human impacts: biodiversity and food security Flashcards
Why is biodiversity important?
-Biodiversity helps maintain healthy ecosystems, which provide clean air, water, food, and natural resources.
What services do ecosystems provide?
-Ecosystems support pollination, water filtration, soil fertility, carbon storage, and natural pest control.
What factors reduce biodiversity?
-Habitat destruction, invasive species, illegal poaching, pollution, and climate change reduce biodiversity.
How can we protect biodiversity?
By promoting sustainable practices, creating protected areas, and controlling invasive species.
What is food security?
Food security means having access to enough safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy life.
How does population growth affect food security?
-More people means more demand for food, which can lead to habitat destruction and reduced biodiversity.
How does climate change affect food security?
-Droughts and floods caused by climate change reduce food production, leading to food shortages.
What farming practices harm food security?
-Monoculture, overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, and poor soil management reduce long-term food production.
What is monoculture?
-Monoculture is growing the same crop repeatedly, which leads to soil degradation and higher vulnerability to pests.
Why is rooibos tea only grown in South Africa?
-Rooibos has unique growing conditions found only in the Cederberg region of South Africa.
How does climate change affect rooibos tea?
-Changes in rainfall and temperature reduce rooibos yields and make the plant more susceptible to pests.
What can farmers do to protect rooibos production?
-Farmers can adopt sustainable agricultural practices, use water wisely, and develop drought-resistant crops.
How do droughts affect food security?
- Droughts reduce water for crops, leading to lower food production and increased soil erosion.
How do floods affect food production?
-Floods waterlog soil, damage crops, and reduce grazing land for livestock, lowering food availability.
How do invasive alien plants harm ecosystems?
-They reduce available land for crops, absorb more water, and change soil conditions, harming native species.
