Tropical Rainforests

Question 1

Describe the Biome of Tropical Rainforests

Answer 1

Close to the equator e.g South America, Asia, Africa
Concentrated energy from sun moistured air which rises rapidly to produce heavy rainfall + high temperatures ideal for plant growth

Question 2

Describe distribution of TRFS

Answer 2

6% of earth’s land covered by TRFS
Mainly located 23.5 degrees north/south equator e.g tropics of cancer and capricorn
Central South America
Western India
South East Asia

Question 3

Describe the climate of TRFS

Answer 3

Thrive in Equatorial climate
High temps of 27C throughout year
High rainfall over 200mm a year
Wet season lasts several months = excess water on ground causes local rivers to flood + leaching (washing nutrient out of soil)

Question 4

Describe soils in TRFS

Answer 4

Lots of lush vegetation growth
Intense leaching removes nutrients from topsoil and redeposits them further down = accounts for red coloured iron rich soils called latosols.
Trf soils aren’t very fertile - nutrients concentrated in upper topsoil and very quickly taken by plants as they grow = trees and plants have shallow roots to maximise nutrient uptake
Growing season = all 12 months

Question 5

what are latosols

Answer 5

iron rich soils

Question 6

describe animals and plants in trfs

Answer 6

over 50% of worlds animals live in this ecosystem = highest level of biodiversity in world
Birds live in canopy above trees + feeding on seeds/nectar from flowering plants
Lots of well adapted mammals + snakes use trunks of trees and vertical highways

Question 7

describe people in TRFS

Answer 7

traditional tribes living in rainforests live in harmony with natural environments; hunting + gathering what they need to survive = sustainable system
Rainforests exploited for commercial gain e.g chopping down trees for timber

Question 8

Describe vertical structure of rainforest

Answer 8

Emergents (small number of trees break through general level of a forest e.g heights of 30m)
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v
Canopy (dense tree cover protects the ground from heavy rainfall + reduces amount of light reaching areas below)
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V
Under storey (woody plants/shrubs grow in calm conditions with limited sunlight)
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V
Forest Floor (made of decomposed material broken down by hot conditions, level consists f scattered plants + fungi + insects)

Question 9

ways in which nutrient recycling differs between TRF and UK woodland

Answer 9

1. Tropical rainforests have consistently warm temperatures and high humidity, leading to rapid decomposition of organic matter. In contrast, UK deciduous woodlands experience seasonal changes, which can slow down decomposition in colder months.
2. The soil in tropical rainforests is often less fertile due to heavy rainfall leaching nutrients away, while UK deciduous woodlands typically have more nutrient-rich soils, which support a different type of vegetation and nutrient cycling
3. In tropical rainforests, the rapid decomposition of leaf litter leads to a quick return of nutrients to the soil. In UK deciduous woodlands, the leaf litter decomposes more slowly, especially in winter, affecting the nutrient availability throughout the year.

Question 10

how much of the worlds oxygen do trfs produce

Answer 10

20%

Question 11

socio-economic values of trfs

Answer 11

• building material (timber)
• native food crops, wild meat, fish, palm oil, cosmetics
• energy from hydro-electric power (high rainfall) = meet energy demands
• rubber harvested from rubber trees
• over 120 prescription drugs come from plant sources - 2/3rds with cancer fighting porperties
• around 1/4 of drugs used in developed world are derived from rainforest plants
• employment opportunities = guides for tourism, mining, logging, farming
• Medicinal drugs from animals = saliva from bats prevent heart attacks, frog secretions treat infections
• Medicinal drugs from plants = cortisone from wild yams, quinine from cinchona used to treat malaria
• home to thousands of indigenous tribes

Question 12

environmental value of rainforests

Answer 12

• nutrient recycling/protection from soil erosion
• maintains biodiversity
• reduces air pollution = tress take in co2
• 20% of world’s fresh water comes from amazon basin alone
• 28% of world’s oxygen is generated in TRfs

Question 13

how many species live in trfs

Answer 13

15 million

Question 14

amount of species in amazon rain forest per hectare of land

Answer 14

1500 fish species
2000 bird species
30,000 insect species

Question 15

threats facing bio diversity

Answer 15

natural events e.g lighting strikes
unsustainable timber harvesting
deforestation
commercial plantations
mining + pollution fo water supplies

Question 16

example of TRF conservation

Answer 16

Brazilian government 2004 made action plan which decreased rate of deforestation from 2004-2007

Question 17

5 countries with amazon rainforest

Answer 17

brazil, columbia, ecuador, peru, bolivia

Question 18

what are lines of longitude

Answer 18

vertical lines - run north to south - show how far east or west place is

Question 19

what are lines of latitude

Answer 19

horizontal line - run east to west - show how north or south a place is

Question 20

Name causes of deforestation

Answer 20

• Subsistence farming/commercial farming
• logging
• road building
• mineral extraction
• energy development

Question 21

susbsisence farming

Answer 21

ndigenous rainforest tribes practise subsistence farming. However, increasingly land is cleared to make way for commercial farming - crop plantations and cattle grazing.
◦ In Brazil, cattle ranching accounts for 80% of deforestation. In Brazil, soybeans, palm oil and sugar cane (for biofuel) are the major crops.
◦ Malaysia is the largest exporter of palm oil in the world. Huge areas of rainforest have been converted since the 1970s. Tax incentives for plantation owners encourage further development.

Question 22

logging

Answer 22

Trees such as mahogany and teak are highly valued for furniture and other uses. Smaller trees are used for fuel, pulped or made into charcoal. Malaysia is one of the world’s largest exporters of tropical wood. Much of it involves clear felling, causing total habitat destruction.
Around 80% of deforestation in Malaysia is for logging.

Question 23

road building

Answer 23

Roads bring supplies and provide access to new mining areas, new settlements and energy projects.
◦ In Brazil, the Trans-Amazonian Highway stretches for some 4,000 kilometres through the rainforest.
◦ In Malaysia, logging companies use an extensive network of roads for heavy machinery and to transport wood.

Question 24

mineral extraction

Answer 24

Mineral extraction is a major cause of deforestation in many countries.
◦ In Brazil, minerals such as gold, bauxite and copper are mined extensively, causing huge scars in the landscape and polluting rivers. The largest iron ore mine in the world is at Carajás, which is worked by 3,000 people, 24 hours a day.
◦ Borneo has rich reserves of tin, copper and gold.
Coal is an important source of energy, with 99% of Malaysia’s supply in Borneo. Tin mining is common in Peninsular Malaysia.

Question 25

energy development

Answer 25

High rainfall creates ideal conditions for hydro-electric power (HEP), and there are several large dams and reservoirs.
◦ In Brazil, the Belo Monte dam (currently under construction) will block the Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon, flooding more than 40,500 hectares of rainforest and displacing more than 15,000 people.
◦ In Malaysia, there are several dams supplying hydroelectric power (HEP) including the Bakun Dam, completed in 2011. At 205 metres, it is the highest dam in Asia (not counting Chinal. It supplies energy for industries in Peninsular Malaysia. Drilling for oil and gas has started in Borneo.

Question 26

List impacts of deforestation

Answer 26

local climate change
soil erosion/infertility
river pollution
decline in indigenous tribes
biodiversity

Question 27

local climate change impact

Answer 27

Deforestation has a huge impact on global climate change, but is also affects climate change on a local scale. The water cycle is disrupted by deforestation as the loss of trees means less evapotranspiration, so less moisture is returned to the atmosphere, meaning fewer clouds are formed, and making the local climate drier.
Recycling water acts as a cooling system, so without this the climate gets warmer.

Question 28

soil erosion impact

Answer 28

Chopping down trees leaves the thin top soil exposed, which is quicky removed by heavy rainfall (which is an issue in the rainforest!). Without the top soil layer it is very hard for any vegetation to grow. Soil erosion also leads to the silting up of river courses, which
has an impact on marine ecosystems and increases the risk of flooding. Even if the soil is protected, it quickly loses the fertility it had when it was covered by trees.
Even more nutrients are removed when land is used for grazing or for crop plantations, so farmers have to abandon the patch of land they have been working on to move onto pastures new, which leads to further forest clearance and soil degradation.

Question 29

river pollution impact

Answer 29

Gold mining not only causes deforestation, but it also leads to polluted waterways as mercury is used to separate gold, which then seeps into the ground. This leaking mercury poisons fish, as well as inhabitants of nearby settlements, particularly through contaminated drinking water supplies.
Rivers are also being polluted by silt from soil erosion, as described above.

Question 30

decline in indigenous tribes impact

Answer 30

Indigenous tribes are affected more negatively than any other group as deforestation threatened their homes, food supply and traditional way of life. In the Amazon rainforest indigenous tribes have declined in number, from 330 to 240 tribes, as logging, the construction of roads, the creation of ranches, plantations and reservoirs, and the opening of mines, have all forced them off their land. Many displaced indigenous people have ended up in towns and cities.

Question 31

biodiversity loss impact

Answer 31

Loss of habitat for many animals in the tropical rainforest biome. This threatens individual species, with them becoming endangered, with the threat of extinction. Current estimates suggest that 137 plant, animal and insect species are lost every day because of deforestation - which is around 50,000 a year! This loss of species also means that that many cures for life threatening diseases are also lost. By 2030 parts of the Amazon rainforest could have lost 30-45% of their main species.

Question 32

list ways in to use trfs sustainably

Answer 32

small-scale forestry
ecotourism
debt reduction

Question 33

strategy of small scale forestry

Answer 33

Small-scale forestry
*Selective logging - this technique involves only felling trees fully grown trees - as these are seen as less valuable ecologically, and so younger trees can be allowed to mature and continue to provide protection from soil erosion by binding the soil together with roots and providing leaf litter to help nutrient cycling). The selective logging cycle lasts between 30 and 40 years - meaning that trees cannot be felled until they are at least 30 years old.
◦ Agroforestry - this technique involved growing crops and trees together. Farmers grow crops in carefully controlled, cleared areas within the rainforest, surrounded by plantations of trees. Annual food crops and tree-crops such as coconuts are planted. Agroforestry can control runoff and soil erosion, thereby reducing losses of water, soil material, organic matter and nutrients.
◦ Replanting - this technique recreates forest cover that has been lost that is almost the same as the original forest.
Seeds are collected from the remaining patches of the original forest. These seeds are then planted in nurseries so they can grow into saplings, and once the saplings are strong enough they can be planted back into areas that have been deforested, where they will eventually grow into full size trees, with almost the same DNA as the original forest cover.
In addition to this regional governments are clamping down to stop illegal logging. This is challenging due to the remoteness of parts of the rainforest, meaning that illegal logging can easily take place unnoticed, and it is happening on a large scale in tropical rainforests across the globe. By using satellites and drones governments are able to monitor this more closely and prosecute those caught illegally felling trees.

Question 34

2006 International Tropical Timber Agreement -

Answer 34

this restricts trade in tropical rainforest hardwoods, making it more difficult to sell them and make money from them. This is important as tropical hardwoods are extremely valuable, so millions of trees have been illegally cut down because loggers know that people will pay high prices for the timber. Illegal felling often goes unnoticed by officials, and therefore unpunished, because it tends to take place in the most remote parts of the rainforest. The 2006 Agreement means that all hardwood timber has to be marked with a registration number, which shows where it was felled, so buyers can see that it was sustainably sourced.

Question 34

strategy of eco-tourism

Answer 34

Tropical rainforests are usually located in developing nations with large debts linked to loans and overseas aid. In order to combat this some countries arrange ‘debt for nature’ swaps, such as the scheme in place between the USA and Brazil. The USA agreed to allow Brazil to convert the £ 13.5 million it owed in debt repayments, into a fund to protect large areas of the Amazon rainforest. Western governments also agreed to reduce what Costa Rica owed them in debt repayments, as long as they spent £27 million on conservations projects.
These ‘debt for nature’ swaps are part of a wider debt reduction initiative which sees high income countries writing off the debt of developing nations, to enable them to invest in conservation projects within their own countries. These agreements are important for all parties involved - it means that the developing nations can protect valuable wildlife habitats, and they help the HIC governments meet their own targets for supporting conservation and tackling climate change.

Question 35

strategy of debt reduction

Answer 35

Many countries with tropical rainforests have promoted their forests for eco-tourism, with scenery, wildlife, remoteness and culture being the main attractions.
Countries that have embraced ecotourism include Brazil, Costa Rica and Belize. The purpose of ecotourism is to educate visitors to give them a better appreciation and understanding of wildlife and local cultures, which will benefit local communities and protect the environment for the future.
Ecotourism is small-scale tourism and entirely local - it is organised and run by local people, creates jobs for local people, and only uses local produce - therefore all of the profits stay in the local community and there is no economic leakage which is usually an issue with tourism in developing nations. The money generated by ecotourism is invested back into conservation projects that retain and protect the rainforest trees, which benefits the government and local people. This is a more sustainable option than cutting them down for short-term profit.
Example of Ecotourism: Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador