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Ecosystems > Unit 5 > Flashcards

Unit 5 Flashcards

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1
Q

What % of the Earth’s surface has been degraded and what is the prediction for 2050?

A

75% now and 95% predicted

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2
Q

What is the definition of a scientific reserve as a strategy to conserve biodiversity?

A

an area designed to protect nature in its undisturbed state, to have ecologically representative examples of the natural environment available for scientific study
maintenance of genetic resources

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3
Q

What is the definition of a wildlife/nature reserve as a strategy to conserve biodiversity?

A

a protected area of importance for flora, fauna or features of geological or special interest
reserved and managed for conservation, dependent on which country they are located in

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4
Q

What is the definition of economic development integrated into conservation?

A

aims to simultaneously conserve areas whilst still extracting natural resources from them in a sustainable way

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5
Q

What is the definition of extractive reserve as a strategy to conserve biodiversity?

A

a type of sustainable land use e.g. Brazil

land = publicly owned, the people who live there have the right to traditional extractive practices such as hunting, fishing and harvesting wild plants

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6
Q

What is the IUCN and what did they create in terms of conserving biodiversity?

A

International Union for Conservation of Nature

created classification of conservation strategies

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7
Q

When was the IUCN created?

A

1948

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8
Q

How many countries is the IUCN based in?

A

160 countries, worlds largest environmental conserving network

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9
Q

How many people volunteer for the IUCN?

A

11,000 scientists and experts

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10
Q

What are the different categories that the IUCN created?

A

Category 1a = strict nature reserve, protected area mainly for science

all the way to…

Category 6 = managed resource protected area, mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems

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11
Q

What is an example of the IUCN Category 1a?

A

Surtsey, Iceland (small, 140 hectare volcanic island on the south coast of Iceland)

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12
Q

When was Surtsey formed?

A

1963 and 1967

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13
Q

What has happened on Surtsey since its formation?

A

primary succession of a lithosphere, being scientifically studied

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14
Q

How much is spent by the Icelandic government for research on Surtsey?

A

£7500 each year

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15
Q

To what extent is conservation on Surtsey successful?

A

low level threat, and lots of protection
current threats = shipping lanes and vessels, fishing boats, dumping of waste in the sea
so far have limited the impacts of these threats

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16
Q

What is an example of a IUCN Category 2?

A

Yellowstone National Park, USA

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17
Q

When was the Yellowstone National Park established?

A

1872

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18
Q

Where is Yellowstone located?

A

Rocky mountains of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho
9,000 km sq

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19
Q

In 1995 what was Yellowstone declared to be?

A

‘World Heritage in Danger’

concerns over ecosystem degradation caused by increased visitor pressure and transportation infrastructure development

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20
Q

What is the number of annual visitors of Yellowstone park in the 1950’s compared to 2021?

A

1950’s = 1 million people
2021 = over 4.4 million

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21
Q

What are some of the issues created by visitors in Yellowstone National Park?

A
  • wildlife harassment
  • illegal camping
  • vandalism
  • more that 52,000 warnings were issued to people in 2015 (20% increase from the previous year
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22
Q

How did the government in the USA create the loss of wolves (a key apex predator) in the 1920’s?

A

allowed the extermination of Yellowstone’s grey wolf population over concerns that they would affect livestock on farmland surrounding park, lead to an unbalanced ecosystem

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23
Q

What are some of the examples of species that were affected due to the loss of wolves in Yellowstone Park?

A
  • Coyote increased, leading to a decrease in the antelope population
  • number of beavers also decreased
  • overall biodiversity decreased
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24
Q

When were the grey wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park?

A

1995, 30 grey wolves were released into the park
cost $30m

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25
How much did wolf ecotourism bring to the surrounding communities annually?
$35 million annually
26
How did reintroducing the grey wolves back into Yellowstone impact on the environment/biodiversity of the park?
elk numbers shot up to about 20,000 when the carnivores were removed, these numbers decreased number of beavers increased, which helped willows with drinking water, as they slowed the fast moving water with dams
27
What is an example of an IUCN Category 4? (Hint = in the U.K)
National nature reserves (there are 224 NNRs's in the U.K)
28
How are NNR'S in England funded and what is the aim of them?
funded by government through Natural England aim= to help conserve, enhance and manage the natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations = sustainable development
29
What % of the country's land surface do NNR'S cover?
0.7%
30
What is an example of a NNR in the U.K?
Fenns, Whixhall Moss on the Shropshire Welsh border 3rd largest peat bog in the U.K established in 1991
31
What were to past threats to Whixhall moss?
dredging, cutting and burning peat for agriculture and fuel invasive species e.g. silver burch
32
How where the threats to Whixhall moss managed?
rewetting the peatland, removing the invasive species stopped the drainage of the area
33
Since 1996, how many species have returned to Whixhall moss?
166 species of wetland bird, duck 2,000 species of invertebrates
34
What biodiversity issue could develop from species populations becoming isolated and surrounded by uninhabitable landscapes?
although the conditions are good, if something threatens them then all the recovery could easily be lost, because they are so well suited to certain conditions
35
What is an example of a IUCN Category 5, in the U.K?
Britain's National Parks
36
When where National parks in Britain first established?
1949, because of an act of parliament
37
What is an example of a national park in the U.K?
The Peak District and Snowdonia, established 1951 Today there is 15 in total
38
What is a national park?
a working landscape which support a range of primary industries which have originally supported communities
39
What are the main issues that are affecting Britain's National Parks?
- fly camping, people leave tents up the mountains - litter, fires and parking disputes - Peak district spend £38,000 on picking up litter annually
40
How will the issues Britain's National Parks are facing affect conservation of biodiversity?
litter is a particular problem, due to the damage it could do to animals and ecosystems - noise and air pollution, light pollution
41
What % of SSSI'S in England's National Parks are considered to by in 'favourable condition'?
26% this country one of the most nature depleted in the world, bottom 10% of nations for biodiversity
42
Is the conservation strategy in Britain's National Parks Effective?
- loss of biodiversity - disruption to ecosystems and wildlife - good for money, not for conservation - disruption by leisure and farming
43
What is another potential solution for conservation?
Regenerative farming and rewilding
44
How does regenerative farming and rewilding work?
by reinstating natural processes and/or species to allow the area to thrive this relies on private land owners, because government funding has changed
45
What is the case study in the U.K for regenerative farming and rewilding?
Knepp Estate in Sussex
46
How large was the Knepp Estate and what was it?
1400 hectares, a commercial intensive arable dairy farm
47
When did the rewilding in the Knepp Estate start?
2001
48
How did the Knepp Estate rewild?
- today it produces organic pasture fed meat from free-roaming herds of shorthorn cattle, tamworth pigs and fallow deer = 'Wildland project' - eco - tourism = Safari campsite significant positive impact on biodiversity
49
What were the two species that were reintroduced into the Knepp Estate?
Beavers and Storks
50
How does bringing Beavers back into the Knepp estate impact on its biodiversity?
hydrological engineers, create channels and deep pools, which maintain the base flow in drought conditions dams are effective at capturing soil eroding from intensively farmed land, neutralise pollutants habitat creators = ponds, wet woodlands etc.
51
What was the impact on biodiversity of reintroducing the Storks into the Knepp Estate?
- habitat restoration - reintroduction of other species - scientific research and monitoring - community engagement = awareness
52
What was the case study for rewilding on a larger scale?
Alladale Wilderness Reserve, Scotland
53
How large is the Alladale Wilderness Reserve?
23,000 acres
54
What are the biodiversity issues in much of the Scottish highlands?
- deforestation - intensive grazing by deer - agriculture and the introduction of sheep
55
What species could be reintroduced into the Alladale Wilderness Reserve?
- Elk - wild boar - looking into getting bears and wolves back into the ecosystem - red squirrel - lynx
56
What are the arguments for rewilding on a larger scale area, such as Alladale?
- increased biodiversity in a larger area - improved ecosystem services - carbon sequestration
57
What are the arguments against rewilding on a larger scale, such as Alladale?
- reintroduction of predators would disturb livelihoods - farmers stock will reduce - local people's attitudes
58
Who decides which species and habitats are protected?
IUCN assess every animal to make informed decisions, by looking at a number of factors such as, the species level of endangerment, no of the species in the wild, no of reproducing adults, generally attractiveness to the general public
59
How are strict scientific reserves funded?
government funded, do not generate an income
60
How are national parks and national nature reserves funded?
government but also generate a commercial income through businesses and tourism

Ecosystems (7 decks)

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