Question (2 marks) Outline how one human activity has damaged the biosphere.

Outline Question (2 marks)Describe one way of conserving threatened environments.

Question (4 marks)

BATTLE FOR THE BIOSPHERE

Describe the value of a named biome in providing goods and services

OR

Using examples, describe how the biosphere provides people with a range of goods and services.

The biosphere is the part of the earths surface inhabited by living things. A biome is a world scale ecosystem.

Key Question: How have humans affected the biosphere and how might it be conserved? Our named example is The Tropical Rainforest You should be able to give facts about the location, climate, wildlife and people of the Amazon Rainforest. You should be able to name goods and services provided by the tropical rainforest. Tropical Rainforest In 100km of rainforest, you could find 1500 types of flowering plants, 30000 insect species, 150 butterfly species Direct destruction of tropical rainforest Amazonia, in South America, is the largest area of tropical rainforest in the world over half of which is in Brazil. There are many threats to the rainforest however, such as : deforestation due to commercial logging, conversion to farmland or urban use, overharvesting/overfishing, mining and energy exploitation, pollution, the introduction of alien species and tourism. Indirect degradation of the tropical rainforest Global climate change is having an indirect impact on tropical rainforests. The Amazon rainforest suffered from two very severe droughts in 2005 and 2010. During the droughts the Amazon switched from absorbing CO to emitting it. The fear is that if drought becomes more common, rainforests will suffer permanent damage and die-back. Drought also increases the risk of forest fires.

Make sure that you could describe the distribution of a given biome, using a map such as this one. Remember to name specific places, refer to lines of latitude and include directions in your description.

Why are the biomes found in these places? Temperature (global factor) if a place is too hot or too cold, fewer plants and animals can survive e.g. the tundra. The tropics have consistently high temperatures and lots of sunlight so plants grow well e.g. the rainforest. Precipitation(global factor) sufficient rain must fall throughout the year to support lots of plants and animals. Most rain falls in low pressure belts e.g. the equator while least rain falls in high pressure zones like the deserts and the poles. Altitude(local factor) fewer plants will grow at high altitude, while more plants are able to grow at lower altitudes. Why is the biosphere so important? It provides 2 things: GOODS: food crops, fruit, meat, fish, drinking water, products such as rubber SERVICES: nutrient cycling, humus for soil formation, pollination for food chain, provides employment, recreation use, climatic regulation, human and wildlife homes.. It is important that we use the biosphere in a SUSTAINABLE way so that we can continue to use its goods and services.

Sustainable management of the biosphere Act National National Parks in the UK and USA preserve landscapes. They have strict planning laws that not only aim to preserve valuable landscapes and the biosphere within them, but also allow people to enjoy them. The Lake District was the first UK national park and there are now 15 in total. In the UK the land is privately owned, but in the USA the land in their 59 national parks is owned and managed by the government. Global The CITES treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, was signed in 1973. It protects 34,000 endangered species of plant and animal by banning the trade in them. This means that it is illegal to trade in elephant tusk ivory, or export rare plants as herbal remedies. It is hoped that CITES will reduce illegal hunting, poaching and plant collection.

Be aware of threats to the biosphere in other parts of the world e.g. climate change impacting alpine, mountain and tundra biomes; extreme weather at unusual times of the year, such as heatwaves and blizzards; drought and fire risk in grasslands, flooding in coastal mangroves etc.

KEY WORD BANK SERVICES

BIOSPHERE BIOME BIOMASS DISTRIBUTION CONSERVATION SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT GOODS GENE POOL

ALTITUDE TROPICAL RAINFOREST DEGRADATION CLIMATE CHANGE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BIODIVERSITY PRESSURE BELTS KEYSTONE SPECIES

TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES