Tropical rainforests (Brazil)

Question 1

What are the 7 causes of deforestation?

Answer 1

-commercial farming
-subsistence farming
-population growth
-road building
-energy development
-selective / clear cut logging
-mineral extraction

Question 2

Describe … commercial farming (1)

Answer 2

Commercial farming is when farmers clear forests to make space for agricultural uses to produce a product that can be sold and traded on a large scale such as cattle and grain production.

65% of brazil’s amazon deforestation is for commercial farming of cattle. cattle release methane into te atmosphere, which is a green house gas therefore contributing to climate change and global warming.

Question 3

Describe … subsistence farming

Answer 3

Subsistence farming is when poorer farmers clear a small area of forest to make space for their own produce that sustains them and their family. they slash and burn the area and use it until the soil is fully exhausted then move on.

Question 4

Describe … population growth

(1)

Answer 4

many people migrate towards areas that have jobs that exploit the area’s natural wealth in resources. they settle and continue to work these high paying jobs, replacing the rainforest with mineral extraction sites (for iron-ore) or poor quality housing.

in the Brazilian amazon, the population became 11% more between 2000-2010.

Question 5

Describe …road building

Answer 5

Trees have to be cleared to make roads, the Brazilian government depend on these roads to access economic sites to help development however, most of these unofficial roads become unusable in periods of high precipitation. the trans amazonian highway has already opened up huge parts of the rainforest and its permanence poses a great risk to the now accessible parts of the forest as it exposes these areas to development.

Question 6

Describe … energy development

Answer 6

Due to brazil’s abundance of water and river conditions, it has encouraged the use of HEP which supplies Brazil with great amounts of power which is also used towards the mining sector. Its instalment is very damaging as it requires the flooding of surrounding land, submerging forests making the water very acidic, therefore harms the rainforest and people’s water supplies and displaces them elsewhere as it is toxic. however it does supply the country with a cheaper and more accessible source of energy, promoting more efficient extraction work.

Question 7

Describe … selective / clear cut logging

Answer 7

Selective logging is when a specific species or quality of tree is harvested, leaving some of the forest behind which later can recover eventually. Clear cut logging is when trees are harvested despite quality and species, resulting in mass deforestation. This wood is then sold as timber of pulp, which are used in construction or in paper manufacturing.

Question 8

Describe … mineral extraction (1)

Answer 8

Lots of rare minerals happen to be under the Amazon rainforest, resulting in mass deforestation occurring to access these valuable minerals such as iron and gold which can be exported to other countries (like in Asia where most NEE’s and LIC’s are), this is a great contribute to deforestation as it is clear-felled, preventing the forest from having a chance of recovering. Additionally, the exportation of these minerals can lead to the exchange of foreign diseases which may spread to local communities affecting their social life as they miss work or school if they are sick, meaning they are unable to sustain a stable income.

Question 9

Where are most tropical rainforests located?

Answer 9

Between the tropics Cancer and Capricorn in the equatorial region. in regions such as central Africa, north of South America, south/ south east Asia

Question 10

Describe and explain tropical rainforest conditions:

Answer 10

Rainforests are very hot and humid due to their latitude on the globe, due to being on the equator, the region of land receives most insolation from the sun at a higher concentration and is one of the low pressured areas, resulting in a wetter climate as water evaporated due to the extreme heat, it condenses and forms clouds.

Question 11

Describe the steps of the rainforest nutrients cycle: (5)

Answer 11

1. trees shed their leaves which fall to the ground, these leaves contain nutrients
2. the leaves quickly decay due to bacteria and fungi and the help of humidity and heat, releasing their nutrients
3. the nutrients reach only the top layer of the ground (litter layer)…
4. … before being absorbed by the shallow roots of the vegetation
5. this helps the vegetation to grow and thrive.

Question 12

what are the 4 levels of the rainforest?

Answer 12

emergents
canopy
understory
forest floor

Question 13

what is deforestation

Answer 13

the large scale permanent removal of trees to make room for economic gain.

Question 14

economic impacts of deforestation

Answer 14

dis:
logging contributes lots to brazil’s economy but also jeopardises resources that other economic sources require to function, for example without trees it damages the areas attractiveness, meaning their is less tourism.

adv:
It has helped Brazil’s GNI increase significantly, with it being the largest exporter of soy beans and earning $600 million from exporting beef in 2018

Question 15

social impacts of deforestation

Answer 15

dis:
the indigenous have lost their livelihoods to deforestation as their lifestyle no longer sustains them, they are forcefully displaced into cities and towns where they have fallen into poverty.

adv:
The mining industry generated many jobs, eg, in buenaventura 8000 people were employed.

Question 16

environmental impacts of deforestation

Answer 16

dis:
the Amazon is a carbon sink hole of 140 tonnes of carbon. clearing these trees releases this CO2 back into the atmosphere and prevents more carbon to be abosrbed, leading to high amount of greenhouse gases therefore worse global warming.

Brazil has lost 100+ tonnes of topsoil per hectare each year because of erosion, water has flushed out all the nutrients out.

Question 17

what are the 6 ways to sustainably use the rainforest

Answer 17

ecotourism
selective logging and replanting
international hardwood agreements
conservation
education
debt reduction

Question 18

explain selective logging and replanting:

Answer 18

selective logging is when only a small amount of trees are felled of only a specific species and quality, this leaved the rainforest with most of its structure, meaning there’s a high chance of recovery. Replanting new plants of this same species that were felled replaces what was taken and there are some laws that require companies to do so.

by doing this, it allows this economic opportunity to last in the future whilst supplying jobs now, therefore is economically sustainable. it is also environmentally sustainable as habitats and the rich diversity is preserved, unlike leaving the damage.

Question 19

explain international hardwood agreements:

Answer 19

these are agreements (like made by the forest stewardship council) which are enforced to prevent illegal logging and encourage the use of sustainably acquired hardwood furniture from sustainably managed forests.

Question 20

explain conservation:

Answer 20

these are designed to prevent the exploitation of resources in a specific area, providing many jobs in policing and observation for locals. additionally countries who want to preserve the environment send funds that can be invested by the country into the rainforest and other methods of sustaining it.

Question 21

explain ecotourism:

Answer 21

managing tourist groups in small quantities to ensure they obedience towards the environment, reducing rates of littering therefore limits water contamination and pollution. this provides jobs as tour guides and in other tourism supporting jobs, deterring people from taking up unsustainable jobs that would make this strategy inefficient.

Question 22

explain debt reduction:

Answer 22

many LIC’s are in debt as they borrow money from others to fund development schemes or the recovery from natural disasters. they pay this off through fast income jobs such as logging, farming and mining in the rainforests. reducing the debt would help countries focus their income on more sustainable sources of income, instead of always relying on the rainforest.