GENVI MIDTERMS

• Land degradation


  The degradation or destruction of the Earth's surface and soil, directly or indirectly because of human activities
• Land


  • The basis for agriculture and other rural and urban land uses, encompassing soils, climate, vegetation, topography, and other natural resources
• Land degradation includes deforestation, desertification, mining, soil salinization, and urban sprawl
• Although natural causes may lead to deforestation, the focus in this unit is on anthropogenic activities
• Deforestation


  The massive removal of a forest or the clearing of vast forest areas either for lumber source, conversion to agricultural lands, or for urbanization

  
• Since 1960, over half of tropical rainforests have been destroyed
• Causes of Deforestation


  • Agriculture
  • Urbanization
  • Timber Extraction
  • Anthropogenic Climate Change
  • Social and Political
• Agriculture as a cause of deforestation

  Conversion of forest into lands into agricultural lands for crops and livestock farming to meet the growing food demands of an exponentially increasing global population
• Urbanization as a cause of deforestation

  Clearing of forests to give way to settlements and infrastructure projects such as the building of roads, bridges, railways, airports, and power generation and transmission
• Timber Extraction as a cause of deforestation

  The global demand for timber has supported illegal and unsustainable logging in various forests of the world, aside from using timber for building settlements, they are also exploited for furniture and paper industries, as well as firewood and charcoal businesses
• Anthropogenic Climate Change as a cause of deforestation


  Climate change has brought severe and frequent droughts, hurricanes and tropical storms, heatwaves, and fires that destroyed forests worldwide, although these are natural phenomena, the change in the normal cycle of the climate is due to human activities
• Social and Political causes of deforestation

  Lack of discipline and responsible demand on trades on the part of communities, Failure of the government to implement environmental laws due to incompetence or corruption
• Effects of Deforestation


  • Anthropogenic Climate Change
  • Soil Erosion and Flooding
  • Reduced Air Humidity
  • Loss of Habitat and Biodiversity
• Anthropogenic Climate Change as an effect of deforestation


  Loss of the carbon dioxide absorbing capacity of forests leads to the accumulation of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, Increase in greenhouse gases leads to global warming that leads to climate change
• Soil Erosion and Flooding as an effect of deforestation


  Roots of plants, especially trees, bind soil particles, preventing them from being washed out during a storm or heavy rains, without these trees, water will simply rush and flood to low lying areas
• Reduced Air Humidity as an effect of deforestation


  Without vegetation, the rate of evapotranspiration is greatly decreased, affecting the normal water cycle, Decrease in evapotranspiration decreases the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, decreasing condensation, and decreasing rainfall
• Loss of Habitat and Biodiversity as an effect of deforestation


  Destruction of the homes of thousands of species that live in the forest, Leads to a decline in both species richness and species diversity, Numerous species are now extinct, and more are in the endangered species list
• Dealing with Deforestation


  • Reforestation and Afforestation
  • Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR)
  • The Power of the Marketplace
  • Changing the Politics
  • Standing with Indigenous Peoples
• Reforestation


  The process of restoring forests by planting the same tree species that are native to that specific forest

  
• Afforestation


  Planting trees in areas that were never forests, converting (not restoring) an area into a forest

  
• Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR)


  Planting trees is not enough to restore forests, so IUCN has collaborated with FLR enthusiasts to bring people together to identify and implement the most appropriate restoration interventions in a landscape, It includes multiple activities like managing natural regeneration, agroforestry, protect wildlife reserves, mange plantations, erosion control, and improved land management by addresses the underlying drivers of forest loss

  
• The Power of the Marketplace

  Companies can make an impact by introducing and implementing "zero deforestation" policies that clean up their supply chains, set ambitious targets to maximize the use of recycled wood, pulp, paper and fiber in their products, and ensure that any virgin fiber used has transparent, credible assurances that it was sourced in a legal way that respects principles of environmental and social responsibility
• Changing the Politics


  The National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992 (Republic Act No. 7586) or known as the NIPAS Act provides the legal framework for the establishment and management of protected areas (PAs) in the Philippines, and that the use and enjoyment of these protected areas must be consistent with the principles of biological diversity and sustainable development
• Standing with Indigenous Peoples

  Indigenous peoples call the forests their homes and have shown cultures indicative of sustainable forest management, This shows that they are the best protectors of forests, thus the best way to save forests is to recognize the claims of indigenous peoples to their forest territories
• Desertification


  The conversion of a productive land to an unproductive barren land, characterized by the loss of soil moisture and nutrient rich topsoil to the point where the land loses its productivity or ability to produce vegetation
• Causes of Desertification


  • Overgrazing
  • Anthropogenic Climate Change
  • Deforestation
  • Unsustainable Farming Methods
  • Overuse of Groundwater
• Overgrazing as a cause of desertification

  Occurs when too many animals graze for too long, exceeding the ability of a grassland area to support them, overgrazed lands have grasses that were eaten down to its soil level, exposing the topsoil to elements of erosion
• Anthropogenic Climate Change as a cause of desertification

  Severe drought and moisture loss kill vegetation and prevents any other from thriving on an extremely dry land
• Deforestation as a cause of desertification

  Removal of trees means removal of the forest cover, exposing forest soil to direct sunlight, Increasing soil temperature also increases the rate of evaporation, making the land very dry, Soil erosion due to deforestation removes the nutrient rich topsoil, converting a productive land to a barren land
• Unsustainable Farming Methods as a cause of desertification

  Failure to employ crop rotation depletes the topsoil of nutrients, degrading the soil, Over tilling the soil dislodges soil particles, making them vulnerable to erosion and eventually lose soil nutrients and ability to store water, Overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides alters the chemical balance of the soil, making it in hospitable for plant growth
• Overuse of Groundwater as a cause of desertification

  Excessive pumping of ground water for human consumption dries up the ground water reservoir, depriving vegetation of much needed water supply
• Effects of Desertification


  • Decrease in Crop Yield
  • Loss of Habitat and Biodiversity
  • Migration and Overpopulation
• Decrease in Crop Yield as an effect of desertification


  With the much-needed food for the growing population, losing viable agricultural lands to desertification poses as a major problem that could lead to food shortage
• Loss of Habitat and Biodiversity as an effect of desertification

  Desertification makes it impossible for plants and animals to survive and sustain their population, it is the decline in population that makes species vulnerable to extinction
• Migration and Overpopulation as an effect of desertification

  Loss of both food supply and livelihood drives people to leave and migrate to more productive areas, which in the end will be overpopulated by the influx of migrants
• Dealing with Desertification


  • Rotational Grazing
  • Better Farming Methods
  • Reforestation
  • Sustainable use of Ground Water
  • Decrease Greenhouse Gas emissions
• Rotational Grazing


  Involves dividing an entire Pasteur to sub-pastures or paddocks, Cattle grazing in these paddocks are done so by schedule, allowing time for Pasteur plants to rest, grow, and recover before being grazed again

  
• Better Farming Methods


  Practice of crop rotations, use of organic fertilizers, and improved tilling methods
• Reforestation


  In areas that were subjected to deforestation, reforestation efforts should take precedence
• Sustainable use of Ground Water

  Using just enough water to prevent depletion and allowing ground water to be replenished