BIOMES

BIOMES
• Biomes are distinct biological communities that
have formed in response to a shared physical
climate.
• Biome is a broader term than habitat; any biome
can comprise a variety of habitats.
• A biome is a community of plants and animals that
have common characteristics for the environment
they exist in. They can be found over a range of
continents.
• While a biome can cover large areas, a
microbiome is a mix of organisms that coexist in a
defined space on a much smaller scale.
Biomes Under Pressure

• Forests and woodlands

• Tropical forests
• Oceans
• Coral reefs and
mangroves
World Wood Consumption
Causes of Deforestation

• Economic
development
• Human population
growth
Frontier Forests 8,000 Years Ago

Frontier Forest = “Old Growth” Forest, which never having

been cut down and cleared by humans, they are in balance
with natural disturbance events such as fire, winds, etc…
 Frontier Forests Today

Very few forests remain untouched by humans and our practices

of large scale clearing for wood and agriculture lands.
 North American Frontiers

Low or no threat

Medium or high threat

Non frontier forests

Unassessed for threat

Non-Frontier Forest are also

called “Second Growth”
Forests, meaning they have
growth back at after at least
one clearing.
www.globalforestwatch.org
Man wants more farmland for livestock and crops.

Cameroon in 1959
Non-Forest

Unprotected
Forest

Protected
Forest

Logged or
Logging
 Cameroon in 1971
Non-Forest

Unprotected
Forest

Protected
Forest

Logged or
Logging
 Cameroon in 1995
Non-Forest

Unprotected
Forest

Protected
Forest

Logged or
Logging
 Cameroon in 1999
Today, 80% of Cameroon’s
Non-Forest
Unprotected Forests are in
Logging Areas or
Concessions
Unprotected
Forest

Protected
Forest

Logged or
Logging
Affects of Deforestation
(Clear Cutting)
Loss of forests leads to:
Productivity
More Nutrient recycling
or
Biodiversity
Soil erosion
Less
Evapotranspiration
Air pollution
 Sustainable Forest
Management
• Manage for sustainable outcomes
• Responsible practices (teach others)
• Protect the health of the forest
• Recognize and protect unique forest ecosystems.
• Continuous improvement (strive to be better forest
managers; be adaptive)
 New Forestry Practices
• Cut trees less frequently
• Leave wider buffer zones along waterways
• Leave dead logs and debris
• Protect broader landscapes
• Build no new roads until damage to old ones is
addressed
• Added-value products (use of species other than
wood/lumber species)
 Tropical Forest
• A tropical forest is a type of forest found in areas
with high regular rainfall and no more than two
months of low rainfall, and consisting of a
completely closed canopy of trees that prevents
penetration of sunlight to the ground and
discourages ground-cover growth.
Loss of Tropical Rainforests – Why?
• Colonization:
consolidation
of agricultural
lands
• Huge national
debts
• Fast food
chains and
cheap
hamburger
Conserving Tropical
Rainforests
• Ecotourism
• Extractive reserves &
Value-added products
• Management by
indigenous people
• Rubber, coffee & cocoa
plantations
• Sustainable logging
• Carbon sequestration
credits
Ocean Ecosystems

75% of the Earth’s

surface

An international
commons
Global Fish Harvests
Overfishing one species
leads to shift to catch
other less desirable
species elsewhere.

100 million metric tons of

food on a sustained basis?
Fisheries Problems

Too many boats

High technology
Too few fish
 Fisheries in Distress

Georges Bank Cod Fishery Collapse: Regional management council versus NMFS,
an example of regional politics over sound science in late 1970’s; 197 dramatic
solutions = half-time, 2/3 area fished; buy-out program.
Mangrove Forest: trees adapted to saltwater and flooded soils.
 Mangroves
• Protects coasts from
storm damage and
erosion
• Forms rich refuge
and nursery for
marine fish
• Prevents sediments
and excess nutrients
getting to Coral
Reefs
• Shrimp farming and
residential
development are
leading causes of
clearing.
 Coral Reefs as
Resources for Man:
• Important food sources
for local people

• Wave erosion control

• Great diversity of marine

vertebrates and
invertebrates
Sources of Damage to Coral Reefs:
• Climate Change
o Warmer waters
o (Coral Bleaching Hot Spots)
• Sedimentation and
Eutrophication
o Coastal development
o Shrimp aquaculture
o Logging
• Over-Fishing
o Islander poverty
o Northern Demand
• Habitat Destruction/Alteration
o “Loving it to death”
o anchor and diver damage
 Marine Sanctuaries

[Photo: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve]

 Belize
Case Study
• About 70% Forest
Remains
• Second largest barrier reef
in the world.
• Tourism industry matches
sugar Cane production as
leading industry and
revenue generator in
Belize.
• Approximately 45% of
land area as park, reserves,
or private land trusts.
• Numerous marine
sanctuaries!
 ESE Case Study Activity 2 – Quiz 2a
• Conduct research and develop case study on the
present statistical status and/or mapping, if there’s any,
status in the Philippines of the following Biomes: What
conclusion can you make on its current status?
o Forest – Team Forestry (Luzon), Team Biomes (VisMin)
o Tropical Forest – Team Green (Luzon), Team Conservation
(VisMin)
o Ocean – Team Ecosystem (Luzon), Team Water (VisMin)
o Coral Reefs & Mangroves – Team Mangrove (Luzon), Team
Stewardship (VisMin)

• This is your asynchronous group activity for this week so

we will not meet online on Friday, September 25, 2020.
Prepare in PowerPoint and upload in ESE FB Group on or
before October 2, 2020. File Name: Team Name – (Type)
Biome Case Study e.g. Team Forestry – Forest in Luzon
Biome Case Study