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Human Environmental Impact Challenges

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Human Environmental Impact Challenges

Aotearoa New Zealand’s Kōwhai Stream catchment is under pressure. Use the evidence in this worksheet to identify human impacts, explain cause and effect, and recommend practical solutions. Answer in complete sentences where asked.

Read the evidence

A fictional community monitors Kōwhai Stream after noticing fewer mayflies and more cloudy water after heavy rain. The stream passes through pasture and a growing town before reaching a wetland. Some stream banks have native plants; other sections are bare. A stormwater drain carries rainwater from streets into the stream. Residents sometimes find plastic wrappers near the drain. The community wants to improve water quality while keeping the area useful for people and wildlife.

Site

Upstream forest

Town edge

Downstream wetland

Water clarity (cm)

Native plant cover (%)

1.Which site has the cloudiest water, and what measurement supports your answer?

2.Suggest one way that low native plant cover beside a stream could contribute to cloudy water after rain. Explain the steps in the cause-and-effect link.

3.Which is the clearest example of a human activity adding pollution to this stream?

A stormwater drain carries litter washed from streets into the stream
A mayfly hatches from its aquatic life stage
Rain falls during a storm
A native bird catches a fish

Trace the impacts

Environmental impacts can happen through connected changes. Consider how land use, water, habitats, and living things affect one another.

4.Match each human-driven change to its most likely ecological impact.

1. Clearing streamside plants
2. Fertiliser washing into water
3. Plastic entering the stream

B. Less shelter and food for stream organisms; more bank erosion
A. Animals may mistake plastic for food or become entangled
C. Extra nutrients can encourage algal growth and reduce oxygen

5.True or false: The monitoring table proves that town development alone caused the low water clarity at the town edge. Give one reason for your answer.

TrueFalse

6.Fill the gap to complete this plausible cause-and-effect sentence: When streamside plants are removed, more rainwater runs over bare soil and carries into the stream, making the water cloudier.

7.The community has limited funds and wants to reduce both soil runoff and loss of stream habitat. Which action is the strongest first choice, and why?

Plan an evidence-based response

A good environmental plan targets a cause, considers who can act, and checks whether the action works.

8.Which actions could realistically reduce pollution reaching Kōwhai Stream? Select all that apply.

Install a rubbish trap or litter basket at a suitable stormwater outlet and empty it safely
Keep livestock away from stream banks and provide a managed crossing
Pour leftover paint into a street drain
Plant native vegetation along exposed stream banks
Use more fertiliser before forecast heavy rain

9.The community plants native vegetation beside one bare stream section. Describe one measurement they could repeat before and after planting to check for change, and name one factor they should keep in mind when comparing results.

10.Write a short recommendation to the community. Name one priority action, explain how it could help the ecosystem, and state one way to monitor its success.