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Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests - Coggle Diagram
Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests
Social Functions of Tropical Forests
(Describe & Explain)
Source of Food
Large variety of common food comes from plants that grows in the tropical forests.
Many flowers, fruits, roots and seeds of the trees and plants are edible.
Tropical forests also serve as habitats for large diversity of animals which people hunt for food.
Eg: Banana, Cocoa beans, Wild Birds, Deer etc
Source of Raw Materials
Valuable sources of wood for building and carpentry due to their strength, durability and colour.
Mangrove trees have been used to build houses, jetties and boats due to their resistance to rot and fungi.
Timber are also sources for paper and charcoal production.
Valuable metals and minerals can also be found underneath tropical rainforests.
Eg: Mahogany, Teak, Rose, Iron, Diamond
Place of Habitation
Indigenous people are dependent on the forests for basic needs such as water, food, shelter, fuel, clothing and medicines
Water: Water Catchment
Food: Hunting & Gathering
Shelter & Fuel: Timber
Clothing: Plant fibres & Animal hides
Medicine: Plants & Animals
Eg: Korowai Tribe - Rainforest in New Guinea, Indonesia
Place for Recreation
Recreational sites for people living in towns and cities - trekking, camping, birdwatching.
Visiting forests has positive effects on people’s health.
Natural sights and smells provide calming effects.
Serves as a way for people to exercise.
Eg: Tree Top Walk - MacRitchie, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Medicinal Value
World’s largest pharmacy source of medicine.
Plants extracts are used in the production of commercial medication
Plants as remedies to treat various illness and injuries.
Eg: Cinchona Tree - treat Malaria, Calvillia - Treat eczema & itchiness
Environmental Functions of Tropical Forests
(Describe & Explain)
Oxygen Generator
Oxygen is released as a by-product of the photosynthesis process in which carbon dioxide, water and sunlight is absorbed
Helps to purify and renew fresh air essential for survival of living organisms
Carbon Storage
During photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Balances the amount of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere due to respiration and decomposition
Absorbed carbon dioxide is store in solid form in the leaves, branches, stems and roots of the trees
Decomposing leaves and branches add carbon to the soil and the roots of the plants also produce soil carbon.
Habitat for Animals
Warm climate and abundance of water and food sources all year round makes tropical forests very suitable habitats for a wide variety of animals.
Mangroves serves as breeding grounds for fishes due to their dense root networks. Dense foliage also serves as safe shelter for birds from their predators.
Protection from Coastal Erosion
Dense toot system of mangrove plants help trap and stabalise loose sediments on the coast
The roots, trunk and branches of the mangrove plant causes friction with waves hitting the coast and reduces the wave energy.
When the waves lose significant amount of energy and less sediments are loose, coast erosion will be greatly reduced as less sediments will be washed away by the waves.
Protection from Soil Erosion
Leaves, branches and stems of rainforest plants slow down falling rain before they reach the ground resulting in rain of less speed and energy.
More rainwater can infiltrate the soil thus reducing surface runoff.
Less soil particles are loosened due to the reduced rain energy.
The roots of the trees also bind the soil together making them harder to erode.
With less surface runoff and loosened soil particles, less soil erosion takes place.
Consequences of over-extraction
of resources from tropical forests
(Describe & Explain)
Deforestation
Definition:
Deforestation is the large scale and permanent removal of trees in forests.
Human activities that results in deforestation:
Agriculture (livestocks & crops)
Living Space / Roads
Raw materials for Commercial Activities
Development
Profits
Environmental impacts of deforestation:
Loss of biodiversity
Increase in greenhouse gas emission → trap heat → enhanced greenhouse effect →global warming
Soil Erosion → Flooding
Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
Definition:
Excess in greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere that results in the trapping of more heat than usual
Greenhouse Effect VS Enhanced Greenhouse Effect:
Natural greenhouse effect helps to keep the Earth's surface warm. This is essential for the survival of life forms on Earth.
Enhanced greenhouse effect is when there is too much greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. This causes an excess amount of heat to be trapped which results in global warming.
Deforestation → Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
Trees are permanently removed → less trees absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Carbon originally stored in the soil will react with the air and becomes carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Process of tree removal such as burning of forests will result in additional carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
Additional carbon emissions will cause more heat to be trapped in the atmosphere resulting in enhanced greenhouse effect.
Impact of Enhanced Greenhouse Effect:
Excess greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere → more heat will be trapped causing enhanced greenhouse effect to occur → global warming where the global average temperature rises.
Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests
(PE²EBCL)
Establishing Protected Areas
Point:
Policies and laws are put in place to govern the usage and management of specific forested areas
Elaborate & Explain:
Authority decides areas are to be protected as nature reserves
Determines laws and regulations to protect these areas
People who break these laws will be fined or even jailed.
Example:
In Singapore, Parks and Trees Act (2005) poses strict consequences to actions that are harmful to the protected forested areas such as Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Benefits
:
Human activities such as removing plants and animals are restricted which will reduce harm caused to the forests.
Challenges:
Heavily dependent on strong enforcement and also requires much funding and costs.
Requires multiple parties and a long period of time.
Regulating Forestry Activities
Point:
Careful regulation, control and management of resource extractions from forested areas take place
Elaborate & Explain:
Authorities set restrictions and limitations to how extraction should take place and determine how much can be extracted at one go
Allows for the retention of some parts of the forest while allowing commercial activities to still take place
Example:
In Malaysia, loggers are only allowed to cut down older trees and particular species that are economically valuable.
Benefits:
Greater control of illegal logging and has lead to a decrease in deforestation in Amazon Rainforest.
Several illegal loggers have been stopped by Brazil's environmental enforcement agency
Challenges:
Identifying and logging selected trees is time consuming and difficult to implement
Rehabilitating
Disturbed Areas
Point:
New trees are planted in areas that have been originally deforested
Elaborate & Explain:
Rehabilitates deforested areas through planting of new trees.
Aims to re-introduce at least some of the plant and animals species originally found there.
To reduce the time taken for the forest to regrow, saplings and small trees are planted instead of being planted from seeds
Example:
15 hectares at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve have been replanted with 17000 saplings of 150 native species.
Benefits:
Improve soil fertility in the long run to sustain plant growth.
-reduce erosion, maintain water cycle and preserve native biodiversity
Create more jobs for the local
Challenges:
Expensive and time-consuming
depends on the availability of native species for replanting
Promoting Public Education
Point:
Helping the community understand the importance of forests and the threats that forests face
Elaborate & Explain:
Public seminars, tours, shows and events help to increase appreciation, awareness and understanding of nature.
Incorporating elements of biodiversity conservation into the school curriculum also serves as public education.
Example:
Government agencies like NParks regularly organize exhibitions and festivals for people to take part in and learn more about nature.
NGOs such as Nature Society (Singapore) organises guided walk and tours to places such as Pulau Ubin to educate the public about the rich diversity in Singapore’s forests.
Benefits:
Far-reaching effects in the long term to help change people’s mindsets and increase awareness, understanding and appreciation for the tropical forests.
It can also lead to action and participation from the community.
Challenges:
Changing of personal behaviour and action is difficult
Countries may be low in literacy which make education difficult.
Many countries are still heavily dependent on resources from tropical forests.