Management
Strategies to minimise impact/effects
Many developing countries like Brazil need to exploit their rainforest resources to help them become more developed. To ensure the rainforest is conserved for future generations, sustainable development is absolutely crucial for its survival.
This means that people can satisfy their basic needs now, while making sure that future generations can also look forward to the same quality of life.
Management strategies include:
- National parks – areas of rainforest can be protected from any commercial developmentsHuman activities that destroy the rainforest to make money e.g. logging. by passing laws which ensure they are conserved.
- Agro-forestry - growing trees and crops at the same time allows farmers' crops to benefit both from the shelter provided by the trees and from the nutrients provided by the dead leaves. It also prevents soil erosion as the tree roots hold the soil in place.
- Sustainable Forestry Schemes – in each area of rainforest, experts can work out how many trees can be cut down without causing irreparable damage to the environment; these trees can then be cut down, as long as the same numbers of trees are replanted.
- Selective logging - trees are only cut down when they reach a certain height. This gives young trees an assured life span and allows the area of rainforest to regain full maturityWhen something is fully grown. after approximately 30-50 years.
- Education – making sure that the companies and people involved in the exploitation and management of the rainforest realise the consequences of their actions.
- Afforestation – planting more trees to maintain the canopy.
- Monitoring - using satelliteBody that orbits a planet. For example, the Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth but communication satellites are artificial satellites of the Earth. to take aerial photographsPictures taken from above and show a birds-eye view of an area. of areas of rainforest to check that any activities taking place are authorised and sustainable.
Question
Look at the location maps and climate graphs for the tundra and rainforest environments.
Compare the location and climates of the tundra and rainforest environments.
- Rainforests are located along the Equator (0° line of latitude) between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.
- Whereas tundra environments are located in the northern hemisphere above the Arctic Circle (66° line of latitude).
- Rainforests have a warm and very wet climate with a small temperature range of only a few degrees.
- In rainforests the weather is the same almost every day, so there are no seasons.
- On the other hand, tundra environments have a very cold and dry climate with a large temperature range.
- There is less than 250mm per year, so the tundra is classed as a cold desert.
