Tropical rainforests Flashcards
What is the climate generally like in tropical rainforests
20-28 degrees
Rainfall is high - around 2000mm per year
What is soil like in tropical rainforests
Not very fertile as rain washes nutrients away
What are plants like in tropical rainforests
Most trees are evergreen to help them take advantage of the continual growing season
Little light reaches floor
Lots of epiphytes because of competition
How much of life do rainforests contain
Around 50% of all life on Earth
What kind of ecosystems are rainforests
Interdependent
How have plants adapted to conditions
Tall - sunlight
Waxy leaves - encourages runoff so the plant isn’t damaged
Climbing plants - such as Lianas use trees to reach sunlight
Smooth thin bark - helps runoff
Buttress roots - large and stable to support the tree
What are the 4 layers of the rainforest
Emergent
Main canopy
Undercanopy
Shrub layer
How much of Malaysia’s land is covered by rainforest
67%
Causes of deforestation in Malaysia
Subsistence farming - slash and burn
Commercial farming - world’s largest exporter of palm oil
Logging - top exporter of tropical hardwoods in the 1980s
Road building - deforestation to make room for roads
Mineral extraction - tropical rainforests have areas rich in minerals and gemstones ( copper and aluminium)
Energy development - Bakun hydroelectric dam (700km^2)
Transmigration - poorer people moving into the countryside has set up settlements and palm oil plantations
Pros and cons of development in Malaysia
Pros:
Economy
Better transport
QoL
Cons:
Environmental damage
Habitat destruction
Tourism may decrease
What is happening as a result of deforestation in Malaysia
Soil erosion (topsoil)
CO2 in atmosphere increasing
How can rainforests be sustainably managed
Selective logging - Helicopter logging is used in Sarawak, Malaysia (dragging felled trees using helicopters)
Replanting
Ecotourism
Education - Rainforest Alliance in Guatemala
Conservation
Reducing debt - In 2011 the US reduced Indonesia’s debt by 29 million US dollars in exchange for conserving their rainforests
International hardwood agreements - FSC mark sustainably-sourced timber with their logo
