Forest Under Threat

Question 1

Tropical Rainforest

Answer 1

> Most bio-diverse biome and has the largest percentage of biomass.
Located between tropics so it’s hot and wet all year.
Speediest nutrient cycle, recycles 80% of its’ water.
Due to heat, water and sunlight plants grow continually.
Equatorial climate.
No dry season - at least 60mm of rainfall a month.
26-32 degrees C all year round - no summer or winter.

Question 2

Rainforest Structure

Answer 2

> EMERGENTS: Evergreen trees that have broken through the canopy to reach sunlight, monkeys and birds.
CANOPY: Dense, lots of food available so lots of animals, tree snakes, birds, frogs.
UNDERSTOREY: Young, large-leaved trees to capture sunlight, lots of insects.
FOREST FLOOR: Dark, shade-loving ferns and large leaves, only 1-2% of sunlight reaches here so it’s hard for plants to grow, mammals like Jaguars live here.

Question 3

Soils and nutrients in TRF

Answer 3

> Deep soils, but thin nutrient layer so not very fertile.
80% of nutrients in TRF are in the plants.
Litter decomposes into nutrients very quickly.
Deforestation means there is less ‘leaf litter’ so therefore less nutrients.
Lots of rainfall so nutrients can leech out of the soil.
Fertile layer (nutrients) very thin and deeper soils are ‘iron-rich laterites’ so not good for growth.
Therefore it is a fragile ecosystem.
Litter decomposes quickly in hot and wet climate.

Question 4

Plant Adaptations - TRF

Answer 4

> Trees are branchless, tall and thin to reach sunlight.
Leaves have driptips and are waxy to protect them from insects and help shed rain.
Buttress roots - trees sometimes have these to support them in shallow soil and catch more nutrients.
Lianas- woody climbing vines that climb high up trees to reach sunlight and drop their roots down to the ground.
Epiphytes - plants grow on tree branches - trees are for support only.

Question 5

Animal Adaptations -TRF

Answer 5

> Sloths - huge claws to hang on branches, fur grows away from feet to shed rain when upside down, green algae growing in fur camoflauges them from predators..
Primates - Lemurs and monkeys evolved to live in canopy where most food is, long tails for balance and strong claws.
Big cats - jaguars, tigers and leopards have camoflauged fur, dark and light fur patched blend in with shade and sunlight on the forest floor.

Question 6

Deforestation in the Amazon Tropical Rainforest.

Answer 6

>Deforestation in the Amazon:
- 60% cattle ranching
-33% subsistence agriculture
-3% illegal/legal logging
-3% fires, mining, dams, urbanization, road constructions.
-1% commercial farming.
>Carajas Mine, Brazil - example.
>If land continues to be exploited deforestation will speed up.

Question 7

Direct Threats to Rainforest

Answer 7

> Mining:
-Carajas mine.
-Digging causes lasting damage to soil.
-Deforestation takes place to clear the area.
-Solution is to plant trees and restore landscape.
Cattle Ranching:
-40% of Brazil’s herd is in Amazon.
-Deforestation to clear areas for grazing.
-Solution, Brazil’s government has imposed control on overbreeding but 30,000 cattle are still being illegally raised.
Subsistence Farming:
-Cut down and burn trees to clear area.
-Destroys soil fertility.
-Erosion means water stores are lost.
-Biodiversity loss as plants and animals are removed and there’s a nutrients loss due to deforestation.
-Solution is alley-cropping which restores nitrogen to the top layer so it’s reusable.

Question 8

Direct Threats Definition

Answer 8

Deliberate.

Question 9

Indirect Threats Definition

Answer 9

From pollution, global warming and disease.

Question 10

Indirect Threats TRF

Answer 10

> Global warming:
-Harder to manage and undeliberate.
-Brazil only emit 1.5% of carbon dioxide so can’t do it alone.
-Lead to species extinction, e.g plants flowering earlier, bird migration patterns changing, arctic tundra warming.
Climate stress:
-Amazon suffered two severe droughts in 2005 and 2010, switched from absorbing CO2 to emitting it so plants stop growing.
-Fires mean leaf litter dries out then decomposer organisms die out which threatens the nutrient cycle and means food stops growing.

Question 11

Sustainable Management

Answer 11

> Meets the needs of the current population without compromising needs of the future generation.

Question 12

Sustainably Managing a Rainforest

Answer 12

> Social:
-Improving facilities to benefit the community like health clinics and schools.
Economic:
-Reducing poverty bu creating income from alternative livelihoods, e.g agroforestry, ecotourism, sustainable farming.
Environmental:
-Protecting forest biodiversity and other resources such as rivers, e.g agroforestry, ecotourism, sustainable farming and selective logging.

Question 13

Kilum-Ijum, Cameroon

Answer 13

> Area of mountain rainforest, Cameroon, Africa.
It is home to 35 communities and 3 tribes (Kom, Nso and Oku).
The forest was under pressure from farming and logging so in 1987 the conservation organisation Bird Life International started a project to create a sustainable forest reserve in the area.
50% of Kilum-Ijum was deforested between 1958-88, but now it’s increased 8% since the project began.
They educate communties about replacing trees and safe levels of hunting and logging.
They also manage and monitor the forest.

Question 14

Kilum-Ijum Challenges

Answer 14

> Population growth puts pressure on land.
Climate change.
Support (funding) could end.
Industries enroach the forest.

Question 15

Alternative Livlihoods

Answer 15

> Key to sustainable management is providing alternative livelihoods.
Agroforestry: Sustainable farming, crops grown between trees, trees not cut, intercropping reduces soil erosion and pests.
Ecotourism: Small-scale, low impact tourism, local people act as guides as they live with them and they receive money.

Question 16

Taiga

Answer 16

> Found in the far north of northern hemisphere.
Short, wet summers (3 months and temperature up to 20 degrees C.)
Long, cold, dry winters (as low as -20 degrees C.)
Low precipitation, 350-750mm per year.
Extreme, subarctic climate, very seasonal.
Snow on ground for months.

Question 17

Taiga -Nutrients Cycle

Answer 17

> Precipitation and fallout feed litter.
Slower than in the rainforests as it has smaller store.
Chemical weathering limited by cold temperatures.
Most nutrients are in litter as in cold temperatures things decompose and release nutrients slowly.
Biomass store is smaller as tree growth period is shorter.
Soil has least amount of nutrients as more transfers feed it.

Question 18

Taiga - Adaptations

Answer 18

> Coniferous trees are adapted to the taiga’s climate:
-‘cone’ shaped sheds snow.
-waxy coating limits water loss in dry periods.
-flexible branches bend downwards to shed snow.
-roots are shallow, but wide to support and avoid frozen ground.
Ferns, mosses, lichens grow on the dark floor.
Thick layer of acidic pine needles prevent plants growing.
Seeds protected by woody cones.
Soil frozen in winter, waterlogged in summer.

Question 19

Animal Adaptations

Answer 19

> Growing seasons is 4-5 months so in winter there is little food.
Snow cover makes grazing hard.
Mammals have thick and oilly fur to retain body heat and provide waterproofing.
Only one layer of vegetation.
Hibernate, e.g bears.
300 bird species in summer, 270 migrate away for winter because of lack of food and the cold.

Question 20

Direct Threat to Taiga

Answer 20

> The Canadian Tar Sands, tar sands consist of oil sand, water and clay in a complex mixture.
Production means removing Canadian forest, destroying habitats of plants and animals, driving local wildlife extinct.
Toxic sludge poisons landscape and water supplies harm indigenous people.
2 tonnes of Earth = 1 barrel of bitumen.
Proven reserves of 174 billion barrels of oil.
Shell, Total, BP, ExcomMobil have development plans.
James Bay HEP project, Canada.
Water stored in dams is used to generate hydroelectric power (HEP).
Roads, dams, reservoirs and electrical pylons disrupted migration routes of Caribou.
Mercury flooded forests then decayed in reservoirs, polluting rivers and got into the food web of the local Cree Indians.

Question 21

Indirect Threats to Taiga

Answer 21

> Fire:
-Problem in the Taiga.
-Carpet of pine needle litter helps start fire.
-Needs wild fires, but too many cause long term reductions in biodiversity.
Pests and Disease:
-Reduce commercial value.
-Biodiversity reduced.
-Turns a dense forest into an open landscape with fewer trees.

Question 22

Conserving the Taiga - UNESCO

Answer 22

> United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
The UNESCO biosphere reserve model for conservation has a transition, core and buffer area.

Question 23

Conserving the Taiga- RAMSAR

Answer 23

> A type of conservation status reserved for areas of global importance to give them an extra level of protection.
However, global warming and illegal exploitation is hard to protect from.

Question 24

Conserving the Taiga Strategies

Answer 24

> Strategy 1 = WILDERNESS:
-4.5% of US land is.
-Isolated, hard-to-reach places with little interference or settlement, basically untouched by human activity.
-Logging,mining, road building and motorised transport are all banned.
-No trace of recreational activity.
Strategy 2 = NATIONAL PARKS:
-Most of the taiga in USA, Canada and Russia is,
-Exceed 1000 hectares and have legal protection.
-Budget with park rangers and open to public for leisure.
UK national parks are smaller and the resident population is larger.

Question 25

Forest Fragmentation

Answer 25

> Forest fragmentation is when forests are cut down in a manner that leaves small, isolated patches of forest known as forest fragments.
Intact forest doesn’t contain roads or development so human impact is low.
Important for animals to have intact forest because:
-Animals are adapted so can’t simply move.
-Species are separated which can lead to extinction as animals can’t breed.
-Need permanent territories for them to have food sources.

Question 26

Global Actions to Protect Forests

Answer 26

> CITES:
-International treaty.
-Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora.
-Lists 34,000 endangered species by banning cross border trade of listed species.
-Reduced ivory trade and halted decline in African elephants.
-Works well for high profile, ‘cute and cuddly’ listed species.
-Lots of countries have signed up.
Protects species not ecosystem so doesn’t prevent deforestation.
-Relies on countries setting up funding and monitoring and policing systems which LIC’s can’t afford.

Question 27

Global Actions to Protect Forests ii

Answer 27

> REDD:
-Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation.
-UN project trying to stop deforestation.
-Reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation.
-Conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
-Sustainable management of forests.
20% of carbon emissions come from deforestation.

Question 28

Conservation

Answer 28

> Protecting threatened biomes.

Question 29

Juma Sustainable Forest Reserve

Answer 29

> Area of pristine tropical rainforest in the Amazon.
Brazil’s first REDD project.
If it wasn’t protected more deforestation would’ve taken place.
Families that live in Juma TRF are paid $28 month not to deforest.
Giving people alternative income so they don’t cut down the forest.
Without protection, 60% of its’ forest would have gone by 2050.
Ecotourism is an extra source of income.
7 schools have been built and clean water.
Relies on TNC donations - Marriot Hotels.
Locals signed away their rights to use the forest’s products.

Question 30

Conflict in the Taiga (FOR)

Answer 30

> INTERNATIONAL BOREAL CONSERVATION:
-More pressure on boreal regions of Canada.
-Clear maintaining regions globally is important conservation values will require very large protected areas.
SAAMI (Indigenous Tribe):
-Preserve and develop economic activities.
-Preserve lands and heritage for future generations.
ATHABASCA CHIPEWYAN (IT):
-Against tar sands.
-Economic development at the expense of people and the planet makes no sense.
WORLD WILDLIFE FEDERATION:
-Russia’s taiga zone is fragmented.
-Coal mining, logging, pollution and development pose threats to the region.

Question 31

Conflict in the Taiga (AGAINST)

Answer 31

> SYNCRUDE (largest tar sands company in Canada):
-Employment to thousands of people through taxes and goods and services from suppliers.
-Economic well-being of Canadians.
ARKAIM SAWMILL in Siberia:
-Trees are renewable.
-We plant trees to replace the cut down one so there will be plenty for the next generation.
Around 60,000 people were employed in logging, paper and pulp in 2002.

Question 32

Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada

Answer 32

> World’s 2nd largest national park created in 1922 to protect mountain bison from hunting.
Mixture of taiga and wetland, which is ideal for migratory birds.Due to rarity of mountain bison, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and has been a RAMSAR wetland since 1962.
Access is from the north and there’s limited winter access from the south.
Central and western areas are inaccessible, and are reserved for wildlife.
The areas status doesn’t mean it’s not threatened:
-Tar sand mining is proposed close by. This could pollute the park’s Athabasca River, and reduce its flow when water is taking for the use of mining.