Chapter 4 pt 1 Flashcards
What is an ecological footprint? How does this footprint vary between the US and other countries?
The impact one has on the environment. The U.S has a much higher ecological footprint than other countries.
What factors affect the impact of a human population? (I=PAT) How do you think this relates to a countries Ecological footprint?
P: Population size
A: Average income
T: Level of technology used
The larger area a country occupies, the more additional area its going to use to provide resources.
About how much habitable land has not been altered by humans?
25%
Can habitat destruction be natural? What “natural disasters” are affected by human actions
Habitat destruction can be natural, i.e hurricanes. These can be affected by human actions, i.e climate change causing more storms/ natural disasters.
About how much forest remains on the planet? How much is tropical rainforest?
About 4 billion Hecate’s. About half is thought to be tropical
Why is tropical rainforest being lost? (where is loss the greatest)?
-Political problems/ changes (conflicts may breakdown established land use practices).
-Commercial interests (agriculture, mining, energy infrastructure and forestry)
-Brazil
What is shifted cultivation?
Slash and burn, poor people in developing countries may clear and burn forests for subsistence farming, land they don’t own, do not invest money to develop, only lasts 2-3 seasons
How can the construction of a road affect habitat destruction
Makes the land accessible to people, they can now use the land/ change it more easily.
How may/have changes in political systems and management strategies affect habitat destruction in Brazil?
The current president seems to be doing a better job enforcing environmental laws, however, past leaders have pushed them to the side
How is demand for products in the United States (and other westernized countries) tied to habitat destruction in developing countries? Could you explain the examples discussed in class?
-Importing goods has a large environmental impact.
- Developing countries can and have damaged their environment to keep up with western demand. i.e, Costa Rica having high deforestation rates to keep up with cheap beef demands. (They now have lots of ecotourism)
What factors have contributed to record wildfires in the past several years?
Consider forest management strategies, climate and human development of border lands. How is the budget of the US forest service an issue?
-Climate change
-Less money for firefighters
-More firefighters needed for a longer fire season
Some areas have increased in forest cover- are all forests equivalent for conservation of biodiversity?
Old growth forests tend to have better biodiversity than monocultured
How do tropical dry forests differ from tropical rainforests? from grasslands? What economic activities threaten these habitats?
Tropical dry forests have better soil than tropical rainforests because of the decreased rainfall. Grasslands are also good for agriculture and ranching, however this is what threatens these habitats. (98% of grasslands were lost in US)
What is desertification? How are we facilitating this process?
-Man made deserts
-Overgrazing, repeated crushing by livestock can cause the roots to die
-Turns into a wasteland
What development affects freshwater systems? (surface rivers and wetlands)
Development, aquaculture, runoff from urban, agriculture or mines.
