Tropical rainforests Flashcards

Question

How are squirrel monkeys adapted to live in the TRF?

Answer 1

Prehensile hands, feet and tail which means it can grip onto tree branches This helps it to move around the tree canopy to find fruit

Answer 2

Fur is camouflaged to mimic the dappled light coming through the dense tree canopy

Answer 3

Skin colour and markings which camouflage it to look like a twig

Answer 4

It is able to glide between the trees because it has skin connecting its arms and legs. This creates a wing-like feature. Gliding helps save energy

Answer 5

Close relationship between two species

Answer 6

Large-scale removal of trees leading to the destruction of extensive areas of forest

Answer 7

17 million

Answer 8

Farming Logging Cattle ranching Building dams for hydroelectric power Mining Roads

Answer 9

Asia (SE) North of the equator East: Pacific Ocean West: Indian Ocean Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand 1000 miles between mainland Malaysia and Borneo

Answer 10

Malaysia became the world's largest exporter of tropical wood in the 1980s. Clear felling, where all trees were chopped down in an area was common and this lead to the total destruction of forest habitats in those areas This has recently been replaced by selective logging Malaysia partake in logging as through selling tropical wood, they generate more income for the national economy

Answer 11

Tribal people living in the rainforest practise subsistence farming. They hunt and gather food in cleared pockets of forest and this is small-scale and sustainable They do this in order to survive

Answer 12

Malaysia is the largest exporter of palm oil in the world Plantation owners receive 10-year tax incentives so increasing amounts of land have been converted to plantations

Answer 13

Trees are cleared out to build roads to provide access to mining areas, new settlements and energy projects Logging also requires road construction to bring in machinery and take away timber

Answer 14

Mining (mainly tin and smelting) is common in Peninsular Malaysia Rainforest has been cleared for mining and road construction Drilling for oil and gas has recently started on Borneo Materials can be sold to other countries, generating income and providing supplies

Answer 15

Energy developments like HEP take up lots of space High rainfall in tropical climates creates ideal conditions for HEP, particularly in highland areas which are suitable for building dams across a valley There are many dams suppling HEP in Malaysia. The Bakun Dam was completed in 2011 and supplies industrial areas in peninsular Malaysia As Malaysia develops and the population grows, there is an increasing demand for energy

Answer 16

Between 1956 and the 1980s, about 15,000 hectares of rainforest were felled for settlers. Government is encouraging poor urban people to move to the countryside (transmigration) This is due to opportunities in TRF and for national economic gain

Answer 17

Farming of one crop

Answer 18

A type of agriculture producing food and materials for the benefit only of the farmer and their family

Answer 19

A form of agriculture in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a few years and then abandoned for a new one until its fertility has been naturally restored

Answer 20

A method of agriculture in which existing vegetation is cut down and burned off and it is used as a method for clearing forest land for farming

Answer 21

Farming to sell produce for a profit to retailers or food processing companies

Answer 22

Palm oil is a super-efficient crop, meaning that a lot more palm oil can be produced per area of land compared to other oil crops Also oil palm trees do not require as many pesticides or fertilisers to be used when growing them Finally, the palm oil industry offers jobs to people living in poverty in LICs, thereby improving their quality of life

Answer 23

Palm oil production is said to have been responsible for about 8% of the world's deforestation between 1990 and 2008. This is because forests are burned to clear areas where people can grow oil plants Burning forests destroys plants and wildlife, reducing biodiversity. Species like orangutans are severely affected. They have decreased by 50% Forest fires release high levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributing to climate change. This causes extreme air pollution

Answer 24

In order to create space for the dam, trees and other plants and habitats will be destroyed, reducing biodiversity In addition, the machinery will have high carbon footprint, creating emissions which contribute to climate change and pollution

Answer 25

Environmentally, yes we do need to stop them Economically, no because it is their main source of income

Answer 26

Human activities in the rainforest such as farming, logging and mining involve removing the natural vegetation when vegetation. is removed there is little protection for the soil Also there's increased run off this carries soil into the river p this carries soil into the river polluting it an raising river levels polluting it an raising river Top soil, the most fertile land in the rainforest, is removed. This reduces fertility for soil, making it difficult to grow crops As a result, heavy rainfall washes the soil away and this makes the land worth us Roots are removed and no longer binds the soil meaning the soil can now be easily eroded The vegetation no longer acts like an umbrella protecting the soil from heavy rain and this means that soil erosion and leaching will occur

Answer 27

Deforestation for activities, like mining and farming, creates jobs- directly and indirectly (supply and support industries) Companies will pay taxes to the government which can be used to improve public services such as education and water supply Improved transport and infrastructure opens up new areas for development Products such as oil palm and rubber provide raw materials for processing industries Hydro-electric power will provide cheap and plentiful energy Minerals such as gold are very valuable

Answer 28

Pollution of water sources and a reduced water supply Fires used to clear forest - out of control and destroy vast areas. Also contributes to pollution Rising temps make it difficult to farm certain products like tea Important medicinal plants become extinct Climate change - people have to adapt to living in a warmer world Reduced number of tourists due to deforestation

Answer 29

The quality of life for some local people improves as there are more jobs In Malaysia, 9000 Kenyah people have been forced to leave because the dam is being built for hydro electric power for the industrial area of Malaysia

Answer 30

Malaysia has received considerable financial gain from its logging industry. One statistic states this benefit is valued at 2 billion dollars Rising temps could adversely affect some economic activities like growing tea, fruit and flowers

Answer 31

15% More than 1 in 7

Answer 32

140,000 hectares of forest are cut down each year in Malaysia. This means that biodiversity will be less and certain species may become extinct. The orangutan is a critically endangered species in Borneo as a result of excessive deforestation The loss of the protective cover will increase soil erosion. The soil becomes very exposed to the heavy rain which washes it away into local rivers. The nutrients in the soil are leached by heavy rain and this reduces the fertility of the soil also Trees remove CO2 from the atmosphere so without them there is a an increased amount of this greenhouse gas, and subsequently this contributes to the warming of the planet

Answer 33

Improved transport infrastructure opens up new areas for industrial development and tourism which supply lots of new jobs If a lot of soil from deforested areas is washed into rivers it can kill the fish and make the water undrinkable

Answer 34

Companies pay taxes to the government which can be used to improve public services like education and healthcare Logging, farming and mining create both direct and indirect jobs

Answer 35

Fewer trees means fewer habitats and food sources for animals and birds. This reduces biodiversity as organisms either have to move or become extinct Rising temps could adversely affect some economic activities like growing tea, fruit and flowers

Answer 36

TRFs contain half of all plants and animals in the world. They are home to 1000s of species

Answer 37

25% of all meds come from rainforest plants More than 2000 TRF plants have anti-cancer properties Vincristine- an anti cancer drug which comes from the periwinkle plant

Answer 38

Provide valuable hardwoods as well as nuts, fruits and rubber Useful products like rubber, rope and baskets are made from rainforest plants

Answer 39

Rainforests are important sources of clean water 20% of the world's fresh water comes from the Amazon Basin

Answer 40

Indigenous tribes live in harmony in the rain-forests making use of the forest's resources without causing any long term harm

Answer 41

Rainforests are knows as the 'lungs of the earth' 28% of the world's oxygen comes from the rainforests They also prevent the world's climate from becoming too hot and dry

Answer 42

TRFs are one of the largest carbon sinks in the world They absorb and store carbon dioxide We need to reduce deforestation to make sure that as much of the Earth as possible is covered by trees to absorb the CO2 in the atmosphere

Answer 43

Intro - TRFs have great value to people and environments for example... - They also offer many economic opportunities, such as palm oil production - Introduce case study (Malaysia) Climate regulation - How does the rainforest regulate the climate? (CO2 and O2) - Why is this important - Link to question Medicines - 25% of all meds come from rainforest plants - Why is this important - How does it help locals - Link to question-why should we keep it intact HEP - Why are TRFs a good place for HEP stations? (Bakun Dam) - Benefits of HEP - Issues with HEP - Link to question In conclusion -Overall I think...because...

Answer 44

Sustainable uses of rainforest are uses that allow current generations make a living from the rainforest without damaging the forest for people in the future

Answer 45

Selective logging is when loggers choose certain trees to cut down and usually they are high valued, such as mahogany. They may use horse of oxen to pull the log out of the forest in Malaysia. Helicopter logging is used Where trees are removed, the area is replanted as secondary forests. In some countries there are laws which make logging companies replant trees when they clear an area

Answer 46

The system was called selective management system Trees are selected by professionals, felled and extracted in such a way to minimise damage to other trees Officials monitor the logging to ensure that it is done legally and correctly New trees are planted to ensure that the system is sustainable

Answer 47

It is much more sustainable than Claire felling because other trees and plants do survive in the logging process and overtime can allow the forest to recover Trees are chosen if they are mature or inferior to encourage the growth of the remaining trees If only a few trees are taken from them from the area, then the overall forest structure is kept- the canopy is still, the soil isn't exposed. The forest will be able to regenerate and be used in the future

Answer 48

Felling of single trees can damage others around it. Loggers need access to the forests so they have to clear some forest to make way for trucks and some machinery. Difficult to monitor illegal logging due to remoteness (sometimes monitored with drones or satellites)

Answer 49

Conservation means that natural resources such as timber can still be used, but must be used sustainably. Protection means that the environment should be protected and humans should not interfere, so ecosystems can find their own balance

Answer 50

It encourages preservation of rainforests in national parks and nature reserves. Norway has paid $1 billion into Brazil's Amazon fund to be used for conservation. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the WWF and Birdlife International are charities which helped to promote conservation and educate people. Rainforest alliance- 'adopt a rainforest' programme helps to sustainably manage patches of rainforest. Educate local people about ways to make a living out of the rainforest without cutting it down. Some large companies have supported projects in exchange for carrying out scientific research on raw materials. The Swiss perfume company perfume company, Givaudan, work with Conservation International to conserve rainforest in Venezuela in exchange for obtaining Tonka beans, used in the production of perfume

Answer 51

Responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment, sustains the world being of the local people, and educates. Examples of this are in Costa Rica, Brazil, Borneo

Answer 52

Some of the profits go back into conserving the environment. The tourism is small scale so it has less impact. Provides an incentive for forest conservation rather than deforestation. Provides local people with work, and often money is invested into local communities to improve the quality of their lives. Ecotourism in Costa Rica is now the largest source of income for the country, with 21% of the country being protected from development.

Answer 53

Carbon emissions of people who travel long distances for that ecotourism holiday are often high and have a negative impact on the environment.

Answer 54

Hardwood is a general term for word from certain species like mahogany and teak. The word tends to be fairly dense and hard- it is used to make things like furniture. Governments agree on the use of tropical hardwoods with the aim of reducing deforestation and in particular, illegal logging

Answer 55

The International tropical Timber Agreement was set up in 2006 to encourage sustainable management of timber. It restricts the trade in hardwoods by marking timber with a registration mark if it is from sustainably managed forests. 71 countries signed up to the agreement sponsored by the United nations. It helps to protect the biodiversity of the rainforest

Answer 56

There is still a high demand for hardwood in high income countries. Some of these have become very rare and are very valuable. Illegal logging continues.

Answer 57

Countries are relieved of some other debt in return for protecting their rainforests and this is often referred to as debt for nature swapping. Rainforests often found in low income countries or newly emerging economies that want to exploit them. Debt reduction all conservation swaps offer an alternative to the reckless exploitation of their natural wealth. Basically poor countries have portions of their debt paid for by rich nations or charities in exchange for promising to protect or conserve large parts of their natural environment. For example, in 2010, the USA agreed to convert a Brazilian debt of 13.5 million pounds into a fund to protect large areas of the Amazon.

Answer 58

This encourages poorer nations to conserve the rainforest and this helps to reduce climate change. It recognises the global importance or rainforests in combating climate change.

Answer 59

Introduction (explain the need to conserve the rainforest) Para 1-Debt reduction - USA converting Brazilian debt - Countries are relieved of debt if they take care of rainforest - Best strategy (high value) Para 2-Ecotourism - Conservation and education - Provides jobs for locals - Costa Rica/Brazil/Borneo - Good strategy (moderately valuable Para 3-Selective logging and replanting - Loggers only choose certain trees - Cutting single trees can damage nearby trees - Selective management system (Malaysia 1977) - Illegal logging - Not a very good strategy (low value) Conclusion

Tropical rainforests Flashcards

(83 cards)