Land Issues and Health

Impacts
Main source
GEO4, 2007
United Nations Environment
Programme
Over the last 20 years unprecedented land
use change has occurred due to:

Increasing human populations and density

Economic development, with increased
productivity, higher incomes & consumption
Emerging global markets
 Most dynamic changes

Forest cover and composition

Expansion and intensification of croplands

Growth of urban areas

 Unsustainable land use
Drives land degradation through:

Contamination and pollution

Soil erosion

Nutrient depletion
 Other adverse factors
Excess nutrients lead to eutrophication

Water scarcity and salinity

Disturbances to biological cycles

Desertification
Land use changes change over
time - Brazilian Amazon

Late 19th to mid 20th century – rubber

plantations

Second half of 20th century – cattle ranching

Presently – farmland and grassland for beef

Brazilian rubber tree tapper
Greatest changes in past 20 years
Forests converted to cropland, grassland

New forests have been planted as well (NA)

Croplands converted to forests and to

urban development around major cities.

Urban expansion occurs at expense of

cropland more so than forests.
 Importance of Forests
Ecosystem services provided
Prevent soil erosion
Soil fertility
Fix carbon as biomass & SOM, store GHG*
Habitat for biodiversity
Protect water catchments
*Moderate climate change
Support local livelihoods
 Land use intensity increases
Since 1987 more production/hectare globally

1980s Presently
One farmer* 1 ton of food 1.4 tons
One ha. of land 1.8 tons 2.5 tons

* Using same amount of land cultivated

 Land changes and human
well-being

Various associations exist between different

Land changes and human well-being.

Including:
 Cropland expansion and
intensification

Spread of disease vectors related to

vegetation and water (schistosomiasis
associated with irrigation)

Exposure to agrochemicals. Flood, landslide

Loss of habitat and biodiversity also.

 Loss of forest, grassland and
wetlands
Loss of ecosystem services resulting in
various impacts on human health.

Loss of potential new medicines.

Hazards associated with floods &landslides.

Loss of habitat and biodiversity also.

Landslide
in
California
 Urban expansion
Respiratory and GI tract diseases from
air pollution, poor water quality and
sanitation.

Higher rates of stress and industry related

diseases. More heat stroke.

½ of world’s population live in urban areas.

Urban expansion into agricultural land in Canada!

The city of Oliver in the BC Okanagan Valley moving into

prime agricultural land
Satellite imagery from 1972 to 2000 of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
 Urban expansion in Riyadh
Population grew from about a half million in
1972 to more than two million in 2000.

The city grew through in-migration from rural

areas, and from decreases in the death rate.

The birthrates remained high.

 Nutrient cycles
Nitrogen and phosphorus can
bioaccumulate in the food chain and
contaminate drinking water.

Eutrophication can result from excess N and

P. Worst cases in Gulf of Mexico and Baltic Sea.

Increases in carbon burning leads to respiratory

diseases associated with air pollution.
Gulf of Mexico eutrophication – green zone
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
 Nitrogen fertilizers
2/3 of world’s population relies on fertilizers for
food production.

N is the most used nutrient fertilizer globally.

Crops only take up ½ the nitrogen applied with

the rest leaching into streams and
groundwater and some goes to atmosphere.
 Acidifying cycles
Increased acidification of soils & waterways
▼
toxic metal solubilization (Al) ▼
uptake by plants and animals ▼
into food supply
▼
human health affected
 Desertification*
Malnutrition and hunger

Water borne diseases, Respiratory illnesses

Loss of habitat and biodiversity also

*More on this topic from Menne and

Bertollini (WHO) paper.
Land Degradation: Long-term loss of
ecosystem function and services,
caused by disturbances from which
the system cannot recover unaided.
 Land degradation - Chemicals
Poisonings (heavy metals)
Persistent organic pollutants increase in
human and animal tissue

Main sources are municipalities, industries &

agriculture (pesticides, fertilizers), vehicle
exhaust.

3 million people suffer from pesticide

poisoning/year with 20,000 deaths.
 Land degradation - Chemicals
Africa has become a dumping ground for
obsolete pesticides not used in MDCs
anymore.
Leaking stockpiles of up to 30,000 tons are
recorded.

Toxic wastes are exported from MDCs and

dumped in the LDCs
 Land degradation- soil erosion
Hunger & malnutrition ▼
weakened immune systems ▼
more cases of disease.

Contaminated water supplies.

Hazards from floods and landslides.

 Land degradation - nutrient
depletion
Malnutrition and hunger

Major lost plant nutrients include, N.P K and

soil organic matter (SOM).

In wet climates, soluble nutrients are

leached from soil
 Land degradation –water
scarcity
Dehydration
Inadequate hygiene
Water related diseases

Irrigated agriculture is the biggest user of

freshwater drawing from groundwater that is
not being replenished. Irrigation uses up to
70% of water withdrawals.
 Land degradation- Salinity
Non-potable water

Unproductive land for agriculture – impacts

food production.

Soils, streams, groundwater contain

naturally occurring salt.
 Salinity and irrigation

Added water from irrigation contains salt &

mobilizes salt already in soil. Added water
plus leakage from systems raises the water
table, water is drawn up, evaporates and
leaves salt on surface.

A soil salt crust may result.

A soil salt crust
 Salinity and irrigation
One of the worst cases ever was the Aral
Sea irrigation project.
 Aral Sea
Aral Sea was literally drained over decades
to provide irrigation for cotton production.

This resulted in water scarcity, pollution and

salinization.

Public water supplies are unreliable and

unsafe due to bacterial contamination.
The tragedy of the Aral sea and salinity
Aral Sea shrinking over the past 30 years
The
Aral Sea
was
once
the
world’s
fourth
largest
Lake!!
 Aral Sea
In the entire disaster zone region life
expectancy is 1.8 years below surrounding
nations

In districts near the Aral Sea life expectancy

Is nine years less than average.
Satellite image
from August
2017

A series of
dams and
diversions
projects are
attempting to
bring by water
and marine life
to the Aral sea
region.
 Dryland salinity
Replacing natural vegetation with crops and
pastures that take up less water, allows
water to infiltrate groundwater ▼
saline groundwater rises ▼
more salt enters streams
▼
evaporation pulls salt out to surface.
Land Degradation
in Cape Breton
2008
Broughton, NS, coal spoil area 2008
This area was first
mined for coal at the
turn of the century. No
more mining goes on
here now.
The tree line starts where the coal spoil ends
Acidic
conditions
favor
blueberries
at fringe of
coal area
where soil
is present
Land Degradation
Does this site fit the definition?
 Land degradation - issues
1/3 of world’s population (the poorest) suffer
disproportionately from land degradation
(LD).

LD influences both biodiversity loss and

climate change
 Land degradation – direct effects
Losses of soil organic carbon,

nutrients,

soil water storage and regulation,

below-ground biodiversity.
Land degradation – indirect effects
Loss of productive capacity
Loss of wildlife habitat, disrupts migration

Introduces pests and diseases

Increases competition for food and water

Water resources diminished

 Soil Erosion
Erosion is the natural process of removal of
soil by water or wind.

Soil erosion becomes problematic when the

natural process is accelerated by
Inappropriate land management.
 Inappropriate land management.
Clearance of forests and grasslands for
cropping ▼
Inadequate ground cover results

Inappropriate tillage method, overgrazing

Mining, infrastructural and urban

development