Final answer:
Areas transformed by human activity, like urban settings and agricultural land, are known as the built environment, which drastically changes natural habitats and ecosystems.
Step-by-step explanation:
Areas where man has fundamentally transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion are known as the built environment. This term is used to describe human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging from large-scale civic surroundings to personal places.
Unlike natural environments, urbanization in the built environment often irreversibly replaces natural habitats with artificial ones, resulting in long-term impacts on many native species. The rapid spread of urban areas, especially in tropical regions, along with global activities like agriculture, is the biggest cause of habitat destruction, influencing biodiversity and the structure of ecosystems.
Due to our reciprocal relationship with nature, human activities such as farming, fishing, and urbanization have transformed regional ecosystems and the overall environment, often leading to the creation of anthropogenic biomes.