1.3G Biocapacity Notes

1. Biocapacity measures the natural regenerative capacity of ecosystems to sustain human life and economic activity.
2. Like ecological footprint, biocapacity is expressed in global hectares (gha), a unit that standardizes biologically productive land and water based on average global productivity.

Relationship Between Biocapacity and Ecological Footprint

1. Ecological footprint (EF) measures how much land and water a population demands for its lifestyle.
2. Biocapacity measures how much land and water is available to meet these demands.
3. Sustainability depends on the balance between EF and biocapacity.

Ecological Deficit vs Ecological Reserve

1. Ecological Deficit occurs when ecosystem demand (EF) is greater than what the ecosystem can replenish (biocapacity).
2. This leads to:
   1. Resource depletion
   2. Loss of soil fertility and biodiversity
   3. Increased pollution and waste accumulation
   4. Reliance on imports or exploitation of external ecosystems
3. Ecological Reserve occurs when biocapacity is greater than ecological footprint, meaning resource use is within sustainable limits.

Consequences of Unsustainability

1. Resource Depletion: Overfishing, deforestation, and soil degradation.
2. Pollution Accumulation: Excess carbon emissions contribute to climate change.
3. Ecosystem Collapse: Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Why Biocapacity Changes Over Time

1. Biocapacity is not fixed.
2. It can increase or decrease due to:
   1. Climate variation (droughts reduce crop yield; warm seasons may increase growth)
   2. Land management (deforestation reduces biocapacity; reforestation increases it)
   3. Soil degradation and erosion
   4. Urbanization and infrastructure expansion replacing farmland and forests