Human Influences (Positive and Negative)
As with many forests, the taiga biome is in danger because of deforestation. Humans are cutting down trees by the hundreds and slowly, the taiga is disappearing. This is obvious a negative impact on the forest as it means many animals lose their homes and are forced to move elsewhere. Specifically in Russia, a reason for the deforestation was because the Russian government needed money and so invited logging companies to work in the taiga. However in California, a group called the Pacific Energy and Resource Center created the Siberian Forests Project made to contribute more to stopping deforestation in the Siberian taiga.
Another problem by human influences is acid rain. Acid rain is rain that is significantly more acidic than normal rain made so by atmospheric pollution. This is a problem by human influence because the atmospheric pollution is caused by the burning of fossil fuels from factories. Acid rain is a problem for the trees because it weakens them which makes them more susceptible to disease or being damaged by the cold and insects. This affects the animals of the biome because it destroys the trees that the animals rely on for shelter and food. There are no specific groups that contribute to acid rain but rather it is factories in general that produce the fossil fuels that get released in the air are responsible for acid rain. To help save the forests from acid rain, groups such as the Clean Air Council and the Center for Biological Diversity have gone to court against the government in order to ensure emissions are reduced and pollution is stopped.
These impacts on the taiga biome do not happen for no reason as a lot of the times, pollution and deforestation is the result of the need for money and a result of over consumption.
Though humans have very drastic negative effects on the environment, there are also some positive effects. For example, people are making efforts to reduce the amount of hunting in the taiga. This ensures that the number of species in the forest does not become unbalanced and the animals can prosper. There are laws in Canada that help regulate the hunting in Canada to ensure that the animals do not become endangered and the forests stay safe.
Another positive impact of humans is that there is an effort to protect the forests as a whole. Humans see that the taiga biome is in danger and are making efforts to keep it alive and preserve it. A large group working to save the taiga is the Taiga Rescue Network made up of many NGOs and individuals. Their goal is to conserve and stop harmful consumption of the forests. They do this through educating others and researching.
Another positive impact of humans is that there is an effort to protect the forests as a whole. Humans see that the taiga biome is in danger and are making efforts to keep it alive and preserve it. A large group working to save the taiga is the Taiga Rescue Network made up of many NGOs and individuals. Their goal is to conserve and stop harmful consumption of the forests. They do this through educating others and researching.