NATURAL ECOSYSTEM CHANGES AND THEIR IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH

• Published in: International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference : SGEM Vol. 20; no. 5.1; pp. 561 - 568
• Main Author: Sencovici, Mihaela
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Sofia Surveying Geology & Mining Ecology Management (SGEM) 01.09.2020
• Subjects: Acidification; Biocoenosis; Biodiversity; Biogeochemistry; Biosphere; Climate change; Continuous flow; Economics; Ecosystems; Environmental changes; Environmental conditions; Environmental economics; Fertility; Humidity; Land clearance; Land clearing; Nutrients; Ocean acidification; Ozone; Ozone depletion; Population growth; Questionnaires; Recreational facilities; Rural areas; Society; Soil; Soil fertility; Urban areas; Water balance; Work platforms
• ISSN: 1314-2704
• DOI: 10.5593/sgem2020/5.1/s20.070

[...]we can distinguish between the following categories of actions: * the replacement of natural biocenosis with supporting or cultivated substitutes, having higher productivity or that cover to a greater extent the needs of human society, without significantly altering the ecological potential; if the anthropic action ceases, the land thus being abandoned, there will be a come back to the previous vegetation; * actions meant to improve the environmental conditions (altering the water balance by correcting either the deficit or the excess of humidity, increasing the soil fertility by means of enhancing the reserve of nutrients and improving the structure etc.); generally speaking, it requires complex initial actions and constant work. [...]we can state the forest is characterized by a continuous flow of inputs and outputs (fig.1). * actions designed to improve wasted land and for ecological reconstruction; most of the times it is impossible to return to the original set, but the wasting processes are prevented. * actions which determine a complete turn to an artificial condition of the environment (urban conglomerations, industrial platforms, recreational facilities). Environmental global changes include a number of problems that human society has to deal with, namely climate change, ozone depletion, land clearing, biodiversity reduction, all of which have direct and indirect long-term influence on biosphere health in general and human health in particular (fig.2). [...]we can divide them into systemic changes (for instance, ocean acidification or climate change in the broad sense) and cumulative changes (which usually occur locally or regionally, but because they get so widespread they become a global phenomenon). [...]in item 2, which aimed at the respondents' perception towards the value of a natural ecosystem, most of them decided in favour of the economic value (with 36%), closely followed by the choice for its value for health (32%) (fig.5).