Battle For The Biosphere

Question 1

Case Study- Ramsar convention on wetlands

Answer 1

• set up in 1971
• 162 countries have signed up
• 2060 wetlands are now protected
• 2Mil square km of land are protected

Question 2

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 2

Where living and non living things live in a shared environment

Question 3

Local factors affecting biomes

Answer 3

Altitude- temperatures fall half a degree for every 100m in altitude.
Drainage- poor drainage can create swampland and other issues
Soil- if you have a thin soul it’s less likely that things will grow

Question 4

Describe how local factors affect the growth of a rainforest

Answer 4

Above the tree line, colder temperatures limit forest growth. Poorly drained land close to rivers can create swamp land, so trees can’t grow there

Question 5

What is a biome?

Answer 5

A plant and animal community

Question 6

Goods provided by the biosphere

Answer 6

Food: fish, meat, berries, commercial crops
Medicines: vitamin C in oranges, quinine
Raw materials: wood for construction, plants for roofing material, wood pulp for paper

Question 7

Case study of a decidous forest and how does it benefit people

Answer 7

Windsor forest UK

• wood chopped down to create farmland to feed a growing population
• by 1919 only 5% of forest left
• made into a small sustainable project
• broad range of biodiversity so they’ve tried to protect it
• protected by natural England

Question 8

Case study of a tropical rainforest and how did this benefit people?

Answer 8

South America/ Africa

• used to build homes
• medicines and raw materials
• land can be cleared for agriculture
• wood can be used for income

Question 9

Case study of a coniferous rainforest and how did this benefit people?

Answer 9

Scandinavia/ North America

• use it for paper
• provide much of the worlds soft wood
• pine is a popular material for furniture

Question 10

Explain convectional rainfall

Answer 10

1) warm air rises
2) warm air cools
3) condensation
4) precipitation

Question 11

Case study:Amazon rainforest

Answer 11

• Brazil
• 10 degrees north and south of equator
• temperature 28•C
• convectional rainfall
• huge biodiversity

Question 12

What are the four large scale land use changes

Answer 12

Mining
-new roads, creation of trans Amazon highway
Timber
-other trees have to be chopped to get to mahogany
-need tropical hardwood for furniture and flooring
Agricultural land
-rainforest cut down for commercial farming
-farmers with no land move into Amazonia along new roads
Soya craze
-increase in beef demand, more cattle farms are made
-rise in soya bean production

Question 13

Five types of biosphere conservation

Answer 13

Rainforest 
Cities 
National parks 
Wetland management 
World heritage sites

Question 14

Explain biosphere conservation in cities

Answer 14

Harsh penalties for poachers

Question 15

Biosphere conservation in rainforests

Answer 15

Debt for nature swap agreements

Question 16

Biosphere conservation in world heritage sites

Answer 16

Over 950 important sites have been awarded recognition by the UN since 1972

Question 17

Biosphere conservation in national parks

Answer 17

Cover 13% of land surface on earth.
Aren’t allowed to build on them
Overseen by angencies including United Nations

Question 18

Biosphere conservation in wetland management

Answer 18

The Ramsar convention

Question 19

Case study for wetland management

Answer 19

Ramsar convention

• set up in 1971 in Iran
• 162 countries have signed up to it
• 2060 wetlands are now protected
• 2mil square km are protected

Question 20

What is sustainability?

Answer 20

Things that you do now so it won’t affect future generations. Hard to achieve because you have to consider the social, economic and environmental impacts

Question 21

Case study- Caledonian forest

Answer 21

• Scotland
• introduced 10,000 yrs ago
• EU have funding so it can be returned to natural habitat
• want to restore biodiversity in area
• want to reintroduce wild boar because they’re foragers. They put nutrients back into the ground

Question 22

Changes for the tropical rainforest

Answer 22

• droughts reported in parts of Amazon
• amphibians are more vulnerable due to temperature change
• unusual shifts in rain bearing winds

Question 23

Changes for UK

Answer 23

• moving tree line
• changed growing season for plants in central England
• new marine wild life

Question 24

Three things that connect to biosphere

Answer 24

Atmosphere- plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen
Water cycle- trees and plants slow the flow of rain water to rivers, acting as a natural flood control
Soil Heath- dead leaves and plants add nutrients to the soul. Creatures burrow helping the soil breathe