Movement of Carbon - Deforestation

Question 1

How much co2 emissions does land use change account for?

Answer 1

30% - mainly deforestation.

Question 2

Why do people cut down trees?

Answer 2

Need for extra agricultural land.
Subsidence farmers need to feed their families.
Burning them in 'slash and burn'.
Logging operations.
As a result of urban sprawl.

Question 3

Natural factors leading to deforestation?

Answer 3

Wildfires

Question 4

Human factors leading to deforestation?

Answer 4

Overgrazing.

Question 5

How much land is cut down and converted to other land uses a year?

Answer 5

13 million ha.

Equivalent to size of Greece.

Question 6

Give evidence to support that there has been a reduction in the net loss of forests.

Answer 6

1990-2000 suffered net loss of 8.9 million ha of forest.
But in.
2000-2005 this reduced to a net loss of 7.3 million ha of forest.

Question 7

How much forest do we lose each day to this day?

Answer 7

200km.

Rainforests could be gone by hundred years time.

Question 8

What happens when forests are cleared?

Answer 8

Large proportion of above ground biomass is burned.
Releasing co2 into atmosphere.
Also accelerates decay of dead wood, litter and below ground carbon.

Question 9

Why are trees so important to the water cycle?

Answer 9

Forest soils are moist, without shade they dry up.
Return water vapour back into atmosphere through transpiration.
Without them forest areas can become barren deserts.