The Impacts of Deforestation on the Tropical Equatorial Rainforest
Refers to AQA A2 Geography
Ecosystems: Change and Challenge Option
- Created by: Bethany
- Created on: 20-04-14 14:52
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- The Impacts of Deforestation on the Tropical Equatorial Rainforest
- BACKGROUND
- Destruction of the world's rainforest has created a major environmental issue.
- Deforestation
- Defined as the DELIBERATE clearance of woodland by cutting, burning or the application of a defolient
- Deforestation in NICs with topical rainforest, affecting areas such as the Amazon Basin, is destroying the rainforest at an alarming rate.
- Claims that half the world's rainforest has been cleared.
- An area the size of the UK is being removed each year.
- Climatic climax vegetation has been destroyed resulting in both secondary succession and plagioclimax.
- Vegetation that grows is usually smaller in height and less diverse, with a reduction in overall biomass.
- CAUSES
- Demand for hardwood (e.g. teak) for furniture/ building is increasing.
- Developing countries rely on timber export earnings.
- Deforestation can provide land for cattle ranching, rubber plantations, soya plantations, roads and railways.
- Rivers dammed in Brazilian rainforest
- HYDRO - ELECTRIC power e.g Tucurui dam on the Tocantins River, Amazonia
- Mining of aluminum and iron ores in ground beneath rainforest.
- The Carajas Mining Project in Amazonia has resulted in the destruction of large areas of climax vegetation.
- Many countries with rainforest are still developing economically.
- During the 1960s and 1970s, the population of South East Asia and South America increased rapidly
- Population pressure led to clearance of rainforest
- Transmigration policies in Indonesia meant people moved from Java to Sumatra involving huge rainforest clearance to make room for homes and agriculture.
- During the 1960s and 1970s, the population of South East Asia and South America increased rapidly
- Demand for hardwood (e.g. teak) for furniture/ building is increasing.
- IMPACTS
- As habitats shrink, plant species become endangered or even extinct, disrupting the food chain of the rainforest
- Tigers and orang-utans are both threatened by extinction.
- The vegetation protects latosoils from the heavy tropical downpours
- Once trees are removed, latosoil is prone to EROSION and LEACHING of nutrients.
- Runoff causes sediment to block river channels which increases flooding.
- Once trees are removed, latosoil is prone to EROSION and LEACHING of nutrients.
- Deforestation disrupts the microclimate
- The daily water cycle of rapid evapo - transpiration followed by afternoon precipitation cannot occur and there is less cloud cover, so a greater temperature range.
- Contributes to global climate change
- As habitats shrink, plant species become endangered or even extinct, disrupting the food chain of the rainforest
- BACKGROUND
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