Agri processes

• what do agricultural processes do?

  Can reduce biodiversity
• what do farmers try to do?

  maximise the amount of food that they can produce from a given area of land
• give agricultural practices used to maximise the amount of food?

  1. Woodland clearance
  2. Hedgerow removal
  3. Pesticides
  4. Herbicides
  5. Monoculture
• Why is WOODLAND CLEARANCE done?

  To increase the area of farmland
• What are the effects of woodland clearance?


  • DIRECTLY REDUCES the number of trees and number of different tree species
  • destroys habitats = species lose their shelter and food source
  • species die or forced to migrate to another suitable area = biodiversity reduced
• Why is HEDGEROW REMOVAL done?

  to increase the area of farmland by turning lots of small fields into FEWER LARGE fiels
• What is the effect of hedgerow removal?


  reduces biodiversity for same reasons as woodland clearance:

  • less trees
  • less tree species
  • destroys habitats
  • species lose shelter and food source so migrate
  • less biodiversity
• what are pesticides?


  chemicals that kill organisms that feed on crops
• what is the effect of pesticides?

  reduces diversity by directly killing the PESTS.

  Any species that FEED ON THE PESTS will LOSE a food source, so their numbers could decrease too
• what are herbicides?

  chemicals that kill unwanted plants(weeds)
• effect of herbicides?

  reduces plant diversity and could reduce the number of organisms that feed on the weeds #
• what is monoculture?

  When farmers have fields containing only one type of plant
• effect of monoculture?

  a single type of plant reduces biodiversity directly and will support fewer organisms (eg as a habitat or food source) which further reduces biodiversity
• What does there have to be a balance between?

  agriculture and conservatiom
• what do conservationists try to do?

  protect biodiversity
• give 3 examples of conservation schemes?

  1. Giving LEGAL PROTECTION to ENDANGDERED SPECIES
  2. Creating protected areas
  3. The ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP SCHEME
• explain 'creating protected areas' as a conservation scheme?

  creating protected areas such as SSSIs and AONBs

  • these restrict further development, including agricultural development
• what are SSSIs?

  sites of special scientific interest
• what are AONBs?

  Areas of outstanding natural beauty
• explain The ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP SCHEME as a method of conservatioN?

  this scheme encourages farmers to conserve biodiversity

  -eg by planting hedgerows and leaving margins around fields for wild flowers to grow
• give one conservation method?

  Giving legal protection to endangered species