SOCIAL STUDIES

SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

CANDIDATES: Amelia Taylor, Javauna Palmer, Andre Moncriefe, Denise Currie and

Briana Higgins

CANDIDATES #: 1001312640, 1001312179, 1001311598

SCHOOL CENTER #: 100131

TERRITORY: York Castle High School

TEACHER: Ms Haughton

Table of contenT

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Acknowledgement………………………………………………………03

Introduction……………………………………………………………..04

Statement of Problem…………………………………………………..05

Reasons for Selecting Area of Research……………………………….06

Method of Investigation………………………………………………..07

Data Collection Instrument…………………………………………….08-10

Procedures for Data Collection………………………………………...11

Presentation of Data……………………………………………………12-14

Analysis and Interpretation of Data……………………………………15-18

Statement of Findings………………………………………………….19

Recommendation and Implementation Strategies……………………..20

Bibliography……………………………………………………………21

Acknowledgement

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We would like to express special thanks to our teacher Miss Haughton, for her guidance with

completing this assessment. Her expertise and knowledge has contributed highly to our

assessment’s informative content and completion.

Additionally, we would like to emote the highest sense of appreciation towards our families

and peers, for reinforcing, investing and inputting a disciplined and non-procrastinating

mentality.

The last, yet not least appreciation, is directly dedicated to our Lord Almighty. Who has

blessed us with life, health and provided us the necessary resources to complete this School

Based Assessment.

Introduction
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This School Based Assessment focuses on the topic of, “Deforestation”. Deforestation is the

removal of a forest or gather of trees which is then converted to a non-forest use, it can

involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban usage.  Since Deforestation has

remained a major issue in today’s modern world our attention was drawn to a small rural

community called Lower Buxton, located in the parish of St. Ann which has been

experiencing the massive effects of the disastrous habit known as deforestation. The

community consist of Bars, Shops, Schools, Churches and households. One of the researchers

on this project have been a resident there for approximately 12 years and has realized that the

rate of deforestation has increased excessively. This led to the researchers’ decision to

investigate the effect of deforestation in the community of Lower Buxton, St Ann.

Statement of problem
What is the main effect of deforestation in Lower Buxton, St. Ann?

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 Reasons for selecting the area of research

We selected this topic because deforestation has become an increasing problem in the country

of Jamaica, however for a more specific representation of our data we chose the community

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of Lower Buxton. An investigation will be carried out so that the possible, effects of this

problem can be discovered. Deforestation started when farmers in the community wanted

more land to cultivate crops so they would cut down trees and shrubs. Trees were also cut

down because residents of the community began to practice livestock ranching, while others

began to cut down trees for the expansion of their houses and even their businesses. The

increase in the rate of deforestation has led to soil erosion and massive floods during periods

of heavy rainfall. Even though the Parish Council and other agencies have the power to

reduce deforestation and increase reforestation they have not done anything to solve the

problem. Thus, with the aid of this SBA we hope to use this platform to unearth the effects of

deforestation on the community.

Method of investigation
In order to obtain information about deforestation, the researchers used printed

questionnaires. Ramsawak Umraw (2010) defined questionnaire as a research instrument

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consisting of a series of questions for the purpose of gathering information from respondents

and elaborated on some advantages of questionnaire; saves money and time; gives people

time to think before they write their answers; however there are some drawbacks to this

instrument, for example, it limits the intake of information as it usually requires for specifics.

Data collection instrument

Dear Residents,

This is a survey being carried out in the Lower Buxton, community of St Ann to determine

the main effect of deforestation. The survey also seeks to find out possible solutions to the

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problems caused by deforestation and ways in which the effects of deforestation can be

reduced in the community.

This study is being conducted as part of the requirement for a Social Studies School Based

Assessment that we are currently pursuing. Thanks for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Students of the York Castle High School

Questionnaire
Place a tick at your selected response in the spaces provided.

What is your gender?

Male [ ] Female [ ]

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 How long have you been living in this area? do not number

1-11 months [ ] less than a year

1-5 years [ ]
6-10 years [ ]
10 years and over [ ]

What age group are you in? do not number

21-25 years [ ]
26-30years [ ]
31-35 years [ ]
36 years and over [ ]

1. Do you think deforestation (excessive removal of trees and shrubs) is a problem in the
community?
Yes [ ]
No [ ]

2. What do you believe is the main EFFECT of deforestation on the community?

Land pollution [ ]
Soil erosion[ ]
Drought [ ]
Other [ ]
Please explain_________________________________________________________

3.What is the main effect deforestation has on animals (wildlife)?

Destruction of habitat [ ]
Loss of lives [ ]
Extinction of species [ ]
Other [ ]
Please
explain__________________________________________________________

4.What are some impacts of deforestation on the physical environment of your community?
Desertification??? [ ]
Soil erosion [ ]
Fewer crops [ ]
Flooding [ ]
Increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere [ ]

5.What do you think are some natural effects of deforestation?

Fluctuating temperature [ ]
Irregular weather patterns [ ]
Drought [ ]

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 Air pollution [ ]
Damage to the environment [ ]

6. Do you believe that the effects of deforestation in the community are being addressed?

Yes [ ]

No [ ]

If Yes or No, Give reasons for your answer

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

7. How can members of the community reduce deforestation?

Avoid cutting down trees [ ]
Practice Reforestation [ ]
Stand against deforestation [ ]
Other [ ]
Please explain________________________________________________________

8. How can you as an individual help to reduce deforestation?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

9. What can the government do to reduce deforestation?

Enforce laws about deforestation [ ]
Charge individual who practice deforestation [ ]
Ensure residents don’t practice deforestation [ ]
Promote Reforestation [ ]
Other [ ]
Please explain ___________________________________________________

Procedure for collecting data

The instrument of data collection that was used to obtain information was a printed

questionnaire. The questionnaire had 12 questions including the demographic data in which

there were 10 (ten) close ended and 2 (two) open ended questions. A total of twenty

instruments were distributed to the residents of Lower Buxton by our group members using

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the random sampling technique in order to get different views from the residents. The

researchers decided to issue 10 questionnaires per day on December, Friday 20, 2019 and

Saturday 21, 2019 which are days people tend to be home. The issuing of questionnaires took

place in Lower Buxton, St Ann where we collected them on spot. Moreover, this procedure

was necessary as it ensured accurate data collection and it was the only way the researchers

could easily receive both valid and reliable data.

Presentation of data
A total of twenty questionnaires were distributed and collected. Data will be presented in the

form of diagrams such as tables, bar graphs and pie charts.

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Figure 1: Pie Chart

WHAT IS THE MAIN EFFECT OF DEFFORESTATION

20%

15% 55%

10%

Climate change Drought Land Pollution Land erosion

Source: Field work; December 2019

Figure 1: Pie chart shows the main effect of deforestation on the community of Lower

Buxton where 55% of the respondents indicated that Climate change is the main effect of

deforestation, 15% indicated land pollution, 10% indicated drought and 20% indicated land

erosion

Figure 2: Table

Table isn’t properly constructed.

TABLE SHOWING NATURAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Options % of Respondents
Fluctuating
23%
temperature
Drought
12%

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 Altered weather
19%
pattern
Damage to the
|26%
environment
Pollution of Land
20%
and Air
Source: Field work, December 2019

Table 1: Table showing natural effects of Deforestation in Lower Buxton

Out of the entire twenty respondents, the majority of 26% believes that deforestation has

naturally damage the environment, while 23% believes it’s the fluctuation of temperature,

20% believes its deforestation pollute s the air and land, 19% believes it alters weather

patterns and the remaining 12% indicated drought.

Figure 3: Bar graph

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 Are the Eff ects of Deff orestati on Being Fixed

NO 67

YES 33

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Field work: December, Friday 20, 2019

Figure Bar graph showing that 67% of the respondents believe that the problem is not being

fixed while the remaining 33% believe that the issue is being addressed.

Analysis and interpretation

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Due to the National Environmental websites Deforestation can be defined as the action of

clearing a wide area of trees, in other words, Deforestation is when forests are destroyed by

cutting trees (logging) and not replanting them. Sometimes deforestation happens when

people change lands into farms, ranches and cities.

Which has stirred up numerous issues in the community of Lower Buxton and has posed as

great disadvantage to its residents. The analysis of data collected revealed that 26% of the

respondents belong to the 21- 25 age group, 40% belonged to 26-30 age group and the

remaining 34% were in the 41 and over age group. With a majority (%) living in the area for

a period of ten (10) years and over. This indicate that majority of the residents living in and

around the area, have experienced the devastating effects of deforestation and have the ability

to provide information on the main effect of deforestation.

Deforestation has been viewed by 87% of the population as a major problem in the

community, experiencing impacts such as droughts, fluctuating temperature, altered weather

pattern, damage to the environment and pollution of the land and air which all falls under the

umbrella of Climate Change. This therefore indicates that Climate Change is indeed the main

effect of Deforestation. According to Ramsar Alfalus 2019, Climate Change can be defined

as the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place. Some of

these impacts of Climate Change include: the fluctuation of temperature, scarcity of

water, altered weather patterns and damage to the environment .

The fluctuation of temperature have been adversely affecting the citizens living in and around

Lower Buxton as a result of Climate Change, it causes extreme weather events, which may,

in turn, result in large day-to-day fluctuations in temperature, which have caused many

harmful health effects towards residents of Lower Buxton, ranging from the worsening of

seasonal allergies and the spread of infectious diseases, to the deadly impact of heat waves,

floods and drought along with overall heating, climate change is expected to produce more

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extreme weather events, heat waves and cold snaps due to this, as was stated by an interviewee

residents are unable to carry out their daily task effectively, children with weak immune

system are easily sicken by the rapid increase and decrease of temperature, events such as

tourism declines, due to unpredictability of the climate, as was recorded by a fellow resident

that he witness a student collapse due to the severe heat waves on that day therefore it is

recommended that residents of Lower Buxton try to adjust themselves and business towards

this adverse effect of climate change and work towards maximising their productivity despite

their circumstances.

Another impact that was experience was scarcity of water which enabled droughts. Droughts

can be defined as, an area which is not getting enough rainfall to be able to sustain the life

that is residing there. Some areas of Lower Buxton experienced perpetual drought, whereas

other areas may be dealing with a drought on occasion. With scarcity of water, individuals’

experienced Lack of Access to Drinking Water:  people are not able to get fresh, clean

drinking water. The human body can only go so long without water, and a lack of drinking

water can result in a number of other problems, such as:

 Hunger: If there is no water that can be used in order to help water the crops, then
you are going to have people that are going hungry. Animals will also die, which
will result in a lack of meat as well.
 Lack of Education:  children become too sick to go to school or they are working
to help get water to the home and the family.

 Diseases: If you don’t have clean water access, then you will be more likely to get
diseases from the water that you do have.

 Sanitation Issues: Without access to clean water, there is no way to clean food,

dishes, or people. When people are not given access to proper sanitation, disease

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 ends up becoming much more of an issue than it would have been otherwise. It
also causes mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.

As was illustrated through the interviewing process, due to the drought citizen have not been
able to attend to their basic and advanced needs, such as washing, cooking and cleaning or
taking baths, business places had not the ability to open due to the lack of water, thus
affecting their income rates, educational and health. As a result of this a possible solution to
the scarcity of water can be Recycle Water through farming, reducing on unnecessary
usage, conserving water for a dry day, the government could also put in place regular
trucking of fresh water to the area.

The impacts of altered weather patterns include: Floods and droughts which are more

frequent and more severe due to Climate change as of such, person is unable to conduct the
activities which aid in their survival such as work, educational and health wise activities.
Wildfires are stronger and more common in farming areas as well as Declining crop and
livestock productivity, due to increased droughts, floods and severe changing in weather
events, majority of the citizen complained on the unreliability of the weather reports and how
inconvenient these surprise weather activities are as the area is unequipped for any
unprepared events, floods and wildfires occurs frequently, it is therefore recommended that
the government utilizes there advance technology to produce more accurate weather reports
and invest in the metrical betterment of the area, thus preventing hazardous happenings
caused by climate change.

And as for the damage to the environment, consequently, the production of cultivation for

retailing market has been drastically decreasing , as a particular responder stated ‘ On an

average day, a calculated amount of 7% of indivduals cultivation dies, from the harsh weather

and all the impacts Climate Change has due to Deforestation, hence the residents marketing

abilities are disabled, as a result of this, it is recommended that citizen innovate different and

more creative means of income as with the trend of these effects, they are anticipated to be

worsen if not attended to.

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 When asked , what they can do to reduce the effects of deforestation, a majority (86%) said

reforestation while the minority (%) indicated that the government should implement more

effective strategies, laws and regulation that can rebuild and benefit the community against the

adverse effects of Climate Change due to the destruction of their forest areas. This shows that

most respondents are environmentally conscious and believe reforestation which is the

replanting of trees in forestry areas is best for the community. , the researchers also asked what

implements can the government put in place to regulate the problem of deforestation in which

responses such as, enforcing laws about deforestation, charging individuals who practice

deforestation , ensuring residents don’t practice deforestation and promote reforestation.

After analysing the information collected from the questionnaire, it can therefore be

conceptualised that Climate Change is the main effect of Deforestation. It was also

discovered that as a result of Deforestation, perfuse amount of changes have been occurring,

[out of fifteen respondents], 100% have[ either] agreed to the fact that deforestation has

infuse humongous changes to their lifestyle; the fluctuation of temperature, drought, altered

weather patterns, air pollution and damage to the environment are just some of the terrible

effects that have been experienced by the residents of Lower Buxton.

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 Statement of findings
1. 87% of the residents believe that deforestation is a major problem in the community

of Lower Buxton, St. Ann.

2. 69% of the residents believes that climate change is the main effect of Deforestation

in the community of Lower Buxton, St. Ann.

3. 67% of the residents believe that the problem of Deforestation is not being fixed.

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 Recommendation and implementation
Strategy
The following are recommendations and an implementation strategy which can be done to
minimize or fix the issue of deforestation in the community of Lower Buxton, St. Ann:

 It is recommended that the community of Lower Buxton practices reforestation as it

is an effective method of dealing with the issue known as Deforestation.

 It is recommended that the government get involved by implementing policies that

are in favour of keeping forestry alive

 The rules would give specific instructions to citizens of the country that only a

percentage of forested areas may be removed for development . Each community,

constituency and parish must have a specific percentage of green lands, natural

vegetation cover. Reserves must not be tampered with this is known as land zoning or

green belt..

BIBLIOGRAPHY
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 1. Article entitled Destruct to Build

 Encyclopćdia Britannica Online School Edition. School.eb.com. Retrieved 29 August 2010.

2.   "Land Use and Soil Erosion in Prehistoric and Historical Greece"

^ Van Andel, Tiered H.; Zangger, Eberhard; Demitrack, Anne (2013  (PDF). Journal of Field
Archaeology. 17 (4): 379–396. doi:10.1179/009346990791548628.

, 

3. ^ "Historical Consequences of Deforestation: Easter Island (Diamond 1995)".

mongabay.com. Smithsonian Magazine, 1 April 2007.

4.  "Jared Diamond, Easter Island's End".

hartford-hwp.com.

5.  Iyyer, Chaitanya (2009).  Land Management: Challenges & Strategies. Global India
Publications. p. 11.  ISBN  9789380228488.

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