Pressures

Pressures are human activities that create stress on the environment and include

Landuse changes resulting from alterations of the natural landscape, typically associated with population growth,  including

• Coastal development
• Land development
• Shoreline alteration
• Hydrologic modifications, including impervious surfaces
• Deforestation and devegetation

Discharges  of pollutants may result from the operation of industries or vehicles, or the diffuse distribution of contaminants from agricultural lands, roads, or lawns through ground-water or storm-water run-off, and includes both

• Applied chemicals – use of fertilizers, pesticides, insectides, and herbicides
• Atmospheric discharges – vehicle & smokestack emissions including greenhouse gas emissions, sulphur & nitrogen oxide emissions, volatile organic compound emissions
• Waterborne discharges – point and non-point source discharges including wastewater discharges, contaminant discharges, and impervious surface run-off
• Littering

Contact uses  are human activities that lead to a direct alteration or manipulation of the environment, and include

• Physical damage – dredging & filling, boat gear & anchor damage, vessel groundings, trampling, movement of boats
• Biological addition – ballast discharge, release of non-natives, feeding, creation of artificial habitat
• Biological harvest – harvesting, fishing, accidental by-catch, clear cutting