Hsc geography 2004 evaluation task 2 essay

Ecosystems at Risk

1 . Identify the case examine of the ecosystem at risk which you have chosen

and describe and map the location.

The ecosystem in danger that I include chosen to research is the Himalayan

Mountain selection. Considering the hill range protects a very huge area

the ecosystem type has been narrowed down to the Alpine variety. The two 500

km long Himalayas stretch throughout three countries, India, Nepal and

China and tiawan (Tibet). The width with the mountain selection varies from 100-400

kilometres, giving a total part of 594 four hundred square kms.

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http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Ro

otmap=nepal

2 . Outline the key features of the functioning of the case study with

particular reference to what makes this ecosystem vulnerableand/or

resilient.

The alpine ecosystem of the Himalayas begins at about 3 000 metres

over sea level. The pure height of the Himalayas produce a number of

distinct climate variations. On the southern slopes from the Himalayas in

India, weighty rain and snowfall is definitely received every year, but the north slopes

of Tibet frequently remain unblemished by rainfall. The higher mountains

have temperatures that stay beneath zero certifications all year round, with

permanent ice cubes, snow and wind speeds that can are as long as 160 kilometres per

hour. Temperature ranges in summertime can reach a maximum of doze degrees for 3

500 metres. Minimal temperatures are found higher up at around 5 000

metres, where temperature almost never reaches previously mentioned 0 levels.

Due to the alpine conditions, the soil quality is very reduced in

fertility because of the poor nutrient cycling. Devoid of trees the biomass

levels are lowered, meaning that there is hardly any decaying material that

can properly return nutrition to the soil. The poor soil quality can easily

only support certain types of plants, this includes junipers, mosses

and rhododendrons. Typically these vegetation form meadows that can be found up

to altitudes of your five 000 metre distances. Above this height, it really is rare to view any

vegetation as plant life cannot endure in frost. The fragile nature of the

nutritional cycle and energy transfer rates associated with Himalayas extremely vulnerable

to alter.

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http://www.trekkinginhimalayas.com/photo_gallery.cfm?pno=4

There are only some carnivores which could survive over a tree range

for example the Snow-leopard, Himalayan Brown Bear, Red Panda and Tibetan

Yak. Animals that habitat the location have adapted to the temperature

of the Himalayas. In Summertime, animals move higher up to the grasslands

in addition to Winter they will migrate decrease for warmer temperatures. The Himalayan

Dark Bear hibernates, but contrary to other holds, there is no established season as

the weather is actually at cold point. Flesh eaters have also designed to

small amount of food, making the flesh eaters proportionally small

having to supply off tiny animals just like rabbits. The principal consumers in

the food chain is very vulnerable since the flesh eaters have a small food

source in the high altitudes. Second consumers can survive above the

woods line as a result of vegetation that still gets older to 5 1000 metres.

This will make the herbivores resilient to change because the plants growth

covers thousands of sq kilometres and because the mosses, meadows and

grasslands and so forth have adapted to the alpine conditions.

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http://ananta.hypermart.net/NepalAlbumThree.htm

three or more. Explain the impacts of natural pressure and human being induced tension where

likely include prices of alter.

The characteristics of your alpine ecosystem make that exceptionally

prone to natural and human activated stress. The Himalayas are prone to

a regular occurrence of all-natural disasters because the mountains sit

directly on a fault between Eurasian and Indian Aussie tectonic

discs. Being the house to the top point on the planet, the Himalayas is

not surprisingly a popular tourist location. Consequently humans have taken

control of the spot, and together destroying the ecosystem.

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http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/fig37.gif

Earthquakes take an instant effect on the Himalayas, causing

giant landslides. Large parts of rubble and big river rocks break off the

mountain slope and travel towards the bottom, destroying a lot of

flora and fauna. Earthquakes as well make the landscape unstable, rendering the

location useless. Although glaciers are very tiny in comparison to what they had been

hundreds of years ago, they are continue to considerably significant in affecting

the surrounding. Glaciers certainly are a long-term major cause for mass

amounts of chafing, where there is definitely little vegetation cover in the alpine

locations. The fatal moraine which in turn gets left out by a glacier can be

the cause of future landslides. Avalanches have an instant influence, with

thousands of tons of snow falling over the slope of distances about 1 . a few

kilometres. It truly is in the alpine regions why these avalanches occur.

Land varieties are often changed by avalanches as the snow settles with mountain

fragments permanently. Alpine pastures and grasslands get left under the

ice cubes, destroying nearly anything in its route.

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http://rip.physics.unk.edu/nepal/NPC.html

Landslides can be the consequence of human being induced stress. The

construction of roads and path ways can be the reason behind landslides more than both

a long and short time of time. The moment constructing a pathway big chunks

of mountain can be blasted apart, disrupting the rock composition and creating it

for being unsettled. The tall peaks of the Himalayas have become the most

popular mountaineering spot in the world, attracting numerous trekkers.

The visitors leave behind tons of litter box, polluting the environment and

risking the animals. Whilst it is uncommon today, quarrying inside the

Himalayas happened. Tons of best soil and small plants was removed

making a barren panorama that has very little nutritious value. The useful

top garden soil is a key factor in keeping the environment healthy, with it taken out

the ecosystem is interrupted and can break. Himalayan bacteria is often

considered for medical purposes. Herbal remedies are taken from entire pile slopes

and meadows by locals. They are processed and they are put into perfumes

and medicines.

4. Evaluate a range of strategies used at a variety of scales that happen to be

being used to deal with the environment chosen.

The two Indian and Nepalese government authorities have established conservation

programs to safeguard the Himalayan mountain selection. A number of countrywide

parks and sanctuaries have been completely created to help preserve the biodiversity

of the region. Nepal has a total of five currently in place, that is, eight

national leisure areas and three wildlife stores. These are underneath the local

scale of the National Parks and Wildlife Preservation Department in the

Nepalese government. Although these types of parks start to have a positive

effect on the Himalayas, the conservation areas are simply not enough. The

total area the parks and reserves cover is just 20+ 000 sq .

kilometres, when compared to 594 500 square kilometres that the Himalayan

region distributes across.

The Sagarmatha National Park is an example of a global strategy being

used to take care of the Himalayan ecosystem. The park happens to be on the Globe

Heritage List and was added in 1979. The Sagarmatha is located a few 000

metres above sea level, effectively making it the greatest national park in

the world. The recreation area centres about Mt Everest, covering you 148 sq

kilometres, as a result including a varied climatic environment. The land above

the tree range is labeled into two zones, alpine scrub as well as the upper

alpine. In the higher alpine for 5 750 metres, vegetation ceases to grow in

the harsh conditions. As of this height, the alpine environment is very

similar to that of a tundra ecosystem, where there is a permanent snowline

and no woods can increase. The Sagarmatha has been incredibly successful in

protecting many endangered kinds such as the outrageous yak, red panda

snow leopard, musk deer and the Himalayan black carry. The park has established

regulations to increase ensure the health of the environment stays healthy

all flora and fauna must not be disrupted, rubbish has to be buried or perhaps put in

a refuse hole, mountain bikes will be prohibited and no climbing of

coves below 6000 metres until you have a permit from theNepal

Mountaineering Association.

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http://library.thinkquest.org/10131/ff_park_everest.html

The Dhorpatan Hunting Book is a neighborhood strategy utilized to ensure the

safety of animals beyond the arrange. The Dhorpatan is the only

hunting reserve in the Himalayas and predators must spend a large game fee if

they want to enter in. Although animals are sought after as trophys the arrange

is a smart approach to satisfy the hunters, in return the number of family pets

killed is kept to a bare minimum to what may be occurring if the arrange

was not offered. The arrange extends in elevation via 2 850 7 1000

metres. The overall area the reserve addresses is one particular 325 sq kilometres

found in the Dhaulagiri Himalaya range in European Nepal.

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The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) isaregional

management strategy which is first and largest conservation area in

Nepal. The ACAP expands across 7 629 sq . kilometres of Nepal

including 55 towns. Since we have a large community included in the

place, the task focuses and relies on the regular ways of the

indigenous persons for a sound conservation program. The goal of the ACAP

is that the villagers can ultimately manage the whole project, with small

interference from your government and other institutions. The project also

concentrates on education and recognition in hopes to help keep conservation

work at a maximum. The Annapurna is actually a highly favouredtourist

destination with over 45 000 vacationers hiking the area. An entry fee has

been implemented to lower the amount of people browsing area.

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http://rip.physics.unk.edu/nepal/NPC.html

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dang. 3rd there’s r. (1998). Blossoms of the Traditional western Himalayas: Environmental threats to

Himalayan flora. India: Backwoods Films.

Department of Nationwide Parks and Wildlife Conservation: Sagarmatha Region

Park. (n/a). Government of Nepal. Available Online: http://www.south-

asia. com/dnpwc/Sagarmatha%20national%20Park/park-regu. htm 10/02/04

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2003). Britannica Fundamental Encyclopaedia:

Himalayas.

Facts on file. (1987). Himalayas: Growing mountains, living myths

migrating peoples. Nyc: Oxford.

Himalayas: Where Globe Meets Skies. (1997). Think Quest staff. Available

On-line: http://library.thinkquest.org/10131 28/01/04

Kleeman. G. (2000). A Geography of Interactions a couple of: Ecosystems in danger.

Australia: Heinemann.

Managing Wholes: Ecosystem operations. (2003). Donovan. P. Available:

http://managingwholes.com/eco2.htm 25/01/04

Nicholson. And. (1975). Planets Wild Locations: The Himalayas. Amsterdam: Time-

Life Intercontinental.

Ongoing Assignments of KMTNC: Annapurna Conservation Area Job. (n/a) California king

Mahendra Trust for Mother nature Conservation. Available: http://www.south-

asia. com/Kingmah/tonproj. htm 16/02/04

Globe Heritage: Sagarmatha National Recreation area. (2000). World Heritage crew.

Available Online: http://whc.unesco.org/sites/120.htm 09/02/04

A Mt Everest Glacier

Pile Peaks in

Sagarmartha

Himalayan Black Bear

The Snowline in Annapurna

Rhododendrons

Tibetan Yak

Dhaulagiri Mountain