Global  Geography  12  ●  C.P.  Allen  High  School  Portable  2  ●  Mr.  Wozney  

web:  hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/pwozney  ●  pwozney@staff.ednet.ns.ca  ●  twitter:  @mrwozney    

Biodiversity,  Deforestation  and  Desertification    

Biodiversity  (textbook  p114-­‐  116)  

Write  a  definition  for  biodiversity  in  your  own  words:  

Biodiversity refers to the huge range of life forms on Earth (from microscopic to enormous).

 The  three  levels  of  biodiversity  are:  

GENETIC Diversity at genetic/gene level- differences allow distinct species, and genetic engineering (using animal traits in modified plant species)  

SPECIES The wide range of life forms that live within a given space or area  

ECOSYSTEM The wide range of habitats that support life in a given area (swamp, wetland, forest, desert, coral reef, etc)  

     3  major  reasons  why  biodiversity  is  important  to  earth  are:  

GREENHOUSE REGULATION The complete range of plant species all serve to regulate our atmosphere and keep temperature stable for life to exist  

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION A huge range of plant species provide food, and rely on pollenators (bees, bats, birds) for their growing processes.  

STABILITY Each species plays a role in the health of their ecosystem- remove enough species and these ecosystems fail, threatening all life within.  

     Biodiversity  is  lost  in  two  main  ways…  

ECOSYSTEM DESTRUCTION: When humans destroy the places/habitats animal and plant life require to live, those beings must adapt to new places or die off. Many times, they die off before they are able to adapt.  

INTRO OF NON-NATIVE SPECIES: Bringing in plants or animals from outside an ecosystem can disrupt or destroy the balance of an ecosystem and threaten the lives of native species (ex: rabbits in Australia, Swamp rats in Louisiana)  

 

Global  Geography  12  ●  C.P.  Allen  High  School  Portable  2  ●  Mr.  Wozney  

web:  hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/pwozney  ●  pwozney@staff.ednet.ns.ca  ●  twitter:  @mrwozney    

Deforestation  (textbook  p.116-­‐120)  

Write  a  definition  for  deforestation  your  own  words:  

Deforestation refers to the removal of natural forest from the land for human purposes (development, resource extraction, agriculture).  

 Using  a  pie  chart,  illustrate  how  much  of  the  world’s  forested  area  has  been  removed  in  the  last  60  years:  

  Explain  the  linkage  between  deforestation  and  cultural  diversity  

 

20%  

  Forests are home to people groups whose cultures are connected to the forests and the way of life associated with living in one; when forests are destroyed, these people groups literally lose their homes, and their culture/way of life is disrupted, often forcing them to assimilate into mainstream cultures and leave their culture behind.  

 3  global  consequences  of  deforestation  are:  

Loss of living space and cultural identity for displaced aboriginal groups  

The increase of global warming- loss of plant life means less plants to help regulate the carbon ratio in the atmosphere and maintain a consistently temperate global temperature  

Loss of ecosystem diversity: destroying forests means destroying the systems other life forms require to survive, so some species become extinct because they have no place they can live.  

 What  are  the  main  reasons  humanity  is  deforesting  the  planet  at  such  a  rapid  rate?  

Cleared forest land is generally considered more valuable because it can be used for agriculture, production, housing and development, etc. Because population is growing so quickly, humanity tends to spread and consume more forested land rather than

learn how to better use the land it has already cleared.    

Why  is  preserving  forests  important  for  our  planet?  Forests are one of the two largest systems that regulate the carbon ratio of Earth’s atmosphere and global temperature, an essential condition for all life on Earth. In addition, forests contain undiscovered species that offer solutions to

medical problems- when they disappear, so do solutions. Species and culture loss also mean a poorer existence on Earth for current and future generations.  

Global  Geography  12  ●  C.P.  Allen  High  School  Portable  2  ●  Mr.  Wozney  

web:  hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/pwozney  ●  pwozney@staff.ednet.ns.ca  ●  twitter:  @mrwozney    

Desertification  (textbook  p.116-­‐123)  

Write  a  definition  for  desertification  in  your  own  words:  

Desertification is the process of productive dry land becoming so degraded that it becomes unproductive desertified land, often due to human factors.  

 Using  a  pie  chart,  illustrate  how  much  of  the  world’s  

surface  is  covered  by  desert:     What  sequence  of  events  leads  to  desertification?  

 

1/3  of  Earth’s  land  is  threatened  by  desertification  

  Plant life is removed from the land to promote agricultural use, but the root loss means the ground is unable to retain moisture. In turn, the ground grows harder and less able to retain moisture, and less able to support any plant life. The soil is no longer replenished by the decomposition of plants, and becomes infertile. Constant irrigation can lead to a build up of salts, which makes soil infertile as well.  

 Describe  the  consequences  of  desertification:  

Desertification means the people who used to be able to grow food to survive have to move elsewhere to do the same. While they search/move, many die because of starvation or

malnutrition. Their movement puts pressure on resources in places than can support life, which can often lead to conflict/war over land capable of supporting agriculture and human

existence.    

How  does  desertification  impact  the  planet  on  a  global  scale?  Deserts contribute to weather changes- they raise the temperature of the world and lower humidity,

both of which impact the ability of plant life worldwide to survive and regulate the greenhouse effect/global temperature. Loss of plant life means ecosystem loss for other organisms, which

also leads to decline in species biodiversity.  

 

B I G   F I N A L E :  In  your  own  words,  describe  how  the  concepts  of  biodiversity,  deforestation  and  desertification  are  interconnected.  

Deforestation removes plant life from the land, a major contributor to soil erosion and ecosystem loss, which directly impacts species biodiversity. Once roots systems are lost, land becomes desert more quickly. Expanding deserts raise the temperature and lower the humidity in Earth’s atmosphere, which negatively impact the ability of plants to thrive, to regulate the greenhouse effect and form ecosystems that other life requires to survive. Together, these conditions snowball to result in quickly escalating global temperatures and loss of species, ecosystems and arable land available to

support human needs.