Chapter 7 Ecological Applications at the Level of Organisms and Single-Species Populations: Restoration, Biosecurity and Conservation Introduction The expanding human population (Figure ) has created a wide variety of environmental problems. Our species is not unique in depleting and contaminating the environment but we are certainly unique in using fire, fossil fuels and nuclear fission to provide the energy to do work. | jjF - Chapter 7 ftahSf Ecological Applications at the Level of Organisms and Single-Species Populations Restoration Biosecurity and Conservation Introduction environmental problems resulting from human population growth . The expanding human population Figure has created a wide variety of environmental problems. Our species is not unique in depleting and contaminating the environment but we are certainly unique in using fire fossil fuels and nuclear fission to provide the energy to do work. This power generation has had far-reaching consequences for the state of the land aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere with . require the application of ecological knowledge . Figure Growth in size of the world s human population since 1750 and predicted growth until 2050 solid line . The histograms represent decadal population increments. After United Nations 1999. dramatic repercussions for global climate see Chapter 2 . Moreover the energy generated has provided people with the power to transform landscapes and waterscapes through urbanization industrial agriculture forestry fishing and mining. We have polluted land and water destroyed large areas of almost all kinds of natural habitat overexploited living resources transported organisms around the world with negative consequences for native ecosystems and driven a multitude of species close to extinction. An understanding of the scope of the problems facing us and the means to counter and solve these problems depends absolutely on a proper grasp of ecological fundamentals. In the first section of this book we have dealt with the ecology of individual organisms and of populations of organisms of single species population interactions will be the subject of the second section . Here we switch attention to how this knowledge can be turned to advantage by resource managers. At the end of the second and third sections of the book we will address in a similar manner the application of ecological knowledge at the level
