ESRM 101 Exam 1

ESRM 101 Exam 1 Are humans equally adapted to all of earth's climatic zones [boreal, temperate, and tropical]? How do we know that some climatic zones are harder places for human survival? - All species have an environmental niche. For humans, this is a mode between 11 to 15 degrees celsius. This is where humans survive easiest and lots of forest. Most human population lives in the same narrow part of climate envelope around globe. Can humans survive on land that does not include trees and symbiotic microbes? Historically, what did people and wildlife do if they found themselves living on lands without trees? - No, migrate during winter or droughts when no trees grew on land (as it would provide no survival resources). No trees means no fresh drinking water. Why is human food security linked to forests? NOTE: Look at the CIFOR Forest Blog and FAO video for today's class - Forests are essential for animals and wildlife ecosystem, without forests much of animal species will not exist. Today, why are most of our frontier forests found in the boreal and tropical climatic zones and not in the temperate climatic zone? Why are our remaining frontier forests more vulnerable to land exploitation and climate change impacts? - 1. Temperate forests cut starting greater than 400 years ago to build empires and then to industrialize (70% of worlds remaining frontier forests in russia, canada, brazil). 2. Boreal/tropical forests grow slowly due to low soil nutrients or cold temperatures. They are legacy forests where nutrients accumulate 200 year time scales in vegetation. Cut trees take a long time to grow back because of insufficient nutrients and climatic constraints to growth. How much of the world's fresh drinking water comes from forests? Speculate if you are experiencing a drought, how can you mitigate the loss of fresh drinking water supplies? - Today, what do most industrialized countries and indigenous people/local communities living next to forests want from them? Speculate which group is most impacted when you start losing forests? - Industrialized countries: From tropical/voreal forests acquire timber and non- timber products - spices, medicine, rubber and free ecosystem services. In local/regional forests, get fresh drinking water, psychological and health benefits. Indigenous/local communities subsist and survive from forests. They are most impacted with loss of forests. Speculate what explains why societies told idioms using trees and continue using them? why are trees used? - Societies told idioms using trees because of the importance of trees and colonization lead to a shift in values about trees. How do we know that even highly industrialized countries do value and will fight for forests in their backyard? What is a potential problem with your explanation? - Many of our idioms that we use daily on how to behave include trees. However, they do not know the impacts of their actions on forests in these other locations since they are too distant from forest products. Why are you hearing about the psychological and health benefits of urban dwellers recreating in forests? Historically, do you think indigenous/place-based people told stories on the importance of pursuing recreational opportunities in forests? - Health benefits have been found from recreation in forests. I do not think people told stories on this as they were too focused on survival [Reading] How does Sobel (2012) link nature deficits and our environmental education experiences? Why is the Pacman frog a good facsimile of an average industrialized world person's view of nature? - how to develop holistic nature voice - nature is fragile Even though this is the first day of class, how would you answer the question of how well humans would survive if we cut down all of the globe's forests? Do you think we can use technology to provide the same services and products that we get from forests? - Pre-1500 CE, why did indigenous and place-based communities use trees as symbols of nature knowledge? Historically, why did indigenous/place-based people respect and valued trees but did not give the same respect to grass? What explains these different values? - Because it is much harder to survive in a grassland than a forest. Humans also respect trees because they live to such old ages. Briefly summarize why a dichotomy of nature