12.3. Degradation of Rural Environments

Question 1

What is Soil?

Answer 1

complex mixtures of minerals, water, air, organic matter, and countless organisms that are the decaying remains of once-living things.

Question 2

Soil Vital Functions

Answer 2

• Capable of supporting plant life and is vital to life on
  earth.
• Soils are the medium in which all plants grow.
• Soils modify the atmosphere by emitting and absorbing gases.
• Soils provide habitat for animals and organisms (such as bacteria and fungi).
• Soils absorb, hold, release, alter, and purify most of the water in terrestrial systems.
• Soils process recycled nutrients, including carbon, so that living things can use them over and over again.
• Soils act as a living filter to clean water before it moves into an aquifer.

Question 3

Three main components to soil:

Answer 3

• Inorganic weathered materials (rocks and minerals):
• Decaying or decayed organic matter (humus); and
• Living organisms.

Question 4

Factors causing the degradation of Rural Environments

Answer 4

1) Lack of economic development and poverty
2) Ignorance
3) Lack of choice
4) Continuing pop growth in LICS
5) Profit Motive
6) Lack of control in remote rural areas in LICs

Question 5

Lack of economic development and poverty causing the degradation of Rural Environments

Answer 5

• No way of improving inefficient farming methods that degrade environment

Question 6

Ignorance causing the degradation of Rural Environments

Answer 6

• Unsure of link between practices and degradation;

- Unsure of what changes to make.

Question 7

Lack of choice causing the degradation of Rural Environments

Answer 7

• People need to survive, so do what they must

Question 8

Continuing pop growth in LICs causing the degradation of Rural Environments

Answer 8

• Many countries still in stage 2 of DTM which leads to

overpopulation in rural areas with limited services, resources and infrastructure

Question 9

Profit Motive causing the degradation of Rural Environments

Answer 9

• Short-term gains are prioritised above longer term sustainable production.

Question 10

Lack of control in remote rural areas in LICs causing the degradation of Rural Environments

Answer 10

• How to enforce?

- Corruption

Question 11

Which Case Studies?

Answer 11

• Komi Republic

- Darfur