Short Answers

Question 1

Natural resources are usually defined as

Answer 1

materials or substances occurring in nature which can used by humans. These are sometimes refered to as wild resources.

Question 2

Australian Aboriginals traditionally used dingoes to help

Answer 2

To help hunt wild animals. For flushing them out of hiding.

Question 3

Early agriculture took many main forms such as

Answer 3

Shifting cultivation.

• slash and burn
  
  • designed for nutrient poor areas which could only support short term cropping.

Sedentary cultivation.

• permanent fields and villages.
• developed in areas where
  
  • soil and climate could support crops every year.
  • where irrigation is possible.

Question 4

The ‘Tambul spade’, found preserved in swampy ground in the Papua New Guinea Highlands in 1976, is significant because

Answer 4

It is aged at ~4000 BP. It is the oldest known PNG agricultural tool and wooden artifact.

Question 5

The Industrial Revolution began in around the middle of which Century.

Answer 5

18th century or 1700’s. (approx. ~1750)

Question 6

The has been suggested as a name to mark the period of ‘geologic’ time in which humans have become the dominant influence on the Earth’s environment.

Answer 6

Anthropocene

Question 7

Sustainable resource management aims to

Answer 7

Meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Question 8

One environmental justification for being a vegetarian is

Answer 8

Reducing carbon emission from the production and consumption of meat.

Question 9

The general purpose of multilateral environmental agreements is to

Answer 9

of preventing or managing human impacts on natural resources

Question 10

An environmental hazard is usually defined as

Answer 10

a state or an event which has the potential to threaten the surrounding natural environment / or adversely affect people’s health and belongings.

Question 11

Examples of a biospheric hazard are

Answer 11

Bush fires, lightning, animal attacks, insect pests, disease.

Question 12

Many earthquakes occur in New Zealand because

Answer 12

It astride boundary two tectonic plates (Australian Plate, Pacific Plate).

Question 13

The 1953 Tangiwai disaster occurred after the railway bridge over the Whangaehu River was destroyed by

Answer 13

was caused by the collapse of the tephra dam holding back nearby Mount Ruapehu’s crater lake, creating a large lahar in the Whangaehu River.

Question 14

Most tsunami are caused by

Answer 14

Large earthquakes on the sea floor when slabs of rock move past each other suddenly, causing the overlying water to move.

Question 15

Tropical cyclones are known as in North America, and in Asia as

Answer 15

Hurricanes.

Question 16

Records over many years show that floods cause over what per cent of all deaths that result from natural disasters worldwide?

Answer 16

50%

Question 17

Fire has a particularly strong negative effect on New Zealan.d’s indigenous forest because

Answer 17

Our forest being isolated has caused the forest to not be adjusted to fires occuring meaning that the disaster can destroy a forest.

Question 18

The ozone layer is important to life on Earth because it

Answer 18

Reflects UV radiation from the earth

Question 19

As the Earth’s climate warms, sea level rises for two key reasons:

Answer 19

Thermal expansion

Glacial melting and melting ice sheets.

Question 20

Environmental resources may be defined as

Answer 20

organic and inorganic natural materials which are of great value to man, animals and plants.

Question 21

Fossil fuels are classified as non-renewable resources because they

Answer 21

They replenish at a rate that is longer than a human lifetime.

Question 22

Hunting and gathering formed the basis of human existence until the emergence of

Answer 22

Agriculture

Question 23

The Industrial Revolution refers to

Answer 23

The process whereby industrial activity comes to play a dominant role in the economy of a nation or region.

Question 24

International environmental law emerged in response to

Answer 24

To manage human use of environment and resources when problems cross national boundaries.

Question 25

New Zealand’s Resource Management Act 1991 aims to

Answer 25

promote the sustainable management of natural and physical resources.

Question 26

Regulation to avoid over-fishing involves introducing controls such as:

Answer 26

Institute safe catching limits.
Place controls on secondary catches.
Protect key habitat areas.
Change enforcement protocols.

Question 27

Plantation forestry is becoming increasingly important worldwide because

Answer 27

they provide most goods and services that are provided by natural forests.

These include timber, nontimber forest products, protection of clean water and clean air, soil erosion control, biodiversity, esthetics, carbon sequestration, and climate control.

Question 28

The concept of sustainable yield is based on the idea that

Answer 28

Such a yield is one that can in principle be maintained indefinitely because it can be supported by the regenerative capacities of the underlying natural system.

Question 29

Approximately 80% of the world’s volcanoes are located above

Answer 29

At convergent plate boundaries (subduction zones)

Question 30

When tropical cyclones move inland, they eventually weaken because

Answer 30

Without the warm water being absorbed into the cyclone it would start to disipate.

Question 31

People in less developed countries are often more vulnerable to natural disasters because

Answer 31

Cause setbacks to long term economic and social development of the country
Lack of resources for early warning systems; unplanned squatter developments are not designed to withstand natural forces
Inflicts massive casualities due to lack of relief infrastructure and resources
Forced to divert funds from development programs to emergency relief and recovery

Question 32

Tsunamis are

Answer 32

Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea.

Question 33

The enhanced greenhouse effect refers to as

Answer 33

climate change or global warming, is the impact on the climate from the additional heat retained due to the increased amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that humans have released into the earths atmosphere since the industrial revolution.

Question 34

One negative impact of acid rain is

Answer 34

rob the soil of essential nutrients such as calcium

cause aluminum to be released in the soil, which makes it hard for trees to take up water.

Question 35

Global warming is likely to bring about many environmental changes, such as:

Answer 35

As the climate warms, it changes the nature of global rainfall, evaporation, snow, stream flow and other factors that affect water supply and quality.

Question 36

Ozone depletion poses a risk to humans because

Answer 36

increased UV radiation levels which can cause skin cancers, eye cataracts and immune deficiency disorders.
UV rays also affect plant growth, reducing agricultural productivity.

Question 37

The Agricultural Revolution refers to

Answer 37

the transformation of human societies from hunting and gathering to farming. This transition occurred worldwide between 10,000 BC and 2000 BC, with the earliest known developments taking place in the Middle East.

Question 38

The Anthropocene has been suggested as a name to mark the

Answer 38

period of ‘geologic’ time in which humans have become the dominant influence on the Earth’s environment.

Question 39

There are many actions that each of us can personally take to live more sustainably, such as:

Answer 39

Go #PlasticFree.
Be water wise.
Drive less, drive green.

Question 40

Minerals ‘become’ resources when developments in _____ enable them to be used.

Answer 40

Technology

Question 41

Efforts to sustainably manage fisheries face several problems, for example

Answer 41

Inadequate fisheries regulations
    Lack of implementation/enforcement
    Lack of transparency and traceability of fish
    Failure to follow scientific advice:
    Flag of Convenience vessels: 
    Too few no-go areas for fishing:

Question 42

Deforestation is occurring rapidly in many less developed countries for a variety of reasons, for example

Answer 42

due to population growth and agricultural expansion, aggravated over the long term by wood harvesting for fuel and export.

Question 43

Many volcanoes exist around the margin of the Pacific Ocean because

Answer 43

of the subduction of oceanic plates beneath lighter continental plates.

Question 44

Floods negatively affect people both directly, such as, and indirectly, such as

Answer 44

loss of human life
damage to property
destruction of crops
loss of livestock
deterioration of health conditions owing to waterborne diseases. 

long-term impacts
disruptions to supplies of clean water
wastewater treatment
electricity, transport, communication, and health care.

Question 45

People living in small South Pacific island countries, such as Kiribati and Tuvalu, are especially concerned about global climate change because

Answer 45

The increase in sea levels would take our their way of life making the land uninhabitable.

This is through coruption of fresh water, destruction of crops and homes.

Question 46

Over time, energy inputs to agriculture have increased in an effort to

Answer 46

Increase production rate for the growing population.

Question 47

Aquaculture is becoming more common worldwide because

Answer 47

As global populations continue to increase, wild populations of commercially captured fish can no longer support this demand. Aquaculture provides an efficient means of protein production.

Question 48

Approximately 5% of the world’s volcanoes are located above

Answer 48

Above hotspots in the mantle

Question 49

Approximately 15% of the world’s volcanoes are located above

Answer 49

At divergent plate boundaries (mid-oceanic ridges)