biomes under pressure
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Biomes Under Pressure. Forests and woodlands Tropical forests Oceans Coral reefs and mangroves. World Wood Consumption. Causes of Deforestation. Economic development Human population growth. Frontier Forests 8,000 Years Ago. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Biomes Under Pressure
• Forests and woodlands• Tropical forests• Oceans• Coral reefs and mangroves
World Wood Consumption
Causes of Deforestation
• Economic development
• Human population growth
Frontier Forests 8,000 Years Ago
Frontier Forest = “Old Growth” Forest, which never having been cut down and cleared by humans, they are in balance with natural disturbance events such as fire, winds, etc…
Frontier Forests Today
Very few forests remain untouched by humans and our practices of large scale clearing for wood and agriculture lands.
Low or no threat
Medium or high threat
Non frontier forests
Unassessed for threat
North American Frontiers
Non-Frontier Forest are also called “Second Growth” Forests, meaning they have growth back at after at least one clearing.
www.globalforestwatch.orgwww.globalforestwatch.org
Cameroon in 1959Non-Forest
Unprotected Forest
Protected Forest
Logged or Logging
Man wants more farmland for livestock and crops.
Cameroon in 1971Non-Forest
Unprotected Forest
Protected Forest
Logged or Logging
Cameroon in 1995Non-Forest
Unprotected Forest
Protected Forest
Logged or Logging
Today, 80% of Cameroon’s Unprotected Forests are in
Logging Areas or Concessions
Cameroon in 1999Non-Forest
Unprotected Forest
Protected Forest
Logged or Logging
Affects of Deforestation(Clear Cutting)
Loss of forests leads to:Loss of forests leads to:
or
More
Less
ProductivityNutrient recyclingBiodiversitySoil erosionEvapotranspirationAir pollution
Sustainable Forest Management
• Manage for sustainable outcomes• Responsible practices (teach others)• Protect the health of the forest• Recognize and protect unique forest
ecosystems.• Continuous improvement (strive to be
better forest managers; be adaptive)
New Forestry Practices
• Cut trees less frequently• Leave wider buffer zones along
waterways• Leave dead logs and debris• Protect broader landscapes• Build no new roads until damage to old
ones is addressed• Added-value products (use of species
other than wood/lumber species)
Loss of Tropical Rainforests – Why?
• Colonization: consolidation of agricultural lands
• Huge national debts
• Fast food chains and cheap hamburger
Conserving Tropical Rainforests
• Ecotourism• Extractive reserves & Value-
added products• Management by indigenous
people• Rubber, coffee & cocoa
plantations• Sustainable logging• Carbon sequestration credits
Ocean Ecosystems
An international commons?
75% of the Earth’ssurface
Global Fish Harvests
100 million metric tons of food on a sustained basis?
Overfishing one species leads to shift to catch other less desirable species elsewhere.
Fisheries Problems
Too many boatsHigh technologyToo few fish
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
1976• Gave federal government
authority to manage fisheries
• Claimed the area between 3 and 200 miles off shore as the “Exclusive Economic Zone”
• Designed to eliminate foreign fishing
• Designed to restore and conserve fish
• Swapped foreign with American exploiters
• Huge conflict of interest among council members
• Endangerment of 236 fish species
Impacts of Magnuson-Stevens Act
Fisheries in Distress
Georges Bank Cod Fishery Collapse: Regional management council versus NMFS, an example of regional politics over sound science in late 1970’s; 197 dramatic solutions = half-time, 2/3 area fished; buy-out program.
Sustainable Fisheries Act• The 1996 reauthorization of the Magnuson Act.• Mandates that fish stocks be rebuilt (reestablished)• Management plans and yields be based on sound
scientific data• Steps be taken to minimize “by-catch”
Mangrove Forest: trees adapted to saltwater and flooded soils.
Mangroves• Protects coasts from
storm damage and erosion
• Forms rich refuge and nursery for marine fish
• Prevents sediments and excess nutrients getting to Coral Reefs
• Shrimp farming and residential development are leading causes of clearing.
Coral Reefs as Resources for Man:
• Important food sources for local people
• Wave erosion control
• Great diversity of marine vertebrates and invertebrates
Sources of Damage to Coral Reefs:• Climate Change
– Warmer waters – (Coral Bleaching Hot Spots)
• Sedimentation and Eutrophication– Coastal development– Shrimp aquaculture– Logging
• Over-Fishing – Islander poverty– Northern Demand
• Habitat Destruction/Alteration– “Loving it to death” – anchor and diver damage
Marine Sanctuaries
[Photo: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve]
BelizeCase Study
• About 70% Forest Remains
• Second largest barrier reef in the world.
• Tourism industry matches sugar Cane production as leading industry and revenue generator in Belize.
• Approximately 45% of land area as park, reserves, or private land trusts.
• Numerous marine sanctuaries!