Tropical Rainforests (2) Flashcards
Typical features of rain forests
Vegetation is dense and lush growing in the hot, wet weather
2000 mm of rain and 26degrees Celsius all year round
Cover 6million sq km (7%) of the earths surface
60% of the earths rain forests are found in brazil
Where is the rainforest
Between the tropical of cancer and Capricorn around the equator
What is the rainforest like
Trees have shallow roots where nutrients are, nutrients are then held in trees
Home to at least half the worlds’s population of birds
6 out of 10 species of animals are found in the tropical rain forests
Used for the source of medical treatments, cures have been found from plants
Emergent layer
Single tall trees which fight above the canopy to get sunlight
Forest floor
Dark
Very little sunlight pierces layers of vegetation
Uses of the rainforest (destructive)
Mining for copper and iron ore
Ranching and estate farming
Timber for rare, single species (mahogany)
Timber for larger scale, more widespread uses
Resettlement schemes
Uses of the forest non invasive
Medical uses - 121 drugs being sold worldwide which have been founded from plants from the rain forests
Farming and gathering native crops
Rubber tapping
Eco tourism
Economic pressures of brazil
Oil prices rose, Brazil’s import bill rose
Brazil then borrowed money from oil rich countries
Export profits have been used to pay off debts
Prices for Brazil’s exports fell
What effects of clearance
Interference in the hydrological cycle
Interference in the nutrient cycle
Effects on people
Greenhouse effect
the hydrological cycle
Winds blow east
Evaporation occurs from the sea and rises temperatures
Trees intercept the rainwater and use the nutrients to grow, little of these are exerted into the ground
Most water is evapotranspirated back into atmosphere
Cycle is balanced
Interference in the hydrological cycle
Interrupt the cycle as clouds move inland
More water will be lost to the groundwater system
Will increase soil erosion by rain splash and rain wash process
Not be taken up by vegetation and evapotranspirated back into the atmosphere
Clouds formed would then be smaller or nonexistent
It is drier and there is less rainfall
Could mean of a reduction of rainforest further inland
Interference in nutrient cycle
Nutrients taken up by tree roots If there are no trees, no leaves fall to the ground and the soil quality is even poorer More soil is eroded Extra sediment can block dams Causes river to flood and overflow
Effects on people
Tribal groups have lost land and migrated
Believe that no one can “own” the forest and it is only theirs to look after
Some campaign acts have been attacked and some people murdered
Greenhouse effect
Trees absorb CO2 from atmosphere and produce oxygen
If trees reduced, less oxygen and more CO2 in the atmosphere
Linked to greenhouse effect as temperatures rise
Polar ice caps melt and sea levels rise
Also increased by burning fossil fuels
Greenhouse effect with normal CO2
Heat earths surface
Heat given off heats atmosphere
Energy is reflected by earth as long wave energy
Greenhouse effect increased CO2
Heated by incoming energy as normal
More reflected energy is absorbed due to increased CO2
Atmosphere warms up
Less energy is reflected by the earth
Strategies for the future
Action of pressure groups Boycotting Buying tracts of forest Encouraging non invasive organisations Encouraging controlled wealth creating projects Encouraging worldwide use of softwoods Write off Brazil's debt Timber tax Selective ring forestry Creation of world rainforest parks
Action of pressure groups
Campaign to raise awareness and educate all countries in the effects
Boycotting
Timber users are encouraged to buy from sustainable sources
Buying tracts of forest
Suggesting a person can own an area of the rainforest, however clashes with native beliefs
Encouraging non invasive organisations
Eco tourism
Medical research
Encouraging controlled wealth creating projects
Responsible mining
Less damage at maximum profit
Encouraging the worldwide use of soft woods
Grow more quickly
Some ones mature in 20 years rather than hardwoods which may take 200 years
Write of Brazil’s tax
Reduction of the pressure to pay off loans
Brazil has paid off debts but due to interest has not met the final price as it keeps rising
Timber tax
On all timber cut from tropical sources
Quotas on the number of trees which can be removed from a particular area
Selective ring forestry
Small scale clearance, in rings so majority of space is left untouched
Creation of world national parks
No country or company can operate without international agreement
