8.3 - Tropical Rainforests - Conservation

Question 1

What are 3 reasons for rising deforestation rates?

Answer 1

• Poverty
• Foreign debt
• Economic development

Question 2

What are 3 reasons for reducing deforestation rates?

Answer 2

• Government policies
• International condemnation
• Monitoring system

Question 3

Why does poverty increase deforestation rates?

Answer 3

Population growth and poverty means many more small- scale subsistence farmers and greater use of fuel wood

Question 4

Why does foreign debt increase deforestation?

Answer 4

There is a huge market for goods from trf so its an easy easy for poor countries to make money to pay back debt

Question 5

How does economic development increase deforestation?

Answer 5

Road + rail projects to promote development open up areas of the rainforest to logging, mining, farming

Question 6

Why have government policies reduced deforestation rates?

Answer 6

Governments may invest in ecotourism, paying landowners to not deforest

Question 7

What is REDD?

Answer 7

REDD is a scheme that aims to reward forest owners in poorer countries for keeping forests, not cutting them doen

Question 8

What is CITES

Answer 8

CITES is an agreement to tightly control trade in wild animals and plants

Question 9

What are the advantages of REDD?

Answer 9

• It deals with the cause of climate change as well as direct impacts of deforestation
• Forest is protected so remains a habitat for species
• Everyone benefits

Question 10

What are the advantages of CITES?

Answer 10

• The issue is tackled at a global level, which means the the trade of endangered species is controlled all over the world
• Raises awareness of threats to biodiversity through education

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of REDD?

Answer 11

• Deforestation may continue in other areas

- Preventing activities may affect local communities who depend on them

Question 12

What are the disadvantages of CITES?

Answer 12

• Although individual species are protected it doesn’t protect their habitat
• not all countries are members and some even promote trade of materials form endangered species

Question 13

What are the economic challenges of sustainable forest management?

Answer 13

• Economic benefits only seen long-term so affects poorer countries who need short-term
• Usually more expensive so hard to persuade private companies to do it

Question 14

What are the environmental challenges of sustainable forest management?

Answer 14

• If trees are replanted, the new forest may not resemble the natural forest
• Trees replanted from logging may take long to grow, other forest cut down
• Even selective logging damages lots of trees while removing target trees

Question 15

What are the social challenges of sustainable forest management?

Answer 15

• It generally provides fewer jobs

- If population increases, demand does too. Sustainable unlikely to supply for increasing demand

Question 16

What is ecotourism?

Answer 16

Ecotourism is tourism that minimises damage to the environment and benefits the local people

Question 17

What do sustainable farming techniques do?

Answer 17

Sustainable farming techniques protect the soil so that land remains productive - no need to clear it every few years

Question 18

How does ecotourism work?

Answer 18

Only a small number of people are allowed in an area at a time and environmental impacts (e.g. waste) are minimised. Local people act as guides, provide accommodation and transport and so receive income. It can also raise awareness about conservation issues

Question 19

How does the sustainable farming technique ‘agro-forestry p’ work?

Answer 19

Trees and crops are planted at the same time, so tree roots bind the soil and leaves protect from heavy rain

Question 20

How does the sustainable farming technique ‘green manure’ work?

Answer 20

Plants which add nutrients to the soil as they grow are planted to maintain soil fertility

Question 21

How does the sustainable farming technique ‘crop rotation’ work?

Answer 21

Crops are moved between fields each year with one left empty so the soil has time to recover