Threats to Canada's ecosystems

Ecosystems constantly change under natural conditions. Glaciation and forest fires are two examples which occur over very long and very short time scales respectively. With human activities however, the nature and rate of change often takes place at a much faster pace than most natural changes ---sometimes with undesirable consequences. Some of the byproducts of activities outlined under the human activities section can threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems. This section outlines some direct and indirect threats to ecosystems.