Core Case Study
Costa Rica is considered a global conservation leader. Describe 2 strategies it has used to protect its biodiversity.
Define old-growth (primary) forest.
Define second-growth forest.
Define tree plantation (i.e, tree farm or commercial forest).
Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of tree plantations.
List 3 reasons why we should care about sustaining forests.
There are different methods to harvesting trees. Explain each of the following:
Selective cutting
Clear cutting
Strip cutting
What is a surface fire? What are some of the benefits?
What is a crown fire? Under what conditions can they occur?
Define deforestation.
Read the Case Study on p. 224. Bill McKibben views forest regrowth as “the great environmental success story of the United States, and in some ways, the whole world.” Defend this statement.
What are some of the underlying causes of tropical deforestation?
What are some of the direct causes of tropical deforestation?
True or false. Fragmented rainforests are more susceptible to fires. Explain your answer.
List 3 ways that we can manage forests more sustainably.
“We should prevent all forest fires.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
Discuss two strategies for reducing fire-related harm to forests and to people who use or live in the forests.
List 2 ways we can reduce our demand for harvested trees.
How much of wood harvested globally each year is burned for fuel? ________ How much of the wood harvested in less-developed countries is burned for fuel? _________
What is a debt-for-nature swap?
What are conservation concessions?
What are other ways to reduce deforestation?
Define rangelands.
Define pastures.
How is the growth of rangeland grass different from that of broadleaf grass?
Define overgrazing.
What are the most widely used ways to manage rangelands more sustainably?
Environmentalists used to seek to reduce overgrazing and limit livestock permits in the southwestern U.S. Now, ranchers, ecologists, and environmentalists are joining together to try to preserve a number of cattle ranches. Why was there a change of heart on this matter?
What is the biggest problem for U.S. national parks?
What is the buffer zone concept (with regard to establishing nature reserves)? How does it take into account local people?
What is a habitat corridor?
Define wilderness.
What did the 1964 Wilderness Act do? What is a limitation of this act?
Define biodiversity hotspots.
Define ecological restoration.
Explain each of the following methods to speed up ecological succession:
Restoration
Rehabilitation
Replacement
Creating artificial ecosystems
List the 4 steps that scientists have come up with for carrying out most forms of ecological restoration and rehabilitation.
Define reconciliation ecology.