deforestation & land use

Question 1

list 5 ways humans reduce the amount of land available

Answer 1

-quarrying
-building
-crop growing
-farming
-waste dumping

Question 2

what are bogs?

Answer 2

areas of land that are acidic and waterlogged

Question 3

how is peat formed?

Answer 3

-plants that live in bogs don’t fully decay as there’s not enough oxygen
-gradually build up to form peat

Question 4

what is stored in peat and why?

Answer 4

carbon as plants don’t fully decay so it isn’t released to the environment

Question 5

what is peat used for?

Answer 5

-drained to be used as farmland
-cut up and dried to be used as fuel
-sold as compost

Question 6

what is the issue with destroying bogs?

Answer 6

-destroys habitats of some of the animals, plants and microorganisms so reduces biodiversity

Question 7

what is the issue with draining peat?

Answer 7

-comes into more contact with air and microorganisms start to decompose it
-when microorganisms respire, they use oxygen and release carbon dioxide contributing to global warming

Question 8

what is the issue with burning peat as fuel?

Answer 8

-carbon dioxide is released

Question 9

what is the impact of quarrying?

Answer 9

-destroys habitats

Question 10

what is the impact of dumping waste?

Answer 10

-more pollution occurs

Question 11

deforestation

Answer 11

the cutting down of forests

Question 12

why does large-scale deforestation occur?

Answer 12

-provide land for cattle and rice fields
-grow crops for biofuels

Question 13

what is the issue with cattle and rice fields?

Answer 13

both release methane which contributes to global warming

Question 14

what are the 3 main issues with deforestation?

Answer 14

-less carbon dioxide taken in as photosynthesis is reduced due to the lack of trees
-more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as it is released when trees are burnt and microorganisms feed on bits of dead wood release carbon dioxide as a waste product of respiration
-less biodiversity as habitats are destroyed