Indonesia Palm Oil Case Study

Question 1

Deforestation

Answer 1

• Tropical rainforest is cleared for plantations
• Burnt vegetation releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and cannot photosynthesise

Question 2

More environmental degradation

Answer 2

• Peat soils act as natural carbon sinks. After deforestation, they are usually drained or removed to make way for soil ready for plantations.
• Rapid decomposition occurs once in contact with air, releasing mass amounts of carbon

Question 3

Rainforest’s presence in the water cycle

Answer 3

• Trees intake water into the biosphere, and release water from the biosphere and groundwater stores into the atmosphere

Question 4

Impacts on water cycle

Answer 4

• When biomass is cleared, soils can become baked and hardened, preventing infiltration furthering soil degradation
• Loss of trees means less transpiration, meaning convectional rainfall cannot occur, subjecting the area to higher risk of drought
• Rapid surface runoff of water leads to more frequent and severe flooding, particularly during rainy seasons.
• Dry conditions mean increased risk of forest fires, which can further amplify issues on water and carbon cycle (positive feedback)