Tropical Rainforests 2

Question 1

Name your case study for deforestation

Answer 1

The Amazon rainforest

Question 2

What is deforestation?

Answer 2

The cutting down and removal of trees on a large scale.

Question 3

What are the activities that cause deforestation? (all human)

Answer 3

-Commercial farming
-Subsistence farming
-Logging
-Energy development
-Road building
-Mineral extraction
-Settlements
-Population growth

Question 4

How does commercial farming cause deforestation?

Answer 4

-Large areas of forest are cleared to make space for large-scale plantations or cattle grazing

-This is mainly monoculture (e.g. soy, palm) which reduces biodiversity, alongside upsetting the balance of nutrients and bacteria going into the soil

-Which means it can’t recover

Question 5

How does subsistance farming cause deforestation?

Answer 5

-Many subsistence farmers use a technique called ‘slash and burn’

Question 6

How does logging cause deforestation?

Answer 6

Logging is the removal of large areas of trees to sell a few for profit.

This destroys habitats, decreasing biodiversity by damaging or dividing ecosystems.

Question 7

How does energy development cause deforestation?

Answer 7

-Building hydroelectric dams floods large areas of forest.

-The water will leech away top soil containing all the nutrients

-This means that the soil becomes infertile
-Which prevents plants from regrowing, meaning total destruction.

Question 8

How does road building cause deforestation?

Answer 8

Large areas of forest must be cleared either side of a road

They must be continually cut back which means that the rainforest doesn’t have time to recover

Question 9

How does mineral extraction cause deforestation?

Answer 9

‘Open cast’ mining is used to extract minerals and ores such as iron, copper, and particularly bauxite.

This type of mining destroys the rainforest down to the bedrock layer, which means nothing can grow back and the rainforest can’t recover.

Question 10

How does the building of settlements cause deforestation?

Answer 10

As countries develop, towns and cities grow to home increasing populations.

This ‘urban sprawl’ means large areas of forest have to be removed and houses built etc. means the trees have no chance of regrowing.

Question 11

How does population growth cause deforestation?

Answer 11

Uncontrolled urban sprawl and migration put pressure on the land for housing, which means large areas of forest have to be removed and houses built etc. means the trees have no chance of regrowing.

Question 12

What are the environmental impacts of deforestation on a local scale?

Answer 12

It interferes with the careful balance of the rainforest ecosystem.

As rainforests are interdependent ecosystems, even a change to just one part can have a knock on effect.

Question 13

What are the environmental impacts of deforestation on a global scale?

Answer 13

-Contributes to climate change

-By the removal of a carbon sink and releasing stored CO₂

-More CO₂ in the atmosphere enhances the greenhouse effect, increasing the rate of global warming which has many further impacts.

Question 13

What are the economic impacts of deforestation?

Answer 13

Deforestation in the Amazon has led to economic development for countries like Brazil:

-Farming has brought around $600 million into the country by beef exports

-Mining and tourism creates jobs - industry pays people, so their quality of life can improve

-Logging

Question 14

How does logging impact Brazil?

Answer 14

Logging contributes hugely to the economy, as wood is sold as produce bringing in money for the country.

However, it destroys natural beaty, reducing the attractiveness of the area to tourists, and also can destroy resources that countries depend on.

Question 15

What is sustainable management?

Answer 15

Managing the collection of resources we need today, without damaging the environment, so the resources are still available in the future.

Question 16

What strategies are used to manage the rainforest sustainably?

Answer 16

-Selective logging
-Replanting
-Ecotourism
-Education
-Conservation
-Reducing debt
-International hardwood agreements

Question 17

How does selective logging work?

Answer 17

-Loggers carefully cut certain trees from an area, leaving the rest of the rainforest untouched.

-This means that habitats are maintained and healthy tree growth is promoted by reducing competition.

-Which means biodiversity can be sustained and the rainforest ecosystem can thrive.

-It also maintains CO₂ absorption, so has less of an impact on climate change.

Question 18

How does replanting work?

Answer 18

New trees are planted to replace the ones originally cut down.

Question 19

How is replanting sustainable?

Answer 19

-This method allows the rainforest to recover because in time, the area will be fully restored.

-Many trees can be planted at once for more growth

Question 20

What is ecotourism?

Answer 20

A type of tourism that minimises damage and created benefits for the local people.

Question 21

How is ecotourism sustainable?

Answer 21

Ecotourism reduces the number of people allowed into an area, which can reduce negative impacts such as pollution and littering.

Employing people in ecotourism provides them with a source of income that relies on conserving rainforests, so they are less likely to carry out damaging activities like logging or farming.

Question 22

How does conservation contribute to the sustainable management of rainforests?

Answer 22

Governments set up protected areas, where damaging activities are restricted.

This means that things like deforestation are reduced over the entire rainforest, which means that it can maintain the majority of its biodiversity - plant and animal life thriving.

Question 23

How does reducing debt help to manage rainforest sustainability?

Answer 23

It allows countries to make money from activities other than ones that lead to deforestation (logging, farming, mining).

Question 24

How does reducing debt work?

Answer 24

-Debt lower income countries in the rainforest owe to either wealthier countries or organisations (e.g. the World Bank) can be cancelled.

-This means the people don’t have to mine, log, and farm in the rainforest to pay the debt back with interest, so the rainforest is conserved.

(there’s no guarantee the money will be spent on conservation).

Question 25

What is a better solution to debt reduction?

Answer 25

A conservation swap, where part of s country’s debt is paid off in exchange for a guarantee that the money will be spent on conservation.

Question 26

How does education of the international community help sustainability?

Answer 26

-Educating the international community raises awareness of conservation issues, including deforestation.

-This means that people are more likely to be thoughtful as to whether produce they buy is sustainably sourced, or donate to conservation projects

Question 27

How does education of the local community help sustainability?

Answer 27

-Educating local people on the impacts of deforestation can help reduce damage to rainforests by teaching them alternative ways to make money that don’t damage the environment as much, which means that they won’t be dependent on unsustainable options in order to make a living.

Question 28

What is the problem with tropical hardwoods?

Answer 28

-Tropical hardwoods (e.g. teak and mahogany) are in high demand for use in furniture.

-This means some tropical hardwood trees are becoming increasingly rare as more are cut down.

Question 29

What are international hardwood agreements and how are they sustainable?

Answer 29

Countries around the world sign agreements to prevent the illegal logging of hardwood trees and promote the use of hardwood from sustainably managed forests.

Question 30

How does deforestation lead to soil erosion?

Answer 30

-Trees stabilise the soil with their roots and provide some nutrients when they drop their leaves.

-When deforestation occurs, the soil has less protection from heavy rainfall

-This means that the fewer nutrients now present are leeched away more easily

-Which means that the soil becomes infertile

-Commercial and subsistence farmers are then forced to find new areas to farm, leading to further deforestation.

Question 31

What does infertile soil mean?

Answer 31

Infertile soil means that plants can’t regrow which means the rainforest can’t recover.

Question 32

How many t/ha of topsoil are Brazil loosing per year?

Answer 32

up to 100 tonnes/hectare

Question 33

What percentage of Brazil’s CO₂ emissions come from deforestation?

Answer 33

up to 75%

Question 34

What does the global rate of deforestation look like?

Answer 34

-It is very high

-It is generally increasing

-from 2007 to 2017, an average of 22 million hectares of forest were lost each year

-The amount of deforestation varies between countries e.g. Brazil and Indonesia accounted for almost half of global deforestation from 2001 to 2014

Question 35

What efforts have been made to reduce deforestation rates?

Answer 35

-In 1996, Costa Rica made unauthorised deforestation illegal and started paying farmers to conserve and restore rainforests

-Since then, the forest has increased to around 60% land area.

Question 36

What actions have increased deforestation rates?

Answer 36

Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro cut the 2021 environmental budget by 24% and weakened environmental law enforcement, making it easier to deforest the Amazon.

Question 37

What is the slash and burn technique?

Answer 37

1.areas of forest are cleared

2.Felled trees are burned to create a layer of nutrient-rich ash

3.This improves soil quality for a time, making it easier for crops to grow

4.When the soil is no longer fertile, farmers move on to a different area of forest.

Question 38

Road building example

Answer 38

-The trans-Amazonian highway opened up areas of forest that were previously inaccessible

-This put more areas at risk from deforestation

-Which meant a higher risk of loss to biodiversity

Question 39

Conservation swap example

Answer 39

In 2011, the USA reduced Indonesia’s debt by $29 million in exchange for conserving their rainforests.

Question 40

Education of the local community example

Answer 40

The Rainforest Alliance is teaching communities in Guatemala about sustainable livelihoods.

Question 41

International hardwood agreement example

Answer 41

The Forest Stewardship Council mark sustainably sourced timber with their logo so that consumers can choose products that don’t contribute to unstainable deforestation.