overpopulating
Overpopulating, or overpopulation, refers to a situation in which a population size or density exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, causing resource stress and negative impacts on living conditions. While most commonly discussed in relation to human populations, the term also applies to wildlife, crops, and other ecological systems. Carrying capacity is the maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely given the available resources and technology; it is not fixed and varies with consumption patterns and ecological conditions.
Causes include high fertility rates and population momentum, reduced mortality, migration, and, in the case of
Indicators of overpopulating include rising population density, expanding ecological footprints per capita, soil degradation, freshwater stress,
Consequences may include higher prices for food and housing, competition for water and land, pollution, habitat
The term is debated; some scholars prefer “overpopulation” to describe demographic pressure, while others emphasize that