Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography): Flashcards

Epiphytes are plants which grow on the trunks and branches of trees and get their nutrients from air, rain or debris accumulating around the plant.

Algae grow in its fur, helping to camouflage it from predators.

False.

Lianas are vines that use the tall trees as support to reach the sunlight, rather than growing their own trunks.

Buttress roots are large above-ground roots that support very tall trees, whose roots below the surface are shallow.

Any four of: hydropower (HEP), agriculture (farming and cattle ranching), logging, settlements, mining, and road building. Wildfires are a natural cause, worsened by human-induced climate change.

The causes affect one another. For example, the growth of settlements leads to more land being cleared for agriculture to support the people living there.

Removing trees decreases interception and infiltration, which reduces evapotranspiration, so less moisture returns to the air and precipitation decreases.

Most nutrients are held in the biomass, not the soil. When trees are cleared, the main nutrient store is removed; there is little leaf litter, and remaining nutrients are rapidly leached away, leaving infertile soil.

Almost a quarter of Brazil's GDP comes from activities in the deforested areas of the Amazon.

They have less land to sustain their traditional way of life, meaning less food and no chance for land to recover; and they may give up their way of life, leading to a loss of culture and traditions. There is also increased risk of landslides destroying homes.

A debt-for-nature swap is where a country is relieved of some of its debt in return for protecting its rainforest. In 2010, the USA converted US$13.5 million of Brazilian debt into a fund to protect the rainforest.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ensures that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.

Launched in 2004, from 2011 it sent daily reports so patrols could target suspicious activity, cutting large-scale deforestation by up to 60% in some areas. Its weakness is that it only detects cleared areas over 250 m², so people simply clear smaller patches.

Selective logging is where the trees to be felled are chosen, felled and removed causing the least possible damage to surrounding trees, reducing damage to the forest structure and helping maintain biodiversity.

Agroforestry combines agriculture with forestry so that some trees remain. This decreases deforestation, provides shade, increases infiltration and interception (reducing soil erosion), adds nutrients from organic matter, and increases biodiversity.

It has low environmental impact, supports local communities (using local food and labour), educates tourists, and generates income for conservation. It rewards local communities for maintaining the rainforest rather than cutting it down.

False.

In 2012 the proportion of land that owners must maintain as forest was reduced from 80% to 50%.

Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia, and almost 70% of its land is covered by tropical rainforest.

Very high biodiversity, with over 15,000 plant species (including 5,500 flowering plants and 2,600 tree species), 750 bird species, 250 mammal species and 350 reptile species.

Malaysia has the fastest rate of deforestation in the world. Since 2000, an average of over 140,000 hectares of forest has been felled and cleared each year.

Building dams floods large forest areas. The Bakun Dam will put 700 km² of land underwater in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Malaysia exports over 30% of the world's palm oil and is the second-largest producer. Even with zero-deforestation policies, clear-felling permits are sometimes used to clear land before palm oil is planted later.

Slash and burn is a subsistence farming method where areas are cleared using fires. These fires can sometimes get out of control and destroy large areas of rainforest.

Oil palm plantations lead to a 35% reduction in species. Endangered animals include orangutans, pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinos and Malayan tigers.

Communities such as the Orang Asli and Temiar have been forced off their land. Reduced pollination has cut food sources, and in Kuala Koh in 2019, at least 15 Batek died after a disease outbreak possibly transmitted by nearby loggers.

Felling trees decreases the absorption of carbon dioxide, raising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. As CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, this increases human-induced climate change, and using fire for clearance adds further emissions.

Since 2001 the MTCC has certified 349 timber companies, meaning they are using sustainable management methods to fell timber.

It has replaced clear felling in many areas. Trees to be felled and the felling direction are identified to avoid damaging others; only trees of a certain size are selected; and a post-felling survey leads to a treatment plan to restore any damage.

It is an area where no development or deforestation is allowed, attracting over 1.6 million visitors annually. It has a core area of 6,304 ha, a buffer zone and a transition zone, and includes one of the last coastal rainforests in Malaysia.

True.

Ecotourism at the Sungai Yu Forest Reserve lets visitors camp with the semi-nomadic Batek community and collect wildlife data to reduce poaching, using local guides and materials in small groups.

Malaysia (states of Sabah and Sarawak), Indonesia (Kalimantan), and Brunei.

Borneo is part of the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot, among the most biologically diverse places on Earth.

High annual rainfall of 2,500–4,000 mm, consistently high temperatures averaging 27–32°C year-round, humidity frequently above 80%, and rain often falling as daily convectional storms in the afternoon.

Any three of: the Bornean orangutan, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, and clouded leopards.

Indonesian Kalimantan and Malaysian Sarawak.

Borneo is a major producer of palm oil. Clearance to plant it has cleared millions of hectares, replacing biodiverse forest with monoculture plantations.

The Transmigration Programme was an Indonesian government policy that encouraged settlement in more rural, remote areas of Borneo, leading to additional land clearance.

Increased sedimentation in the Rajang River system, caused by soil erosion, affects water quality and fish populations.

A smoke 'haze' pollution event with serious health impacts.

The Dayak communities.

The Heart of Borneo Initiative (2007) is a collaboration between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei with WWF to protect 220,000 km² of forest.

Indonesia's ban on new palm oil plantations (since 2018) and increased protected areas; plus NGO reforestation by the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation and Hutan, and community-based forest management by indigenous groups.

True.

Ecotourism projects in Sarawak and Sabah, such as the Danum Valley Conservation Area, provide alternative income to protect the rainforest.