Land use
Peatland destruction
Peat is partially decayed plant material that accumulates in waterlogged conditions. Because the ground is saturated with water, plant material does not decay completely and builds up over time.
Peatland destruction and habitats
Peat bogs provide habitats for many species of plants, animals and microorganisms. Peat is sometimes removed for use in garden compost. Removing it destroys or reduces these habitats, leaving less suitable space for the organisms that live there. As a result, the number of different species present, or biodiversity, can decrease.
Peatland destruction and carbon release
Peat stores carbon in its organic material. When peat decays or is burned, some of this carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, $$\ce{CO2}$$. Peat removal can therefore reduce a carbon store as well as damage habitats.
Waste disposal and habitat loss
Wild plants and animals need habitats that provide enough space, food and shelter. When land is used to dump waste, that land can no longer provide the same habitat for them.
Clearing land for waste disposal can remove the plants and shelter already there. Covering land with waste can also make it unsuitable for the organisms living on it. These organisms may be displaced, leaving less space where they can find food and shelter.
Waste disposal can therefore reduce the area of habitat available to other species.
Human causes of habitat destruction
A habitat is the place where an organism lives. Human activities can destroy a habitat by removing it, or degrade it by making it less suitable for the organisms that live there.
Land use and habitat loss
When land is cleared for housing, the existing habitat is replaced by buildings and other developed areas. Organisms may lose places where they find food and shelter.
Land is also cleared to grow crops or raise livestock. The resulting fields or grazing land replace the original habitat and may not provide the conditions or resources needed by the organisms that lived there before.
Resource extraction and pollution
Extracting natural resources can damage habitats. For example, mining can remove vegetation and soil, altering the land where organisms live.
Pollution can degrade freshwater habitats, such as rivers and lakes, and marine habitats, such as seas and oceans. Harmful substances entering the water can make it unsuitable for the organisms living there, even when the habitat has not been physically removed.