Owen Campbell
Environ 111 Section 003
2/7/06
Lab 5
Biomes
Question 3.b.1
What trends do you see in natural forests versus plantation forests around the world?
Overall, the majority of forests around the world are classified as natural forests.
However, in several countries such as Ireland and Egypt, almost all of the forests are
plantation forests. One possible trend is that countries in areas with more trade (coastal
countries in the Middle East, for instance) have higher percentages of plantation forests
and may use the majority of their lumber resources for exportation, or perhaps to ease the
need for importation of wood as a resource.
Question 3.b.2
What trends do you see in rates of deforestation around the world? Please be specific
about which areas of the world are showing forest loss and speculate on why this might
be occurring.
Comparing the Forest Type layer with the Deforestation layer, it is evident that
the countries with the most plantation forests are those with the most re-forestation. Thus,
Egypt, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates are probably countries that did not have
many forests to begin with but are now creating them. The highest deforestation appears
to be in several countries on the Western half of Northern Africa. This may be happening
because the countries cannot afford to import lumber and therefore must use their own
forest resources; due to the climate in these countries, it is difficult for the forests to
replenish themselves at a rate equal to the rate of cutting. Surprisingly, countries such as
Brazil, where the issue of deforestation has received global attention, the deforestation
percentage is 0.
Question 3.b.3
Which regions of the world have the greatest number of threatened plants? How does
deforestation rate correspond with threatened plants?
The Western half of Northern South America (Peru, Columbia, etc), Central
America (Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, etc), and the Western half of Northern Africa
(Chad, Nigeria, Ghana, etc), the Eastern coast of Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar)
South and South-East Asia (India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, etc) are
the regions with the most threatened species of plants. In most cases, the countries with
the most threatened plants are also those with the highest rates of deforestation.
-0.3 JPEG: No name on layout and title doesn’t include deforestation- also could
increase the size of Africa to minimize white space.
Question 3.b.4
After comparing different field values, do you think there is a relationship between
threatened plants or deforestation with population? Provide evidence to support your
claims with screenshots of your maps examining different fields within the data.
There appears to be some correlation between low urban populations, high deforestation,
and high numbers of threatened plants. Notice how the majority of the dots representing
threatened plant species lie in the red and orange regions, which are those with low urban
population:
There does not appear to be much correlation between total population and deforestation
or number of threatened plant species, as the countries with the most threatened species
and the most deforestation have populations ranging from very low to very high:
Question 3.b.5
Using Figure 3.b.8, in which biomes do you find most of the threatened plants?
Which biomes do you find the greatest increase in human population? Which themes
and field values did you use to answer this question?
Tropical Deciduous and Tropical Evergreen forest biomes have the most threatened plant
species. I have determined this by comparing Figure 3.b.8 with the threatened plants
layer. The biomes with the greatest increase in human population are Savanna, Hot
Desert, and Grassland biomes. I have determined this by comparing Figure 3.b.8 with the
population demographics layer set to display percent annual population growth.
Question 3.b.6
What trends do you see in the cereal production since 1992? Why might there be
missing data for the countries in the former Soviet Union?
Worldwide there appears to be a general increase in cereal production. Countries in
Northern Europe and Canada have a decrease in production. Several countries, mainly
lying in desert regions, have drastic decreases, such as Saudi Arabia. One possible reason
for the missing data in countries in the former Soviet Union is that following the collapse
of the Soviet Union these countries were probably not very concerned with reporting
their cereal production to the UN.
Question 3.b.7
Do you see a relationship between deforestation rate and change in cereal production
since 1992? What might be happening in countries that do not follow the same
pattern?
Some countries exhibit a correlation between high deforestation and increased cereal
production. However, many countries do not appear to have any link between these two
attributes. The countries that do not follow the pattern may be using farming techniques
that allow them to increase crop yield without expanding area used for agriculture and
therefore avoiding the clear-cutting of additional forests.
Question 3.b.8
How do the distribution of the Earth’s grasslands relate to changes in cereal
production? Where do you see exceptions to this pattern?
Areas with increased cereal production tend to have large areas of grasslands. There are
exceptions to this pattern at the Southern tip of Africa and in central Asia, for example
Mongolia and Botswana, which both have high areas of grasslands but drastic decreases
in cereal production.
Question 3.b.9
Based on the status of each biome, which biomes do you think are most at risk from
human pressures? Which biomes should receive priority for conservation? Why?
What strategies could be implemented to better protect Earth’s biomes?
Judging from the two data frames, it appears that the biomes with the greatest risk of
destruction are those in the most developed regions of the world. Many of these at-risk
biomes are temperate deciduous and temperate mixed forests. Rainforests throughout the
world are also at risk. Although all biomes are worthy of protection, those in the most
immediate danger should receive priority for conservation in order to prevent their
disappearance. Biomes that exist in very few parts of the world and in very small size
should receive priority, as well as biomes with the greatest biodiversity. Thus, rainforests
and temperate forests, being the largest biomes currently at high risk, as well having high
biodiversity, should be protected. Environmentally friendly and sustainable methods of
resource collection must be implemented to protect Earth’s biomes, such as using
plantation forests for logging purposes instead of natural forests.
Question 3.b.10
Using the Biome Status theme overlaid on the Biomes theme, or by using two data
frames to compare Biomes and Biome Status maps simultaneously, create a JPEG
layout (like you did for Africa earlier in the lab) of the continent or region that
includes some of the biome that you think should receive priority for conservation. To
accomplish this, use the layout view and zoom in on the region that includes the
biome you selected for conservation. Make sure that your layout includes titles,
legends, your name and any other relevant information.
9.7/10