Glaciated landscapes threat and management Flashcards
where is sagmatha national park
in eastern nepal near mount everast and borders india and china
how many sherpas live in sagamatha national park
6000
what are the threats facing sagamatha national park
- tourism
- climate change
- avalanches
- deforestation and landslides
how is tourism a threat to sagamatha NP
- footpath erosion and illegal trails
- water pollution
- waste disposal
- increased demand for forest products
- new lodges and hotels built
- changes to traditional sherpa way of life
how is climate change and shrinking glacials a threat to sagamatha NP
shrunk by 13%
impacting HEP, farming and creating lakes that could cause flooding if breaches glacial debris dam
how much have glaciers in SNP shrunk by
13%
how are avalanches a threat to SNP
-risk to life and landscape
what magnitude was the earthquake that hit nepal an how many people did the consequent avalanch kill
-7.8 magnitude struck 220km from everast
killed 22
how is deforestation and landslides a threat to SNP
-loss of wildlife, erosion of exposed soil, disruption to water cycle, infertile soil, risk of avalaches
what is deforested wood/ land used for in SNP
farming, firewood/fuel, clearing for roads and reservoirs
name some natural threats to glaciated landscapes
avalanches
landslides
glacial outburst floods
rockfalls
name some human threats to glaciated landscapes
Tourism
mining
reservoir construction
urbanisation and infrastructure
how many people do avalanches kill a year worldwide
200
what is a glacial outburst flood
powerful flood
caused by sudden discharge of water from sub-glacial or ice moraine dammed lake
meltwater collected behind is released
threat to people and property in valley
how many visitors does Zermatt in Swiz attract a year
how many at peak season
2 million
35,000 a peak times
how does tourism affect places like Zermatt
huge demand for energy and water
environemntal degradation
increased noise and vehicle emissions
how much of the worlds fresh water do glaciers store
69%
how is dam/ reservoir construction a threat to glaciated landscapes
many countries tapping into water from glaciers
> such as chinese side of tibetan plateau which contains largest volume outside polar regions
>many depend on this water
>construction requires habitat destruction, heavy machinery, clearing of land, irreversible damage
how many glaciers on chinese side of tibetan plateau
37,000
how many depend on glacial water supplies
2 billion
how many reservoirs does china plan to build
59
how is urbanisation a threat to glaciated landscapes
> traditionally this was the development of settlements in relict glaciated areas for agricultural purposes
however in polar environments this is for exploitation purposes only as areas are surrounded by nothing
eg) for whaling mining or fishing
more pollution, toxic waste, conflict with natives/outsiders
reduction in native and traditional cultures eg) Inuits in greenland
what are 3 examples of types of management approaches
> total exploitation
sustainable exploitation
total exploitation
what is total exploitation
aka do nothing
> maximum economic exploitation with no protection for natural environment
preferred approach of industries where large reserves of minerals metals or fossils require open cast mining or large scale infrastructure
conflict with conservationists and natives
eg) Yamal Peninsula for gas and Russian government favouring total exploitation causing environment and culture degradation
what is sustainable exploitation
balance of need for exploitation and economic growth and need for conserving natural environment and indigenous cultures
>aims to take into account the interests of all stakeholders to reduce conflict
>relies on compromise and hard to achieve
what is total protection
complete conservation of natural environment maintaining pristine conditions
>only exploitation can be for scientific purposes and research and at MOST ecotourism
> support from conservationists but not businesses
mostly only capable in remote locations that are sparsely populated eg)antarctica, greenland, alaska national parks
ENFORCED BY NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORKS LIKE ANTARCTICA TREATY
name some stakeholders in glaciated landscapes
>IGO's eg) UNEP >TNCs like Shell >Global, national and local pressure groups like greenpeace >National and Local global governments >Local businesses farming or ski hire >Native people eg Inuit >tourists and visitors
what are IGO’s interests in glaciated landscapes
like UNEP
>have high power and often team up with pressure groups like Greenpeace
>aim to promote international cooperation and protection of natural landscapes to achieve global sustainability
>eg) Antarctica is protected by international treaty
since 1959
what are TNC’s interests in glaciated landscapes
utilise economic resources to gain profits and meet needs of industries and consumers
what are pressure groups interests in glaciated landscapes
influence public policy in interest of particular causes like conservation
>aim to protect natural landscape like greenpeace
some groups want to allow exploitation in protected areas however like ANWR in the Arctic national wildlife refuge in Alaska
what are National / local governments interests in glaciated landscapes
> aim to establish appropriate management strategies to balance economic social and environment concerns
hard to achieve when there are valuable economic resources in fragile natural environments so coflict must be managed
what are Iocal businesses interests in glaciated landscapes
use local economic resources to maintain livlihood and quality of life
usually in areas with fewer alternatives
what are Native people’s interests in glaciated landscapes
> often depend on natural environment for survival like food shelter
> often nomadic and migrate within region and have conflict with stakeholders
spiritual and cultural links
what are tourist and visitors interests in glaciated landscapes
> infrastructure required for travel and accomodation
>variety of activities which are to appreciate nature
evaluate the view that tourism poses the biggest threat to glaciated landscapes active and relict
IT DOES»> footpath erosion and effects cultures like sherpas and inuit (1)
increased infrastructure and urbansiation, transport all accelerate climate change (2)
IT DOESNT»> Climate change glacial outburst floods, avalanches and landslides, (1)
Resource extraction, dam construction, deforestation(2)
evaluate the view that threats to glaciated landscapes can ONLY be managed successfully on a global scale
EXAM QUESTION
think legeslative aggreements and sustainable management schemes
GLOBAL SCALE EXAMPLES
- Antarctic Treaty
- NGOs like Greenpeace that opperate globally
- Alpine convention
SMALLER SCALE EXAMPLES/ NGOs
- sustainable ski resorts like Zermatt
- conservation agreements like the Alaska Wildlife refuge
- sagamatha is a national park
what is the alaska wildlife refuge
The Alaska National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States. It consists of 19,286,722 acres in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest national wildlife refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Wikipedia
TOTAL PROTECTION APPROACH ON SMALLER SCALE
what is the antarctic treaty
The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth’s only continent without a native human population
> demiliarised zone
est during cold war for protection from nuclear activity
most successful treaty
1961
LARGE SCALE TOTAL PROTECTION APPROACH
What kind of protection is the zermatt ski resort and the SAGAMATHA NATIONAL PARK
SUSTAINABLE PROTECTION
what is sagamatha np
Sagarmatha National Park is a protected area in the Himalayas of northeast Nepal. It’s dominated by snow-capped mountains including Mount Everest (Sagarmatha), and encompasses glaciers, valleys and trails. It’s home to rare species like the snow leopard, musk deer and red panda. Many Sherpa people live here,
BECAME A NP IN 1976 AS A UNESCO WORLD HEITAGE SITE IN 1979
how big is sagamatha np
1,150km²
how is the zermatt ski resort sustainable
car free, runs on electric busses
revegetating areas to cover 85% of areas
how are sagamatha controlling activities in the park
> limitting number of permits to climbers each year
banning goats to protect vegetation
establishing plant nurseries to re establish forests on slopes which will reduce erosion
building micro HEP stations for local use
using kerosene instead of firewood for cooking
stopping development projects like extension of Sanboche airport
how much of nepals forest now remains
30%
what is the alpine convention
-treaty between Euopean countries like italy france austria which are in alpine areas
>aim to achieve sustainable development in the Alps by protecting enviornment while promoting economic development Sust. exploitation approach
> balance the needs of 14million residents and 120 million tourists
however switzerland have not ratified the protocols yet as the convention was critisised by locals in areas who felt that they would lose control of their parts pf the Alps
convention was more enviornmentally based rather than economically based
TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
how many tourists visit alps each year
120 million
how many countries have signed the antarctic treaty
60 which is representative of 89% of worlds people
unsucess of antarctic treaty
tourists are still allowed in moderation
What is the population of Caribou in Greenland in 1993, compared to in 2001?
1993 = 7000 2001 = 140,000
reindeer
What are the threats to Glaciers in Greenland?
Soil Erosion, Trampling and Landslides
What is the population of Greenland?
56,000
What is the Active layer?
The top layer of soil in permafrost environments that thaws during summer, but freezes in the winter
What are the 3 types of Permafrost?
Continious, Discontinious and Sporadic
When was the Kyoto Protocol introduced?
16th February 2005
What does the Kyoto Protocol do?
They want to reduce greenhouse gasses as well as removing Hydroflorocarbons to reduce deplation of the Ozone
When was the Antartic Treaty signed?
1st December 1959
What does the Antartic Treaty do?
It believes that Antartica shall be used for a peaceful purposeas well as freedom from scientific investigation
How many countries are part of the Antartic Treaty?
52
When was the Paris Agreement signed?
22nd April 2016
What does the Paris Agreement do?
Reduces greenhouse gasses and emmitions
How many countries signed the Paris Agreement?
142
How much did the Paris Agreement give the US for Climate Risk Insurance?
$420 million
How deep is Continuiouss Permafrost?
400m
How deep is Sporadic Permafrost?
10m
What % of the Caingorms National Park is “wild land”?
47%
What % of the Caingorms National Park is protected by European Laws?
49%
How many people live and work in the Cairngorms?
18,000
periglacial landscape example
yamal peninsula
How deep is the permafrost on the Yamel Peninsula?
300m
On the Yamel Peninsula how long is the Railway which has been built?
572m
What is the population of the Nenets on the Yamel Peninsula?
410,000
ethnic group native to northern arctic Russia, Russian Far North.
How far can the Nenets migrations be?
1000km each way
