, GGH2602 Assignment 1 (ANSWERS) Semester 1
2025 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED. (DETAILED
ANSWERS - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED.
Question 1 a) You are a community leader in Mqanduli, a rural
village in the Eastern Cape. The village's economy is primarily
based on subsistence farming and small-scale cattle herding.
Over the years, in response to population growth, more land
has been cleared for agriculture, leading to deforestation and
soil erosion. The loss of trees has made the area more
vulnerable to drought, which has become more frequent due to
climate change. To cope, farmers have begun digging boreholes
and using river water for irrigation. The expansion of farming
and grazing land has also disrupted local ecosystems, reducing
the availability of traditional medicinal plants and affecting
wildlife that once thrived in the region. To improve access to
markets, the local government has built roads, but these have
altered natural drainage patterns, sometimes causing flooding
in certain areas. Basic services like schools, clinics, and shops
are unevenly distributed – many are clustered along the main
roads, while remote households struggle to access healthcare
and education. The local municipality faces challenges in
extending electricity and water infrastructure to distant
homesteads due to cost and environmental barriers. Based on
the scenario above, how do human activities shape the natural
environment, and how does this interaction influence the
2025 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED. (DETAILED
ANSWERS - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED.
Question 1 a) You are a community leader in Mqanduli, a rural
village in the Eastern Cape. The village's economy is primarily
based on subsistence farming and small-scale cattle herding.
Over the years, in response to population growth, more land
has been cleared for agriculture, leading to deforestation and
soil erosion. The loss of trees has made the area more
vulnerable to drought, which has become more frequent due to
climate change. To cope, farmers have begun digging boreholes
and using river water for irrigation. The expansion of farming
and grazing land has also disrupted local ecosystems, reducing
the availability of traditional medicinal plants and affecting
wildlife that once thrived in the region. To improve access to
markets, the local government has built roads, but these have
altered natural drainage patterns, sometimes causing flooding
in certain areas. Basic services like schools, clinics, and shops
are unevenly distributed – many are clustered along the main
roads, while remote households struggle to access healthcare
and education. The local municipality faces challenges in
extending electricity and water infrastructure to distant
homesteads due to cost and environmental barriers. Based on
the scenario above, how do human activities shape the natural
environment, and how does this interaction influence the
