting forests to mono-culture plantations agricultural lands and dwelling sites. Because of these increased anthropogenic activities the sacred landscape has been modified which has resulted in a fragmented landscape with poor species composition…………

Anthropogenic Interventions and their impacts on environment

Anthropogenic Interventions, human interventions in natural ecosystems have resulted in large changes in vegetation composition and distribution patterns. Natural forest areas degraded due to anthropogenic interventions like shifting cultivation, over exploitation of forest produce, cattle grazing and changes in land use by converting forests to mono-culture plantations agricultural lands and dwelling sites. These activities have been continuing ever since man started cultivation and exploitation of natural resources for livelihood. But, these isolated undisturbed forest patches have been protected by the society in the name of worship of deities which has resulted in the conservation and management of these micro ecosystems. Having left undisturbed and unexploited for years, these areas even now remains a treasure of biodiversity and gene pool conserving many endemic and endangered.

The losses of these areas are alarming and have created serious challenges to the human life which include global warming. The loss of sacred forest has been resulted in large degraded areas in many countries. There are many anthropogenic activities that lead to the loss of sacred forests worldwide namely poor land use policies, inadequate legislation, insecure property rights, agriculture and logging, limited capacity to enforce forest protection, and local and global demand for food and commodities. However, the agriculture and logging are the main causes of forest degradation. India’s natural forest patches appear to be on the verge of depletion. Modernization followed by liberalization, privatization and globalization is leading to erosion of the values that were vital for the conservation of sacred groves in India. A mad rush for development which is often demonstrated through mega river valley projects, large-scale mining works, road construction, tourism, urbanization, industrialization, etc. is experienced almost everywhere. Government and local governing bodies are insensitive towards local people’s rights over and access to natural resources. Many groves are suffering what is called “Sanskritization”, the transformation of primitive nature worship into formal Hindu practice. In the earlier system people gave more value to nature and natural objects rather than to idol worship.

Changes in land use and hence in vegetation cover, due to climatic change and human activity, affect surface water and energy budgets directly through plant transpiration, surface albedo, emissivity and roughness. They also affect primary production and, therefore, the carbon cycle. Thus, there is a need for spatial and temporal characterization of vegetation cover at different scales, from the global and continental scale to the local patch scale. Degradation activities, namely shifting cultivation, clear felling of forests for timber, and mining, have altered the natural landscape to a great extent. Because of these increased anthropogenic activities the sacred landscape has been modified which has resulted in a fragmented landscape with poor species composition.