Term
| Q1. List and describe one of the five Principles of Sustainability that you heard about in class. Why is the practice of sustainability so challenging to achieve? |
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Definition
1. Societies and environments are dynamic (decision today may not be relevant tomorrow)
2. Sustainability is contingent on where you live.
3. Complex problems lead to artificial decisions
4. Bad choices are only revealed in the future
5. A bad choice for one person may not be for someone else
Hard to achieve because you need to be industrialized and have excess materials, otherwise being sustainable risks your own survival. |
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Term
| Q2. How dynamic or stable are vegetative communities and the animals inhabiting these ecosystems at decadal to 1,000 year time scales? Depending on how you answered the first part of the question, how would you explain your answer? Use an example when answering this question. |
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Definition
Very dymanic
Unless they adapt or leave, they face extinction
ex) climate, Florida shift from grassland to spruce and jack pine to hardwoods, black hills grasslands into forests |
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Term
| Q3. Where do you find the largest intact contiguous areas of frontier forests today? Why do you think this pattern has emerged? Why do you think we need to know about where frontier forests are found today? |
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Definition
Canada/Alaska, South America, Asia
Areas that value forests and protecting biodiversity |
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Term
| Q4. Why is a spider’s web a good analogy to describe sustainability? |
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Definition
| Many factors to include when making sustainable choices. If we ignore one, it affects the "web" as a whole. |
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Term
| Q5. How do we recognize when we are making unsustainable choices? Do you have your own idea of how societies can make sustainable choices in resource consumption? |
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Definition
Hard to recognize unsustainable choice until future, but generally occurs when we overconsume our own resources or take them from somewhere else.
Best idea would be either to use less or find new more efficient ways. |
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Term
| Q6. Why can two communities, located on the opposite sites of a river in the Amazon River Basin, have to make a different choice about selling their timber to international buyers? HINT: both communities need to be able to continue to harvest and sell trees from their forests in a sustainable manner. |
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Definition
Community 1: sandy soil from river deposits - long time to grow back=greater impact of lost resources
COmmunity 2: clay soils due to the river holding more nutrients, allowing forest to grow back more quickly |
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Term
| Q7. Why is it difficult to label ‘invasive species’ as being always BAD? Name a benefit and a negative of an invasive species (HINT: use the Kudzu as an example)? Where do invasives species come from? |
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Definition
They provide communities resources (sometimes all the resources)
Introduced by people living in industrialzed countries because they like something
Benefits: Livestock eat it, stabilizes soil, chinese medicine, pretty and fragrant
Negatives: spreads into undisturbed sites, grows over everything very quickly, reduces value of site |
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Term
| Q8. When and from where was kudzu introduced to the US? What was the public view of this plant when it was first introduced to the US? What was the major original benefit of kudzu in the US? |
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Definition
1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia; from Japan
Public view: smelled good and had beautiful flowers; home owners loved the quick growth to cover areas for protection from sun
Major benefit: great at erosion control |
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Term
| Q9. Based on what you heard during the last two weeks, speculate how past civilizations able to satisfy the resource consumption demands of their societies? Mention a repercussion of past efforts to acquire resources. |
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Definition
Collapsed when they over exploited their own resources and were unable to access new supplies.
Repercussion: exploited someone else's resources and were able to continue to get new supplies to consume |
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Term
| Q10. Based on what you have heard and your own background, speculate on how human societies make unsustainable choices on products that come from forests? Be creative. |
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Definition
Our value for pretty, cool products trigger disturbances that degrade natural ecosystems (externalities of industrialization)
Political objectives can lead to unhealthy ecosystems, leaving societies who depend on them unhealthy, also makes them more vulnerable to disturbances |
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Term
| Q1. Describe the Human Development Index? How does it differ from the traditional approach to evaluate how well a country is developing its economy? Why is it being used by international organizations to rank countries? |
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Definition
Groups countries by their "social or human capital". Focuses on attention to social development potential, based on education, health, income, role of women
Useful to compare patterns in resource consumption based on groups of people, improves health, and identifies why a country developed a particular way |
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Term
| Q2. What is the relationship between the amount of forest cover a country has and its ranking as a high, medium or low human development index (HDI) country? Based on how you answered the first part of the question, which countries do you think the international communities are most interested in funding to retain their forest cover? Which countries are losing their forest cover most rapidly and can you speculate why? |
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Definition
High: Low forest cover
Medium: Highest forest cover
Low: low forest cover (decreasing rapidly)
International communities interested in funding the medium because they have the most frontier forests remaining.
Low HDI countries are losing their forests rapidly because they are most dependent for survival |
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Term
| Q3. Three sustainability myths were mentioned in class. Describe one of these myths and why you think it needs to be debunked. |
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Definition
Highly developed countries are making more environmental choices: Iceland and hydropower
High population densitities make unsustainable choices: Japan and Holland making conscious choices (unlike India exact opposite)
People in rural landscapes are not sustainable: consuming local resources kills biodiversity for food |
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Term
| Q4. Historically, what have been the industrialized world or high HDI country myth of high population densities and our resource consumption decisions and practices? Use an example when answering this question. Why is this not a valid view? |
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Definition
High HDI = unsustainable choices
Wrong bc japan and Holland have high HDI but make good choices.
Choice of how they consume resources, not how many people |
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Term
| Q5. Define what it means to be an outlier? Why is it relevant to think about outliers when ranking resource consumption patterns? Are energy outliers more commonly found in the High HDI country group or in a Low HDI country group? |
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Definition
Outlier: consuming more or less than a comparable group of people living under similar environmental and or climatic condiitons
Patterrns: identify groups that need to decrease use of a resource, identify a group that can consume more
Found more in high HDI countries bc they have they money to consume significantly higher amounts of energy compared to others |
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Term
| Q6. What is the relationship between a countries HDI rank, how much of their forests are privately owned and how much wood they consume as part of their primary energy production? Based on what you know and heard in class, speculate whether you think a country can improve their HDI ranking if it has a HIGHER private ownership of forests? |
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Definition
High: more under private (dont need wood for energy)
Low: governments own most
Can improve HDI ranking because if govt control there is not enough to be divided amongst all people who would have rights |
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Term
| Q7. Present an example of how globalization of resource consumption and production can be linked to local conservation efforts? What is the take home message from your example? Use an example when answering this question. |
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Definition
Globalization shifts suppliers to satisfy market demand
ex) finland and china increase cutting in Russia to increase their forest protection without decreasing wood
Take home message: decisions in an ecosystem contest |
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Term
| Q8. Why is it easier for industrialized or high HDI countries to appear to be making more sustainable choices compared to many of the less industrialized or low HDI countries? Mention 2 factors that explain this. |
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Definition
Less industrialized: less income, lots of people in rural areas, most people work in agriculture, no agriculture imports, budget spent on food, population is undernourished.
High HDI: less in rural areas, work in industrial sectors, high import of agriculture, less money spent on food, healthy populations, fossil fuels for energy |
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Term
| Q9. What is the dominant labor or employment opportunities available in industrialized versus developing countries? What do you think are the repercussions of these employment patterns on the ability of these countries to pursue their sustainable resource consumption goals? |
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Definition
Industrialized: service - transferring impacts, less apparant
Developed: subsistence survivors, dependent on agriculture. Imacts readily seen.
Impacts: less agriculture and forestry, more service industry, difficult to sustainably consume resources when most of labor force is in agriculture or forestry |
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Term
| Q10. What is the general relationship between ‘pimples’ erupting on a human face and how we make decisions in forests? If we continue to treat symptoms of ‘forest change’, i.e., stop deforestation in the tropics, do you think that countries can increase their ranking in the human development index (HDI)? |
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Definition
We treat the symptom instead of the causes
We dont know a problem exists or where it will exist until it arises (on your face)
NO, this index focuses on social development potential. Treating symptoms does not address underlying problems (ex: health, income) Deforestation is a symptom of other probelsm |
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Term
| Q1. What is the medieval global warming? How did the medieval global warming impact England, the Amazon and also the Maya civilization?Why was Europe the ideal location to live during the medieval global warming period? |
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Definition
From 800-1200
England flourished economically - major period of exploration
Amazon and mayan collapsed from droughts (unable to grow food, lacked sufficient fresh water)
Europe ideal bc 4-5 centuries of good climate brought good harvests to Europe, Rise of European civilizations, could grow food for everyone |
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Term
| Q2. In class it was mentioned that European settlers moving into the forest regions of the western Pacific Northwest US found it difficult to survive by collecting resources to eat or to hunt in these forests. What made it difficult for humans to survive in these coniferous forests? |
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Definition
| Biological deserts. No large animals that could be hunted for foods, only small mammals such as rodents or squirrels |
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Term
| Q3. What is the analogy between a theater’s stage and soils? |
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Definition
Stage: limits what actors can do
Soils determine what supplies or resources available to maintain survival |
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Term
| Q4. How easy is it for people living in the United States to make sustainable decisions and to survive compared to the global average? Explain your answer. |
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Definition
Much easier bc and condiitons allow for food and resources to be aquired (only 14% desert)
Ice rock and desert are bad for producing and are common elsewhere |
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Term
| Q5. Define keystone species? In class you heard about a cold landscape that has several keystone species. What keystone species were found in this ecosystem and what are the implications of losing one of these keystone species from the ecosystem? |
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Definition
Keystone species are species that all other animals eat to survive, their loss would have a major impact on the continued persistence of these ecosystems
ex) crane flies and other insects and the brown lemming
Loss leads to not enough food leading to extinction or migration |
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Term
| Q6. Today, what 2 locations and forest types have the most areas of intact forests? What is the relationship between those locations where intact forest areas are found today and whether they were good locations for people to live and survive? Why do some regions of the world have large intact areas of forests today? |
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Definition
South America (too hot and rainy)
Russia (cold and the growing season is short, so no food production)
Location of largest forests today are where it was difficult to find or grow food because of climate/soil conditions (hard to survive)
Degraded forests were easy to collect resources and survive |
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Term
| Q7. How did people and animals survive in regions with extremely cold winters? Are people healthy living in extremely cold climates? |
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Definition
Animals: hibernate/migrate
People need to migrate or follow animal herds |
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Term
| Q8. If you are living under the same climatic conditions, would you prefer living in grassland areas or in forests? Justify your answer? |
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Definition
| Forests because theyre more disturbed, have better climate, and more conducive to humans because animals arent domesticated or balanced/nutritious |
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Term
| Q9. Define geophagy? Why does this practice occur? What is the element most missing from soils where geophagy occurs? |
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Definition
Geophagy: Animals licking or eating soil to get the nutrients not in vegetation that they eat
Leads to health problems because no sodium in soils |
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Term
| Q10. Based on what you heard during this class, using the broad biome categories of ecosystems (e.g., forests, deserts, grasslands, tundra, etc) and using scientific rationales, identify a location in the world that you would not be able to live and explain why? Try to think of 2 reasons why you would not be able to live in an area. |
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Definition
Desert and Tundra because you cant grow food and theres no water
Desert: no Water
Tundra: cant grow food in ice, difficult to stay warm. Animals migrate, and thats your food |
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Term
| Q1. Who is given the credit for developing agriculture as we know it today? Was the early agriculture practiced using organic or intensive management practices? Explain your answer. Do you remember what happened to the civilization that invented agriculture? |
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Definition
Sumerians (practiced year round agriculture)
Intensive techniques: cultivation of land, monocropping organized irrigation, use of specialized labor force
Sumerians died out after severe deforestation depleted their food sources |
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Term
| Q2. What did the development of intensive agriculture allow early civilizations to accomplish that would not have been possible without this agriculture? |
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Definition
| Allowed civilizations to form in once please, instead of constantly having to migrate to find crops. Allowed much greater density of population to be supported by crops which also increased labor force and ability to expand |
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Term
| Q3. If you see large trees growing in an area, does it mean that it is good for agriculture? How does a tree differ from an agricultural crop in what kind of conditions they grow well? What do these plants get from the soil? |
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Definition
| Not necessarily. Trees can live for a thousand years, whereas a crop grows very quickly. Trees thus wouldnt be as affected by one bad drought or something. Plants get nutrients such as iron and other minerals from the soil |
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Term
| Q4. Can you cut down any forest and be able to get good agricultural land? Why |
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Definition
| No because some forests such as tropical forests have very little nutrition, so cutting down one of these forests would not provide good agricultural land because of lack of nutrition in the soil |
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Term
| Q5. What is the petroleum link to agriculture? |
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Definition
| Modern agriculture is totally reliant on petroleum energy. ex) Haber Bosch fertilizer creation process. Natural gas is used because its the cheapest currently available source of hydrogen |
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Term
| Q6. Why can we make the statement that what you eat is only as good as the soil that it grew in? Use an example to answer this question. |
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Definition
| We eat plants and animals, animals eat plants, eventually it all comes down to someone ate the plants, and the plants get nutrients from the soil |
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Term
| Q7. What is the difference between dirt and soil? Why do we care?? |
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Definition
| Soil is a mixture of dirt and organic material from dead animals/plants and living organisms. We definitely want soil over dirt because it provides nutrients |
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Term
| Q8. What is the major impact of conventional or intensive agriculture and organic farming on soils? How does organic farming attempt to mediate this change? |
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Definition
| Leaches nutrients out of the soil. Intensive agriculture speeds up the process. Organic uses pesticides that are not chemically made and also adds organic material to help plants grow |
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Term
| Q9. Can you have too much organic matter in a soil? What happens when the organic matter increases in a soil to levels higher than what is normally found in the soil? Use an example when answering this question. |
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Definition
| Yes. When that happens, pH level is lowered and there is less oxygen and more CO2 as microorganisms feed off the organic material and breath in oxygen and exhale co2. Ex biosphere in AZ |
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Term
| Q10. Describe terra preta soils? Why were these soils important in many tropical areas? |
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Definition
Terra Preta is a black earthlike man made soil, with enhanced fertility. Loaded with nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium
Importat in many tropical areas because tropical areas have poor soil with few nutrients whereas terra preta can be 3x as effective |
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Term
| Q1. People living in tropical forests face several issues that impact their survival. Describe one characteristic that makes it particularly difficult for humans to survive in the tropical region. What is one of the most persistent problems faced by people living in tropical forests? |
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Definition
Nutrient quality in soil, hot, river that floods seasonally
Persistent problems: heat, floods |
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Term
| Q2. What one single factor is unique to the tropical regions from other areas in the world? Why is it important to know this fact? |
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Definition
| It is very hot, at least 24 degrees celcius. important to know that because it is going up so we need to know how to deal with |
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Term
| Q3. Discuss the reason presented in class for why plants and animals need to be highly adaptive to living in the wet tropical forests of the Amazon. Describe one adaptation used by plants and by animals to survive what you described for the first part of the question? How do these plant adaptations impact human survival in these forests? |
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Definition
Floods: Need to learn some adaptation in case of flood (swimming, climbing, etc)
One adaptation: many species and plants are posionous or have sharp horns, making it harder to survive because vegeration is either not edible or is poisonous |
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Term
| Q4. Why was the practice of shifting agriculture developed in wet tropical forests? Define shifting agriculture and what is about this practice that allows people to grow food crops in the soils found here. |
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Definition
| Tropics have nutrient poor soils. They burn down trees, which puts more nutrients in the soil. However, it only lasts for 10-15 years, nutrients then used up and they need to move |
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Term
| Q5. List and describe one of the fallacies for tropical forests that is held by people living in the industrialized countries? Do you see a problem with accepting any one of these fallacies as being true? |
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Definition
-lush, highly productive
-soil hasnt been impacted by human activities
-plant diversity occurs naturally
-Forest is fragile and can be degraded easily
-No fires in wet tropics
Believing these can lead to people doing something uncharacteristically which could lead to destruction of the tropics. |
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Term
| Q6. In the Amazon region, what parts of the landscape are more suitable for people to survive and why? How diverse are the food options for people living in the areas that are more suitable for human survival? |
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Definition
River (more than 80% live along it) because they can grow food crops
Called riparian zones and have the most productive soils |
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Term
| Q7. Discuss what is the role of cassava or manioc in the diet of indigenous communities living in the American, Asian and African tropics? How is cassava made into a food source? Discuss the trade-offs that local people make by eating cassava. |
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Definition
| They are the most widely eaten food in the Amazon and most of Africa. It is a starchy root containing cyanide compounds. In order to prepare it, it must be retted in a river. Retting it for 4-5 days allows fermentation to get rid of the cyanide |
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Term
| Q8. What is the myth related to the pink dolphin in the Brazilian Amazon? Why do you think that they would develop these myths? |
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Definition
| Dolphins turn into handsome men and impregnate women of the tribes. Done to warn against outsiders, also because the pink dolphins were very strange. |
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Term
| Why would you eat a cabybara (rodent) if you lived in the forests of the American tropics? Explain your answer. |
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Definition
| High in protein and there were limited sources of protein, especially if there was a flood or drought |
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Term
| Q10. What two factors created problems when the first global Debt-for-Nature swap was established in Bolivia? Has the Debt-for-Nature swap improved the livelihoods of people living in the reserve or just outside of the reserve? |
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Definition
No consideration of its impacts on local communities ability to provide for themselves
Local communities not involved in setting boundaries or limis
Hasnt improved livelihood of people living inside |
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Term
| Q1. Why were community based forests established in the Nepal case study during the 1970s? Who owns these forests? What are the implications of who owns the forests? Define community forests when answering this question. |
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Definition
Community based forests are forest user groups that manage forests for subsistence and commercial purposes
In Nepal, 80% of people live in rural areas and depend on forests for subsistence, so they have a vested interest
Government owns forests and gives communitis 5 year rights that they can reclaim at any time |
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Term
| Q2. In Nepal, what is the primary subsistence material collected from forests? List another product also collected from these forests. Who is excluded from collecting forest materials in community forests? |
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Definition
| the primary subsistence material in Nepal is timber. They also collect fuelwood, grass, herbal medicines, pine resin. Women collect the products, indegeous groups excluded |
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Term
| Q3. In the Nepal case study, what factor is driving the continued illegal selling of timber by forest user groups? Based on what you know, do you think giving land tenure to the community members will stop illegal selling of timber? |
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Definition
| The factor driving illegal sale of timber is its value. It i very valuable so people go in and cut down trees and sell the timber for a lot of money. Giving land tenure wouldnt decrease it (ex people still sell illegal drugs) All about the benjamins |
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Term
| Q4. How have indigenous people unintentionally altered the forests of central Himalaya? Why has this change occurred? |
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Definition
| converted pine into oak because: pine was bad for livestock, high risk of soil erosion bc of the fires, and oak trees provide more water in streams |
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Term
| Q5. Describe one benefit local people derive from having Banj oak growing in their forests in central Himalaya? Describe one reason why pine species are not the preferred tree species for people living in central Himalaya? |
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Definition
| Local people benefit from oak growing in their forest because cattle can eat oak leaves but not pine, less probelm with erosion because oak forests are denser, and believe that oak forests allow more water to get into the rivers |
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Term
| Q6. What caused local peasants to lose their traditional user rights to forests in the central Himalaya? Did the local peasants accept this change? |
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Definition
| Indian forest act 1878. Local peasants didnt accept it: we cant have it and neither can you so they burnt it down |
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Term
| Q7. What is the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary fuelwood policy and what is driving this policy? Discuss the social contracts that fuel wood has for villagers living in the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary? Is the policy compatible with the community social contracts for wood? |
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Definition
Policy: local people can't cut down trees, only collect dead pieces from the ground.
Social contracts: everyone in the family has to get wood to contribute
Local people think its compatible by the government does not |
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Term
| Q8. Is the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary area a pristine environment since its abandonment? Explain your answer. How do villagers living in the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary make money? What is their main subsistence mode? |
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Definition
| No. Tons of tourism. They make money by selling souvenirs, and the train is a tourist magnet |
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Term
| Q9. What did the natural environment look like in Iceland when the first settlers arrived more than 1,000 years ago? What does the Icelandic landscape look like today? |
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Definition
| Iceland has been totally transformed from massive desertification. From 65-75% cover to 25% upon the arrival of settlers 1000 years ago. Today, ICeland has only 1% forest cover and grasslands have been heavily degraded due to large numbers of sheep and other animals grazing |
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Term
| Q10. What caused the changes in the natural environment in Iceland? Why did the birch forests and willow disappear from Iceland? Why is it a problem if Iceland loses its birch forests? |
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Definition
| Desertification. Occured as Iceland was deforested to build ships. Once settlers left, sheep were free to graze and eat birch and willow. Birch forests were very populous and also tasty to sheep, so their loss is huge. |
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Term
| Q1. How was the landscape of the once lush Loess Plateau converted into a barren unfertile land? How has this degradation affected the local communities? |
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Definition
| Overexploited the land and killed nutrients in the soil. Rain and no vegetation led to soil in the river, leading to the people going poverty, stuck on subsistence living. |
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Term
| Q2. How does the yellow river get its name and why do some call it China’s Sorrow? How did the restoration change the River? |
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Definition
| Yellow because muddy. WHen muddy, seen as an omen for bad things to come. Clear means good stuff ahead. Restoration kept water form going quickly into stream and carrying soot into it |
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Term
| Q3. How do restoration projects benefit climate change? |
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Definition
| More vegetation slowed the rate at which water entered the stream as well as takes carbon out of the air, countering greenhouse effects |
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Term
Q4. Why were the local people of the Loess Plateau hesitant to restoration project? How
did the Chinese government convince them? |
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Definition
Didn't see the benefit as they wanted the land to farm
The chinese government paid them off to not farm that land and keep their animals chained up |
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Term
Q5. What caused the famine in Ethiopia? What did the farmers do to that restored their
food? In what other way was there community benefited? |
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Definition
Drought
they now retain water in the fields to irrigate |
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Term
Q6. According to Professor Legesse Negash, How does the restoration restore streams
where flash floods used to occur? What is the most important thing for Africa to do
for the environment and their people? |
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Definition
| Streams stayed because of vegetation cover, but when deforested, streams dry up. So restoration of forests also stops sreams from drying up |
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Term
Q7. In Rwanda, what did the local community do when their land was no longer fertile from
over farming? How did this affect neighboring communities like Kigali? |
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Definition
They moved into protected areas, which damaged the ecosystem
Dried out wetlands in Kigali, so they couldn't get energy from hydrology |
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Term
Q8. What are the environmental and monetary repercussions of the diesel generators in
Kigali? Is this still a problem? Explain your answer. |
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Definition
Have to pay 65,000 plus to keep energy generators going
Not a problem anymore because people can't pay it |
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