(MIDTERM) MODULE 2: LAND DEGRADATION

Question 1

• delineable area of the earth’s terrestrial surface, encompassing all attributes of the biosphere immediately above or below this surface including those of the near-surface climate, the soil and terrain forms, the surface hydrology (including shallow lakes, rivers, marshes and swamps), the near-surface sedimentary layers and associated groundwater reserve, the plant and animal populations, the human settlement pattern and physical results of past and present human activities”.

Answer 1

land

Question 2

causes of land degradation (5)

Answer 2

deforestation
desertification
mining
soil salinization
urban sprawl

Question 3

• massive removal of a forest or the clearing of vast forest areas either for lumber source, conversion to agricultural lands, or for urbanization
• biggest threat to all forests nationwide

Answer 3

deforestation

Question 4

occurs when forest ecosystems lose their capacity to provide important goods and services to people and nature

Answer 4

forest degradation

Question 5

causes of deforestation (5)

Answer 5

agriculture
urbanization
timber extraction
anthropogenic climate change
social and political

Question 6

• conversion of forest into lands into agricultural lands for crops and livestock farming to meet the growing food demands of an exponentially increasing global population

Answer 6

Agriculture

Question 7

• clearing of forests to give way to settlements and infrastructure projects such as the building of roads, bridges, railways, airports, and power generation and transmission.

Answer 7

Urbanization

Question 8

• the global demand for timber has supported illegal and unsustainable logging in various forests of the world
• aside from using timber for building settlements, they are also exploited for furniture and paper industries, as well as firewood and charcoal businesses.

Answer 8

timber extraction

Question 9

• climate change has brought severe and frequent droughts, hurricanes and tropical storms, heatwaves, and fires that destroyed forests worldwide
• although these are natural phenomena, the change in the normal cycle of the climate is due to human activities

Answer 9

anthropogenic climate change

Question 10

• Lack of discipline and responsible demand on trades on the part of communities
• Failure of the government to implement environmental laws due to incompetence or corruption

Answer 10

social and political

Question 11

effects of deforestation (4)

Answer 11

1. anthropogenic climate change
2. soil erosion and flooding
3. reduced air humidity
4. loss of habitat and biodiversity

Question 12

• Loss of the carbon dioxide absorbing capacity of forests leads to the accumulation of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere
• Increase in greenhouse gases leads to global warming that leads to climate change

Answer 12

anthropogenic climate change

Question 13

• roots of plants, especially trees, bind soil particles, preventing them from being washed out during a storm or heavy rains
• although _________ is a natural phenomenon, _________ accelerates the process, causing the nutrient rich topsoil to be washed out, leaving behind an unfertile land
• The trees themselves act as barriers that slows down the rushing of water as it runs off the land
• Without these trees, water will simply rush and flood to low lying areas

Answer 13

SOIL EROSION AND FLOODING

• soil erosion
• deforestation

Question 14

• Without vegetation, the rate of _________ is greatly decreased, affecting the normal water cycle
• Decrease in evapotranspiration decreases the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, decreasing condensation, and decreasing rainfall

Answer 14

reduced air humidity

• evapotranspiration

Question 15

• Destruction of the homes of thousands of species that live in the forest
• Leads to a decline in both species richness and species diversity
• Numerous species are now extinct, and more are in the endangered species list

Answer 15

loss of habitat and biodiversity

Question 16

dealing with deforestation (5)

Answer 16

1. reforestation and afforestation
2. forest landscape restoration (FLR)
3. power of marketplace
4. changing the politics
5. standing with indigenous people

RFPCS

Question 17

________: process of restoring forests by planting the same tree species that are native to that specific forest

________: involves planting trees in areas that were never forests, converting (not restoring) an area into a forest

Answer 17

• reforestation
• afforestation

Question 18

• Planting trees is not enough to restore forests, so IUCN has collaborated with FLR enthusiasts to bring people together to identify and implement the most appropriate restoration interventions in a landscape
• It includes multiple activities like managing natural regeneration, agroforestry, protect wildlife reserves, mange plantations, erosion control, and improved land management by addresses the underlying drivers of forest loss

Answer 18

forest landscape restoration

Question 19

• Companies can make an impact by introducing and implementing “zero deforestation” policies that clean up their supply chains
• set ambitious targets to maximize the use of recycled wood, pulp, paper and fiber in their products
• For the non-recycled products bought, they should ensure that any virgin fiber used has transparent, credible assurances that it was sourced in a legal way that respects principles of environmental and social responsibility

Answer 19

power of marketplace

Question 20

• call the forests their homes and have shown cultures indicative of sustainable forest management
• they are the best protectors of forests, thus the best way to save forests is to recognize the claims of indigenous peoples to their forest territories

Answer 20

standing with indigenous people

Question 21

• occurs in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas
• does NOT mean literally converting a land to a desert, but rather refers to the conversion of a productive land to an unproductive barren land
• characterized by the loss of soil moisture and nutrient rich topsoil to the point where the land loses its productivity or ability to produce vegetation

Answer 21

desertification

Question 22

causes of desertification (5)

Answer 22

1. overgrazing
2. anthropogenic climate change
3. deforestation
4. unsustainable farming methods
5. overuse of groundwater

OADUO

Question 23

• major cause of desertification worldwide
• occurs when too many animals graze for too long, exceeding the ability of a grassland area to support them
• these lands have grasses that were eaten down to its soil level, exposing the topsoil to elements of erosion

Answer 23

overgrazing

Question 24

• Severe drought and moisture loss kill vegetation and prevents any other from thriving on an extremely dry land

Answer 24

anthropogenic climate change

Question 25

• Removal of trees means removal of the forest cover, exposing forest soil to direct sunlight
• Increasing soil temperature also increases the rate of evaporation, making the land very dry
• Soil erosion due to deforestation removes the nutrient rich topsoil, converting a productive land to a barren land

Answer 25

deforestation

Question 26

• Failure to employ crop rotation depletes the topsoil of nutrients, degrading the soil
• Over tilling the soil dislodges soil particles, making them vulnerable to erosion and eventually lose soil nutrients and ability to store water
• Overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides alters the chemical balance of the soil, making it inhospitable for plant growth

Answer 26

unsustainable farming methods

Question 27

Excessive pumping of ground water for human consumption dries up the ground water reservoir, depriving vegetation of much needed water supply

Answer 27

overuse of groundwater

Question 28

effects of desertification (3)

Answer 28

1. decrease in crop yield
2. loss of habitat and biodiversity
3. migration and overpopulation

DLM

Question 29

• with the much-needed food for the growing population, losing viable agricultural lands to desertification poses as a major problem that could lead to food shortage

Answer 29

decrease in crop yield

Question 30

• desertification makes it impossible for plants and animals to survive and sustain their population
• it is the decline in population that makes species vulnerable to extinction

Answer 30

loss of habitat and desertification

Question 31

• Loss of both food supply and livelihood drives people to leave and migrate to more productive areas, which in the end will be overpopulated by the influx of migrants

Answer 31

migration and overpopulation

Question 32

dealing with desertification (5)

Answer 32

1. rotational grazing
2. better farming methods
3. reforestation
4. sustainable use of groundwater
5. decrease greenhouse gas emissions

RBRSD

Question 33

• Involves dividing an entire Pasteur to sub-pastures or paddocks
• Cattle grazing in these paddocks are done so by schedule, allowing time for Pasteur plants to rest, grow, and recover before being grazed again

Answer 33

rotational grazing

Question 34

Practice of crop rotations, use of organic fertilizers, and improved tilling methods

Answer 34

better farming methods

Question 35

In areas that were subjected to deforestation, _________ efforts should take precedence

Answer 35

reforestation

Question 36

OTHER TYPES OF LAND DEGRADATION

Answer 36

• soil salinization and waterlogging
• mining
• urban sprawl