ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
The biggest human impacts affecting the Big Sur intertidal region are global warming/climate change, offshore oil drilling in Southern California and Alaska, and ocean pollution such as garbage and chemical waste (Henson et al, 1993 p. 278).
The drastic reduction of the sea otter population is a good example of how human impact has affected Big Sur. The pacific maritime fur trade lead sea otters almost to extinction; the surviving sea otters are now dying at a higher rate and living shorter lives. Approximately 64% of bodies recovered and examined from 1994-2001 had died due to disease caused by pollutants or toxins. Since sea otters eat 25-35% of their body weight per day, if their food supply contains toxins, they will be much more concentrated and have a quicker effect. Chemical runoff and sewage create toxic algae which then affects all organisms feeding off of it. Due to their near shore inhabitance, sea otters are more susceptible to human made pollutants (Jessup et al, 2007, p. 1648).
The drastic reduction of the sea otter population is a good example of how human impact has affected Big Sur. The pacific maritime fur trade lead sea otters almost to extinction; the surviving sea otters are now dying at a higher rate and living shorter lives. Approximately 64% of bodies recovered and examined from 1994-2001 had died due to disease caused by pollutants or toxins. Since sea otters eat 25-35% of their body weight per day, if their food supply contains toxins, they will be much more concentrated and have a quicker effect. Chemical runoff and sewage create toxic algae which then affects all organisms feeding off of it. Due to their near shore inhabitance, sea otters are more susceptible to human made pollutants (Jessup et al, 2007, p. 1648).
The photo above shows clusters of 25 or more sea otter deaths. It is important to note that none of these clusters are in the Big Sur region, and in fact the largest population of about 50 surviving otters lived in Big Sur. This shows how well preserved Big Sur is and how positive its conservation outlook is. However, this does not mean that they are not affected - sea otters do not stay in one place, and a loss of total California sea otter population or the spread of disease affects all regions involved.
Loss of sea otters has devastated the intertidal region and permanently altered its ecology. With no sea otters, other herbivores are allowed to thrive and begin overeating kelp and their relative communities. This causes the destruction of kelp forests and a change in the makeup of intertidal ecosystems, leaving the shore more susceptible to harsh waves and weather without their kelp barrier. In some cases this means the destruction of much of the biodiversity in the region (Jessup et al, 2007, p. 1648).
In terms of global warming, ocean temperatures rising could disrupt and alter the ecological makeup of intertidal zones. Since these areas are such a complex balance of diverse organisms, the smallest changes will have far reaching effects. Furthermore, global warming may cause increased frequency and intensity of storms which could further devastate the less protected intertidal regions.
In terms of global warming, ocean temperatures rising could disrupt and alter the ecological makeup of intertidal zones. Since these areas are such a complex balance of diverse organisms, the smallest changes will have far reaching effects. Furthermore, global warming may cause increased frequency and intensity of storms which could further devastate the less protected intertidal regions.
CONSERVATION STATUS: GOOD
However, the results of this impact are at a minimum, as Big Sur has been preserved extraordinarily well. After an initial period of industrialization in the end of the nineteenth century followed by the development of Highway 1 in the start of the twentieth century, the residents of Big Sur pulled together to make conservation and preservation a priority. The low population of 1,000 as well as inaccessibility and lack of available land for development has kept urban development away, as well as the strict land policy laws that Monterey County has instigated, including the prohibition of billboards or any new construction visible from Highway 1.
Millions of tourists drive through Big Sur every year, but they rarely stay the night, and if they do it is usually to camp in one of the nine State Parks. Big Sur also has two federal wilderness reserves, Ventana Wilderness and Silver Peak Wilderness. It has two offshore marine protected areas, Point Sur State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, and Big Creek State Marine Reserve and Big Creek State Marine Conservation Area. Established in 2007 as a part of the Marine Life Protection Initiative (a collaborative public project in California), these protected areas not only conserve and preserve, but participate in scientific studies and cooperate with various California Universities including Stanford, Cal Poly, and UC Santa Cruz (www.bigsurcalifornia.org).
Ultimately, much of the environmental damage to Big Sur comes from humans in the rest of the world and not specifically the region itself, via global warming and diseases carried through sea mammals from other places.
helped me a lot
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