1. Biocapacity By Sierra Scott

2. Intro to Biocapacity Biocapacity is similar to an ecological footprint. It is an estimation of: –Earth’s available sustainable resources –Earth’s waste-absorbing capacity humans are actually able to use Both Earth’s carrying capacity and biocapacity change as new technologies influence life.

3. How do we know Earth’s Biocapacity? Scientists use statistics from international agencies to estimate biocapacity. They do not include land set aside to protect biodiversity.

4. Threats of Expanding Biocapacity Earth’s total biocapacity has not truly increased, although the population has grown. It is compared to a bank account in debt: if humans continue to take advantage of resources, there will be none left to use.

5. Biocapacity vs. Ecological Footprint Evidence from 2002 suggests that humans have exceeded Earth’s biocapacity by over 20% to sustain themselves. Scientists think this caused the human population’s growth by 250 million since. Earth’s resources will be under huge amounts of strain if this continues.

6. Hunting’s Impact on Biocapacity People in Africa often replace their normal diet with large animals, such as primates, referred to as “bushmeat”. Bushmeat hunting, along with overfishing, increase wild animals’ risks of extinction. This reduces biodiversity.