Tropical rainforest

• Seat


  Case Study Malaysian Rainforest
• Causes of Deforestation


  • Commercial farming
  • Logging
  • Mineral extraction
  • Cleared for transportation
  • Energy development
  • Population growth
• Commercial farming


  • One of the largest producers of palm oil
  • Burning areas creates nutrients to help plants grow
  • Indigenous people farm in clearings to feed themselves (subsistence farming)
• Logging


  • One of the largest tropical wood exporters
  • 80% of Borneo's rainforest has been destroyed
  • Starting to use selective logging
• Mineral extraction leads to the loss of forest
• Clearing for transportation
• Energy development includes dams</b>
• Dams


  • Flooded 700 km² of forest and farmland
  • Displaces people
• Population growth leads to deforestation for new houses
• Impacts of Deforestation


  • Economic development (creates employment, companies pay taxes, exports, tourism)
  • Soil erosion and landslides
  • Climate change (trees absorb CO2, wildfires release CO2, reduces evapotranspiration)
• Tropical Rainforests are Hot and Wet All Year Round
• Climate


  • Temperature generally between 20-28°C, only varies by a few degrees
  • Rainfall around 2000 mm per year, rains every day
• Plants


  • Most trees are evergreen
  • Very tall trees and dense vegetation, little light reaches forest floor
  • Many epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants)
• Soil


  Not very fertile as heavy rain washes nutrients away, thin layer of surface nutrients from decayed leaf fall
• Rainforest Ecosystems


  • Interdependent - climate, water, soils, plants, animals and people depend on each other
  • Changes to one part can have knock-on effects on the whole ecosystem
• Deforestation and uncontrolled development likely to lead to extinction of many species and loss of biodiversity
• Plant Adaptations


  • Tall trees compete for sunlight
  • Thick, waxy leaves with drip-tips to channel rainwater
  • Climbing plants use tree trunks to reach sunlight
  • Smooth, thin bark
  • Large, stable buttress roots
  • Gradual leaf drop to enable year-round growth
• Animal Adaptations


  • Live high up in the canopy with strong limbs to move around
  • Camouflage to hide from predators
  • Short, pointed wings to manoeuvre between trees
  • Adapted to low light levels on forest floor
  • Suction cups and gliding adaptations to climb and move between trees
  • Nocturnal to save energy
  • Ability to swim to cross river channels
• Animals adapted to finding food and escaping predators in rainforests

  • Strong limbs to move quickly and easily, e.g. howler monkeys
  • Camouflage to hide from predators, e.g. leaf-tailed geckos
  • Short, pointed wings to manoeuvre between dense trees, e.g. harpy eagle
  • Sharp sense of smell to detect predators without seeing them, e.g. anteaters
  • Suction cups to climb, e.g. tree frogs
  • Flaps of skin to glide between trees, e.g. flying squirrels
  • Nocturnal to save energy, e.g. sloths
  • Ability to swim to cross river channels, e.g. jaguars
• Adaptations help animals and plants to thrive in the hot, wet conditions of tropical rainforests
• The Amazon rainforest is being deforested, with estimates that it could all be deforested by 2030
• Cattle ranching


  A major cause of deforestation in the Amazon
• Brazil has around 200 million hectares of rainforest, about 450,000 km2 of which has been cleared
• Soya production is another major cause of deforestation in the Amazon
• Mineral extraction and energy development, such as building hydroelectric dams, are also contributing to deforestation in the Amazon
• Deforestation in the Amazon is having impacts on the local population in Brazil
• Tropical rainforests are very valuable to people and the environment

  • They provide many products including rubber, coffee, chocolate and medicines
  • Sustainable development can offer long-term economic benefits, e.g. ecotourism
  • They help regulate the climate and water cycle, and reducing deforestation can help mitigate climate change
  • Their destruction can have global impacts, not just local
• Selective logging


  1. Only some trees (e.g. old ones) are felled, with most trees remaining

  2. This is less damaging to the forest structure than clearing a whole area

  3. The least damaging forms are 'horse logging' and 'helicopter logging'
• Replanting


  1. New trees are planted to replace the ones that are cut down

  2. It's important the replanted trees match those that were cut down

  3. Some countries have laws requiring logging companies to replant trees
• Ecotourism


  1. Minimises damage to the environment and benefits local people

  2. Only a small number of visitors are allowed at a time with rules to minimise impacts

  3. Provides income for local people and can raise awareness of conservation issues

  4. If a country's economy relies on ecotourism, there's an incentive to conserve the environment
• Education


  1. Educating the international community can encourage buying from sustainable sources

  2. Educating local people about the impacts of deforestation can help reduce damage

  3. Teaching local people about alternative livelihoods can reduce dependence on unsustainable options
• Conservation


  1. Setting up national parks and nature reserves to restrict damaging activities

  2. Establishing funds that overseas governments and businesses can invest in for rainforest conservation

  3. Using the funds to enforce restrictions and promote sustainable use
• Reducing debt


  1. Poorer countries often log, farm and mine rainforests to pay back debt

  2. Debt cancellation or conservation swaps can reduce this pressure on rainforests
• International hardwood agreements


  Trying to prevent illegal logging and promote sustainably-sourced hardwood
• Sustainable management of rainforests protects their biodiversity