Deck 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests, Grasslands, Parks, and Nature Preserves

Question 1

How do the size and design of nature preserves influence their effectiveness? What do landscape ecologists mean by interior habitat and edge effects ?

Answer 1

The democratic procedure is reliant on compromise and popularity. Olden time has frequently verified that popularity is not the top sign of suitability. The truth, demands that the scientist look for accurate outlooks of phenomena, rather than support popular outlooks. A small amount of the scientists most respected at present were popular in their lifetimes, since of their tendency to accurate misreading, however we declare these counter-culture persons to be the top of civil servants.
Scientists have always been beset by the problem of funding, whether open or secret. When study brings an undesired result support tends to dry up, forcing the scientist to search for funding away or work at a different career. The community is not served when this happens.

Question 2

What percentage of the earth's land area has some sort of protected status? How has the amount of protected areas changed globally?

Answer 2

Fire suppression is a controversial strategy because it leads to deforestation and elevates the risk of even more severe fire. This is because it leads to presence of dead and decomposing plant material, which elevates the risk of even more severe fire.
At the beginning of 20 th century The United States followed a policy of fire suppression. Fires in the various forest lands like Yellowstone, The Great Plains, and The Rockies were have low effect or ordinary. The different types of Park management Service started to stop or eliminate the fire accidents completely, in the wild and other green lands.
The Forest reduction programs begin for the elimination of the excess of woods form the forest ecosystems. The government has also permitted for the collection of the costly wood, and costly trees in backcountry. Many natural societies also depend on periodic fires for renewal, and so containing fires is an unreliable strategy.
The different types of Thinning projects are also released from mistake and policy; this has led to the loggers to cut the trees and cover without rules. Reclaim logging can really increase fire susceptibility. The loggers harvest free-standing trees instead of the undergrowth that really is the reason, for forest fires.

Question 3

What is ecotourism , and why is it important?

Answer 3

The democratic procedure is reliant on compromise and popularity. Olden time has frequently verified that popularity is not the top sign of suitability. The truth, demands that the scientist look for accurate outlooks of phenomena, rather than support popular outlooks. A small amount of the scientists most respected at present were popular in their lifetimes, since of their tendency to accurate misreading, however we declare these counter-culture persons to be the top of civil servants.
Scientists have always been beset by the problem of funding, whether open or secret. When study brings an undesired result support tends to dry up, forcing the scientist to search for funding away or work at a different career. The community is not served when this happens.

Question 4

What is a biosphere reserve , and how does it differ from a wilderness area or wildlife preserve?

Question 5

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Conservationists argue that watershed protection and other ecological functions of forests are more economically valuable than timber. Timber companies argue that continued production supports stable jobs and local economies. If you were a judge attempting to decide which group was right, what evidence would you need on both sides? How would you gather this evidence?

Question 6

What do we mean by closed-canopy forest and old-growth forest?

Question 7

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Divide your class into a ranching group, a conservation group, and a suburban home-builders group, and debate the merits of subsidized grazing in the American West. What is the best use of the land? What landscapes are most desirable? Why? How do you propose to maintain these landscapes?

Question 8

What continent is experiencing the greatest forest losses?

Question 9

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Calculating forest area and forest losses is complicated by the difficulty of defining exactly what constitutes a forest. Outline a definition for what counts as forest in your area, in terms of size, density, height, or other characteristics. Compare your definition to those of your colleagues. Is it easy to agree? Would your definition change if you lived in a different region?

Question 10

What is REDD, and how might it work?

Question 11

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
There is considerable uncertainty about the extent of degradation on grazing lands. Suppose you were a range management scientist, and it was your job to evaluate degradation for the state of Montana. What data would you need? With an infinite budget, how would you gather the data you need? How would you proceed if you had a very small budget?

Question 12

Why is fire suppression a controversial strategy?

Question 13

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Why do you suppose dry tropical forest and tundra are well represented in protected areas, while grasslands and wetlands are protected relatively rarely? Consider social, cultural, geographic, and economic reasons in your answer.

Question 14

What portion of the U.S. public rangelands are in poor or very poor condition due to overgrazing? Why do some groups say grazing fees amount to a "hidden subsidy"?

Question 15

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Oil and gas companies want to drill in several parks, monuments, and wildlife refuges. Do you think this should be allowed? Why or why not? Under what conditions would drilling be allowable?

Question 16

What is rotational grazing , and how does it mimic natural processes?