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carrying capacity — English
A term used in a variety of branches of Goeography and environmental management;it is not restricted to any one subdiscipline. It is mostly used in the sense of the number of organisms that can sustainably be supported within a certain area with a known size (see “sustainability” and “sustainable development”). This term could be used in connection with the concentration of humans within a certain area, or in connection with the number of wild animals (game) or domestic animals (such as cattle, sheep, camels or goats) that could be kept in a certain area without overexploitation (see “exploitation”) of the natural resources of the land (especially vegetation and water). If too many animals are restricted to a certain grazing area, overgrazing, vegetation depletion and land degradation are caused. It boils down to the over-use of grazing lands which then has dire consequences for the entire local environment. Carrying capacity is also of extreme importance in the management of game farms and nature conservation areas. The populations of game in a nature reserve have to be managed to avoid exceeding the carrying capacity and causing irreversible environment deterioration. Several years ago the scientists and management of the Kruger National Park (KNP) reported that there is more than the sustainable number of elephants in the KNP. This elephant overpopulation has become a threat to the entire habitat. The number of elephants in the KNP simply has to be reduced, but how? Many animal rights organisations and the world-wide anti-culling lobby (see “environmental lobby”) find culling an unacceptable option and support removal of redundant animals to other areas. But a large number of elephants could hardly be moved to another area. Shifting 10 or so elephants to another wildlife reserve is doable, but the KNP has to get rid of a few thousand elephants. Where does one go with 7 000 elephants? No solution to the problem has yet been found. The term “carrying capacity” is also commonly used in connection with the number of tourists that should be allowed at any specific time or over a specific time period to enter any specific nature park, reserve or conservation area (see “demarketing”). This is a management problem all nature and wildlife resorts have to grapple with. It also implies to human-made heritage sites where human traffic (feet) and too much exhaled CO2 might jeopardise the very constructions and artefacts which are being preserved for people to visit and see. The catacombs of Rome are a destination where the exhibits (skeletal remains) have to be protected from decay caused by the high CO2 concentration in the air which results from the large numbers of visitors. (See “acid rain”.)
