Threats to our water environments

Water quality links:

Home

What is water quality?

Direct to data

Monitoring program & assessments

Major threats & issues

Legislation & programs

Other resources & initiatives

Publications

Glossary

Loss of habitats

Habitats are where organisms live. Loss of habitat can range from the removal of whole wetland ecosystems, to the loss of a small stand of reeds in a swamp or creek.

The effect of habitat loss is invariably a reduction in biological diversity. This can limit the ability of the environment to tolerate climatic variation and the effects of human activities. It can also affect the ability of the environment to recover from a major event such as a drought, or a significant pollutant discharge.

This page was last modified 21-06-2006