Spain: Human Environmental Interaction

Desertification

Desertification is the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. A large portion of Spanish land suffers from desertification, and one fifth of the land is currently at risk turning into deserts. If these numbers continue to rise, it could lead to serious water deficits in Spain.

Climate

Drift-net Fishing

Deforestation

Livestock

Spain has one of the most diverse and varied climates in Europe. There are three different climate zones in Spain, due to its large size. The weather can generally be categorized as a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The Mediterranean climatic region extends from the Andalusian Plain along the southern and eastern coasts up to the Pyrenees and is a main factor to the country's high tourists rates.

The raising of livestock makes up just under half the value of Spain’s total agricultural output. Pigs, which are Spain's most famous meat product are raised mainly in Castile-León, Aragon, and Catalonia. Pork leads the meat production in Spain, followed by poultry, beef, and lamb. In the Atlantic coastal regions and the dry southern interior, sheep and dairy cows are raised. Spanish livestock industries have experienced significant growth and modernization since the 1950s, but their output remained well behind the levels of efficiency and productivity of European Community (EC) countries. When livestock is raised, greenhouse gasses are produced through the process by which they raise the livestock. This affects the environment because the production of more greenhouse gases contributes to global warming.

Drift-net fishing is another issue in Spain. With fishing being a huge industry in northern Spain, drift-net fishing can cause there to be a shortage of fish in the ocean. Drift-net fishing catches so many fish at once, that some species of fish could be killed off by being caught and not being able to reproduce.

Deforestation in Spain is a major problem.Accirding to rainforests.mongabay.com Spain lost 191,000 hectares—0—of its primary forest cover during that time. Deforestation rates of primary cover have increased 30.8% since the close of the 1990s. Forests have been destroyed, due to unplanned cutting, forest fires, and poor farming practices. Deforestation is a way human's affect the environment because when forests are destroyed, millions of species lose their habitat.

Spain

Conclusion

Bibliography

AZoMining, Written By. "Spain: Mining, Minerals and Fuel Resources." AZoMining.com. N.p., 11 June 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.

Thomas, G.P. "Spain: Environmental Issues, Policies and Clean Technology." AZoCleantech.com. N.p., 02 June 2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.

Schraufnagel, Grace. "The Five Themes of Geography in Spain." The Five Themes of Geography in Spain. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.

Tourism

Whether it's through deforestation, tourism, agriculture, or resources there are many examples of human environmental interaction that happen daily in the country of Spain.

Resources

Fishing

Agriculture

As Spain and many other countries become more industrialized, farming and agriculture have become less common with the percent of arable land being about 23% as of 2013. However, since the mid-1990s, the amount of land used for agriculture in Spain has increased through irrigation and the conversion of fallow lands. Vegetables, fruits, and cereals are the principal crops, making up about three-fourths of Spain’s agricultural production. Despite a sharp decline in food production from agriculture, farming and living off the land is still alive in Spain.

The catching and selling of fish is a large market in Spain. Fishermen are able to use the Atlantic Ocean to catch their fish either for food or to sell for profit. The Atlantic Ocean affects how Spaniards live because it gives opportunity for jobs and food through fishing.

In Spain, many citizens make a living from tourism. In 2016, Spain was the 3rd most visited country in the world with 75.3 million tourists. Spain's Coastal regions have a large number of beaches and attractions, this creates opportunity for jobs, with tourism making up 11% of Spain's total GDP.

Spain's resources include coal, iron ore, uranium, mercury, gypsum, copper, zinc and potash. Mining is a huge industry in Spain because of the abundance of resources - they produce most of the industrial minerals. The investment and exportation of these resources has expanded Spain's economy. In 2010, the total export value of the country amounted to $253 billion and total import value amounted to $315.3 billion, compared to $326.7 billion and $360.3 billion in 2009.

With a population of 46,754,784, Spain is a country located in southwestern Europe. Spain is bordered to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay with the Mediterranean Sea bordering on the east side. In Spain, there are many ways humans affect their environment, as well as ways the environment affects how humans live.

Charcoal Manufacturing

In Spain, charcoal manufacturing is a common and traditional job. Not only does this job pollute the air, it also using lots of Spain's natural resources. This is a problem because they make the charcoal from wood by cutting down trees in forests. This is one way humans negatively affect the environment in Spain.

Spain: Human Environmental Interaction

By: Colin Kissane