The human impact in geomorphology – 50 years of change

Abstract

Concern with the human impact in Geomorphology has a long history. What is new is that since 1969 a number of developments have taken place that have led to an increasing realisation of its importance. These developments are in four main areas: (i) intellectual and policy-related; (ii) technological developments that alter geomorphological processes; (iii) demographic trends; and (iv) the proliferation of techniques for the study of landform and process change. There has been a realisation of the role of humans in landscape transformation in ancient times. The human impact has developed through time, but particularly notable are the potential early effects of fire, extinctions and deforestation on geomorphological processes. The spread of European agriculture, particularly in the nineteenth century, transformed erosion and sedimentation rates in many parts of the world. Notwithstanding the importance of some of these changes in prehistoric and historic times, recent researches have demonstrated that humans have become an increasingly important agent of geomorphological change during the period of the Great Acceleration of the past five or six decades. The interest in global warming that has developed since the early 1980s has created considerable interest in its consequences for a range of geomorphological phenomena. It is also becoming apparent that anthropogenic geomorphological change is having an impact on the Earth System as a whole. Finally, Geomorphologists have taken an increasing interest in how they can make an impact in the field of landscape conservation.