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Monday, April 23, 2012

Deforestation level descriptor homework answers

With reference to examples, evaluate attempts by countries to manage deforestation.[8]


Level 1 (1-3 marks)
Merely describes 1 or 2 solutions of deforestation. Argument is one sided with no examples being used.


Level 2 (4-6 marks)
Fuller descriptions of 2 or 3 solutions with examples, limitations or solutions are being mentioned.


Level 3 (7-8 marks)
Clear and detailed definitions of the solutions with well developed explanations of the 3 solutions. Examples are used to illustrate the solutions. Limitations of the solutions are being described. Full marks include a conclusion (not taking any stand).


Common mistakes
- most of you wrote the limitation for Conservation as : not enough manpower or resources to track the rainforest. This is not a valid point about conservation as you should be stating the limitations of conservation eg littering in Eco tourist parks, artificial structure such as boardwalks in nature reserves which affects the natural habitats. Therefore conservation of the rainforest do have negative impacts on the environment too.


- should be WWF ( world wildlife fund) and not WWW. This organisation is responsible for Saving endangered species and conserving natural places.


- examples: when giving examples, state the country, what was being done, and elaborate on the example. Refer to sample below.

Sample answers

Ng Jia Min
Countries require loggers to practise selective or controlled logging. this is to replace clear cutting by allowing only the cutting of selected trees that have met certain criterias, such as the age or girth of the trees. For example, the Brazilian and several other South American government requires loggers to practise selective logging. These loggers can only cut down specific species of trees which helps to reduce deforestation. However, it is difficult to monitor and detect illegal logging activities due to the lack of manpower and the remoteness of forest areas. Also, other plants that are twine around 2 or more trees like lianas will cause the other neighbouring trees to topple when one of the tree is being logged.

Quek Yu Fei
Establishment of laws and policies is another way to limit the number of trees being cut down. Governments have withdraw the financial help given to some of the land clearance project. In 1988,  the Brazilian Government withdrew the financial support and tax incentives given  to cattle ranchers in order to limit the clearing of the forest for the new cattle ranches. It has also cancelled 70 percent of the logging permits and established measures against illegal loggins such as increasing patrolling of the forest. However, illegal logging remains a problem, accounting for 80% of the logging activities due to weak enforcement of the laws and corruption.

Song Yihang
Reforestation is the process whereby trees are planted in areas that are being logged and Afforestation is the planting of trees in areas which were previously bare. In 2005, an Agro-forestry project to grow popular tree were implemented by a private organization, the Amazon Ecological Reserach Center, on a deforestated area near Manaus. This project involves almst 10,000 hectare of land which has been turned into a massive tree farm. Despite the many advantages of deforestation, it does have a few setbacks. Firstly, it takes quite a long time to actually see the effects of afforestation, thus it is a long term measure. Additionally, a large sum of monney is required to fund the project, thus the government or organization has to be rather financially strong to undergo afforestation.

Bernice Neo / Delvin Wong
Conservation is putting aside portions of the rainforest to ensure that many plants and animals species will be left undisturbed and protected. This ensures that the trees are not cut down and also educates the public on the importance of forest conservation.  For instance, portions of the rainforest are conserved as Eco tourist parks, and also 20% of the Amazon rainforest were being set aside as Tribal reserve. The WWF (World Wildlife fund) also have an agreement between countries to have a joint effort in conserving the forests. One of the limitation of conservation is that the increase in number of tourists in the eco-parks will bring about an increse in the amount of littering in the park. Additionally, man made infrastructure as such boardwalks are being built in the nature reserves for tourists to visit the rainforest. These artificial structures inevitably changes the natural habitat and affects the biodiversity in the rainforest.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Coastal processes - Erosion, transportation and deposition

Answers to homework


Homework: O Level N2006 P2 Q5
(i) State the differences between destructive and constructive waves. [3]

Most of you did not hae linking words in your answers as you wrote about constructive waves and then you wrote about destructive waves. You should use linking words eg whereas, in comparison. Some of you also uses the weak point such as writing about the wave energy that is high or low. You could have described that in terms of weight height and length.

Sample answers

1. Wave height and length + Gradient of slope
Constructive waves are small low waves with long wave lengths and low heights, they are usually found in places with a gentle coastal slope. On the other hand, destructive waves are large high waves with short wave lengths and a greater wave height, they are commonly found in steep coastal slopes.

2. Wave frequency
Constructive waves occur at a lower frequency of 6-8 breaks per min as compared with  the destructive waves of 10-14 breaks per min.

3. Swash (deposition) and backwash (erosion)
The constructive wave has a more powerful swash than BW which leads to sand being deposited onto the coast and building beaches.  Whereas destructive waves have greater erosive power which enables them to erode the coast with their more powerful BW.

(ii) Explain how constructive waves may form beaches. [3]

Swash and BW
- The more powerful swash than BW forms a beach when deposition occurs. The BW is weak as energy is spent overcoming friction with the beach. The powerful swash merely spills over when it breaks.

Deposition of sediments
- Materials are carried up and deposited more than they are removed due to a stronger swash than BW
- Due to low energy from constructive wave,  deposition from eroded headlands, rivers and neighbouring coasts are not washed away but deposited to form the beach over time.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Coasts slide 1: Waves

Swash and backwash




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