In ancient times, when goods were abundant, men made light of them, but increased population pressure on resources brought economic scarcity; consequently, "men of today quarrel and snatch".
The leading factors causing erosion include: increased population pressure resulting in forest/woodland clearance for wood and smallholding agriculture; traditional agricultural practices; and declining land productivity.
This suggests a gradual decline in rangeland condition as a result of increased population pressure, spread of bush encroachment, shrinkage of grazing areas, ethnic conflicts, and loss of wet season grazing lands to cultivation, ranching, private enclosures, and parks.
The strongly incised mountain landscape of northern Thailand has changed dramatically during the last few decades due to increased population pressure, agricultural commercialization, limitation to use old fallows and reforestation of upper catchments.
Like the evidence for changes in diet, the increasingly complex stone tools suggest the need for hominins to acquire different sorts of food, or to acquire food more frequently, or in greater abundance, perhaps as a result of the effects of increased population pressure.
Increased population pressure and human activities have significantly altered the effectiveness of functions of ecosystems ("ecosystem services") at the local and regional scale.
