Deforestation & Land Use

This lesson covers:

  1. How destroying forests and peat bogs affects the environment 
  2. How this affects biodiversity 

What is deforestation?

The re-planting of trees to replace forests that have been cleared

The large scale clearance of trees from an area

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Cartoon illustration of a lion standing in tall grass.

Which of the following human activities does NOT reduce the amount of land available for plants and animals?

Burning fossil fuels

Quarrying 

Dumping waste

Building towns

Farming 

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Give three reasons for deforestation.

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Three main problems with deforestation


biodiversity / burning / atmosphere / photosynthesis / pollutants / habitats


  1. There will be fewer trees carrying out and absorbing carbon dioxide from the . This means there is more carbon dioxide contributing to global warming. 
  2. Deforestation often involves the trees, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
  3. It destroys animals' , meaning that fewer species can survive. This reduces
photosynthesis
atmosphere
burning
habitats
biodiversity

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Which two of the following describe the soil of peat bogs? 

Alkaline 

Waterlogged 

Acidic

Dry

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Diagram showing oxygen molecules representing oxygen levels in peat bogs.

Do peat bogs have high or low levels of oxygen?

High

Low

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Do peat bogs have higher or lower levels of aerobic respiration, as compared to normal soils?

Lower

Higher

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Do peat bogs decay organic matter more or less than normal soils?

More

Less

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Do peat bogs act as carbon sinks?

Yes

No

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Many areas of peat bog have been destroyed. Which two human activities contribute to peat bog destruction?

Draining the peat to use the land for agriculture

Storing carbon in decaying plant matter

Production of coal

Cutting out the peat to burn as a fuel

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Explain how draining peat bogs contributes to global warming.

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