physical environment Flashcards
glaciated land uses
what is the reason from hill sheep farming?
Due to the steepness of the slopes, the cold temperatures and high rainfall, which limit the growing season and affect soil fertility, the area is mostly unsuited to crop farming since it would be almost impossible to use machinery such as combine harvesters. The only type of farming possible is hill sheep farming, with cattle occasionally being raised on lower, less steep land.
why are there large plantations of coniferous forests?
This is suited to the steep slopes, poor soils and inhospitable climate. The trees also protect the slopes from soil erosion.
water supply in glaciated lands
The Lakes are natural reservoirs in an area of high rainfall. It is much more economical to use these natural reservoirs than to build man-made reservoirs. The Lakes supply up to 30% of the water needs of this part of Great Britain.
examples of things tourists may want to do:
The area is very attractive to tourists offering a variety of physical attractions such as the mountains and lakes for activities such as hill walking, mountain climbing, adventure holidays,
water sports, fishing and general sightseeing.
conflicts between tourists and residents:-traffic congestion
– The tourists cause a lot of traffic congestion on the roads due to a lot of slow moving cars, buses and caravans.
– Traffic congestion is at its worst in ‘honey pots’ such as Bowness and Keswick. This
frustrates the local people who are trying to get to places quickly.
– The traffic can delay emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire engines.
– Tourists take up most parking spaces, park where they should not and increase local air pollution.
conflicts between tourists and residents:- raising houses prices and ‘ghost towns’
– Some locals cannot afford to move home. Wealthy tourists are paying over the odds to buy a holiday home, out pricing the locals.
– Some villages are becoming ‘ghost villages’ as most of the houses are owned by tourists who do not live there all of the time. Due to this village shops and schools
are closing.
conflicts between tourists and farmers:- damage to farms
– Not all tourists obey the country code leaving field gates open allowing animals to stray onto roads and be killed or cause accidents
– They drop litter which not only looks unsightly but may be eaten by farm animals, harming them
– They let their dogs off their leads allowing them to chase animals.
conflicts between tourists and farmers:- footpath erosion
– This happens when a lot of people walk up a hill in the same direction. Overtime the vegetation gets trampled on and killed leaving a path of bare soil.
– During heavy rain the path will become very muddy and some of it will be washed
away. To avoid the mud people walk on the grass next to it eventually killing it,
making the path bigger and more of an eyesore.
conflicts between tourists and tourists:- recreational activities
– Honey pots in the Lake District also include Lakes such as Windermere. They offer many opportunities for recreation and leisure.
– This creates conflicts. The noisy activities, e.g. Motor boats upset the people
wanting peace and quiet e.g. the fishermen and birdwatchers.
conflicts between tourists and conservationists:- damage to the landscape
– Conservationists are concerned about the look if tourist developments such as visitor centres are built, as they do not blend in with the landscape and spoil the view.
(national park authority)
solutions to ease traffic congestion:
– Bringing in one-way systems (Ambleside).
– Pedestrianising some streets (Keswick).
– Painting double yellow lines to prevent street parking (Grasmere).
– Providing large car parks on edge of villages (Grasmere).
– Separating local and tourist traffic.
– Taking pressure off ‘honeypots’ by advertising and signposting other attractions indifferent areas.
– Encouraging the use of minibuses and bicycles.
(national park authority)
solutions to ease soaring property prices:
– To reduce soaring property prices and locals being forced out by tourists, the
Authority can insist that new houses are sold/rented cheaply to locals (Rosthwaite
and Bowness).
(national park authority)
solutions to ease conflicts between tourists:
– They are attempting to educate tourists at information centres about enjoying
themselves without causing conflict.
– Park Rangers are employed to prevent, spot and sort out problems.
– There is zoning of tourist activities (swimming areas ect).
– Speed limits
(national park authority)
solutions to ease conflicts with conservationists
– They vet plans for new tourist developments. Plans that may cause conflict are rejected.
– They insist that new buildings, visitor centres, car parks are screened by deciduous trees and that local stone is used in construction.
(national trust)
solutions to ease conflicts the tourists cause to conservationists and farmers:
– They buy land and buildings and manage them. In this way they can ensure that at
least this land is protected.
– They reduce footpath erosion caused by hill walkers by laying blocks of hard wearing stone ‘stone pitching’ to provide a good walking surface, fence off worse affected
areas to allow them to recover and dig drainage channels to stop water running down footpaths.
