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cje ›› 1997, Vol. ›› Issue (3): 50-54.

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Expansion of Human Niche and Sustainable Development

Zhu Chunquan, Lei Jingpin   

  1. The Forestry Sustainable Development Research Centre, CAF, Beijing 100091)
  • Received:1996-06-14 Online:1997-06-10

Abstract: Today the world is ex periencing the most rapid expansion in the human niche ever seen,such as the rapid increase in population state_influences,the amount and rate of the resource consumption,the rapid ex panding of the area and space used and occupied by human,the significant incr ease in hu mankind s impact on env ironment,and the advance in humankind s understanding,science and technolog y etc..T he impact on environment from human niche ex pansion has two aspects:(1)human has expanded at the ex pense of other species and the non_liv ing resour ce,which increased the environmental degratation;(2)at the same t ime,human niche expansion prov ided a rapid increase in the human carrying capacity,but not always w as constrained by the carrying capacity.T he human carry ing capacity is not a constant parameter but a var iable,w hich has close relationship w ith the status of natural resour ce,human impact on environment,the develo pment of science and technology,population size and quality,resour ce consumption per captia,the efficiency of agricultural pro duction,the utilizat ion efficiency of environment and resource,and the consumption patterns of re source and wealth.T he human car rying capacit y has been significantly affected by the development of science and technolog y.T he adverse impacts on the biospher ecaused by expansion of human niche threaten the sustainablity of the world.Human sustainable development should be achived by the progr ess of science and technology,regulation of the expansion of human niche,decr ease of the in verse impact on environment,and promotion of the increase in human carrying capacity.

Key words: soil and water loss control, dung beetle, community feature, functional group, Huangfuchuan watershed of Inner Mongolia.