CSEC Geography Notes 2021/2022 (Ms. Luke) Case Studies: Names, locations of areas within Caribbean countries and influencing factors of the following resources #1 Forestry in Guyana, Belize, Bahamas and T&T Forestry is the art, science and practice of studying and managing forests and plantations and related natural resources. Factors that affect the location ofthis industry include: climate, natural resources, port facilties and wood processing facilties. Many countries have depleted their forests through intensive logging e.g. Hait, Jamaica and Barbados. 80% of Guyana is covered by forest and the main related economic activity Is lumbering. Types of timber include Mora, Balata, Purpleheart etc. There are factors that influence the location of lumbering activites. Nature and size ofthe forest Demand for timber and forest products Labour supply Accessibilty Level of technology (Ownership of the forest Benefits Timber products for construction, furniture etc Nor-timber products e.g. food Medicines, research and scientific studies Linkage industries Ecosystems (fora and fauna) Improves water quality Domestic fuel in poor communities Reduces soil erosion and landslides Aesthetics and recreation Employment Foreign exchange (GDP) Challenges ‘© Trends: Changes in tastes from Westem buyers concemed about using tropical species. Manpower: Limited skilled workers to manage the resource, poor managerial and outdated technological practices. Technology: Outdated and inefficient tools used for cutting and transporting timber. Diseases: Expensive research to manage forests and prevent diseases by regularly spraying insecticides and pesticides. Over-exploitation: If demand exceeds replenishment the resource is depleted, Globalisation: The world demand for wood products gives Guyana an opportunity to partake in international trading and bring in foreign currency, However without proper management depletion is a possibilty Competition from Asian suppliers ‘© Sustainability: Ifthe resource is overused the industry is not sustainable. International pressure to conserve and preserve due to climate change. ‘The words “preservation” and “conservation” are often used interchangeably, but the two concepts are quite diferent. Conservation protects the environment through the responsible use of natural resources. Preservation protects the environment from harmful human activites. For example, conserving a forest typically involves sustainable logging practices to minimize deforestation, Preservation would involve setting aside part or even al of the forest from human development.CSEC Geography Notes 2021/2022 (Ms. Luke) #2 Fishing in Belize, Cuba, Netherland Antilles Closeness to the sea has made fishing an important primary economic activity in the region. Fishing itself contributes ltl to the GDP of each Caribbean county, however It indirectly contributes to other related industries such as fish processing, boat building and tourism. Belize has particularly rich coastal fishing grounds: = Rivers bring nutrients to the sea and shallow waters offshore hold nutrients = Mangroves, seagrass beds, barrier reefs and island reefs provide food and shelter for young fish and crustaceans Fisheries make up 6% of the GDP but 29% of exports. Shellfish is the most valuable catch, followed by conch then. scale fish, The fishing industry is well organised, with ~2000 fishermen, many shore-based jobs in processing and administration as well as aquaculture has become quite important. 60% of the fishermen belong to the fishermen's co-operative. The co-operative helps with market pricing and overseas exports, loans for purchase of machinery and education, and funding for pensions and sick pay. Over 180,000 people are employed in this industry Challenges ‘© Destruction of fishing grounds: © responsible fishing practices like trawing that destroy fishes’ natural habitats Coastal development that destroy wetlands and fish nurseries © Pollution from tourism industry (sport fishing, diving) farming practices * Conflicts and overexploitation due to dificultes to regulate fishing industry, neighbouring islands sharing fishing grounds, migrating fish, and illegal fishing. ‘© Decreasing labour force as young people focused on entering secondary and tertiary sector. © Climate change affecting the ecosystems. Conservation and preservation ‘© Closed fishing season for conch as it takes 4 to 6 years to reach maturity, and lobster during breeding period. Banned scuba diving for conch and lobster Each co-operative has an annual quota Fishing for grouper is prohibited in most places because of overfishing. Aquaculture ‘This is fish farming under controlled conditions in enclosed tanks and ponds, Fish and shrimp are hatched and released into ponds where they are fed a high-protein diet until maturity, This requires careful management of temperature, oxygen content, waste and medicine to prevent disease, They are expensive to set up however they provide employment and the Caribbean is well suited for in terms of climate, soil, water availabilty and access to ports for transportation. Belize has easy access to the European Union fish markets as seafood from Asia is banned #3 Bauxite in Jamaica, Guyana and Suriname ‘Aluminium, the most abundant metal in the earth, is used for many products: fol, utensils, cars, arcrafs etc. Itis extracted from bauxite as aluminium oxide and then smelted to make pure aluminium. Alcoa is an aluminium processing plant that employs 250,000 people in 41 countries, In Jamaica, the mining areas are in the western and central regions and bauxite is transported by truck and then exported to the US via shipping. Reserves are high and the bauxite is easy to extract with few impurities. It's proximity to the US is beneficial. However output is lower compared to Australia and wages are higher so profit is. less. Guyana produces very pure bauxite that can be used for bricks, heat resistant cement, anti-skid surfaces and aluminium sulphate, The mines are near Linden on the Demerara river so the transport costs are high as rivers areCSEC Geography Notes 2021/2022 (Ms. Luke) to0 shallow for large ships which raises the cost of the product. As mining costs are high, the industry has not been profitable and the workforce has been reduces signifcantly, Suriname's mines are on the eastem portion and bauxite is transported via truck then by ship to an alumina plant in Paranam. These reserves are nearly depleted and the environmental impact on the forested areas is concerning to the citizens. Ita smetteris builtin Trinidad, it will Increase the demand for Caribbean alumina as manufacturing industries could be developed on the island. Challenges ‘© Increased competition in international markets: These three countries supplied 44% of the world's bauxite in 11965 which dropped drastically by 2000 (13%) Australia and Guinea have taken over. Overreliance on selling to the US Environmental degradation: © Land reclamation © Red mud Shipping costs decreasing while cost of mining remains high Not enough refineries: Caribbean does not have any smelters. Jamaica and Suriname have refineries but no smelters, +#4 Ol and Natural Gas in Trinidad and Tobago Crude oll and natural gas come from the compaction and heating of organic matter under several layers of soil and rock. First oll well was drilled in 1857, Trinidad is one of the richest countries in the Caribbean because ofthe oll reserves. 71% of the foreign exchange and and 23% of the GDP comes from this industry. Many workers have become trained and educated by working in the energy sector and ear high wages in other countries that contribute to the economy via repatriation Increased wealth means development in services in the country, boost in other economic activites as citizens have money to purchase goods, What are some products that come from this industry? Gasoline, diesel, kerosene, petroleum jelly, LNG, methanol, ammonia (for plastics and fertilizers), propane, butane and cooking gas, fuel for electricity and Challenges: Only employs 3% ofits workforce. ‘© This is a non-renewable resource and land based ol fies are almost depleted and expensive to keep extracting, ‘© Increased affluence has increased unsavoury activities (gambling, drug use, gang related activity, kidnapping for ransom, violent crimes such as murder and assault. Deters investors and tourist. #5 Gold in Guyana Gold is @ scarce and valuable commodity mainly produced from one large mine in Omai, Guyana. The mine is owned by the Guyanese government as well as two Canadian companies. Challenges ‘© Transportation from remote, forested areas © Workers at risk of malaria where they live ‘© Production cost is high as expensive transport networks must be built solely to service ths industry Competing with foreign producers is dificult as they have lower production costs.CSEC Geography Notes 2021/2022 (Ms. Luke) #6 Food processing CARICOM Countries Jams, jellies, sauces, fruit drinks, wines and beers are dsome of the products that are part of the history of the region. 80% of the companies in the Caribbean are cottage industries meaning thal they are small and medium-sized units mainly owned and operated by women. "Much ofthe food processed is fruit based but include poultry, seafood, vegetables, and confectionary. 50% of ‘mnufacturnug output from T&T is from food processing with 13000 people working for MNC like Nestle. Guyana has recently begun invested inthis industry to produce and export their own sausage, comed beef and corn products. ‘= The smal size ofthe countries means that factories can be located in large cities and towns with access to large markets. © Raw materials are easy to access from within or outside. © Readily and available labour force. * Governments have invested and suppor local companies by increasing taxes on imports. Challenges. © Crop diseases, fut fies preventing export to US and ather regions ‘© Lack of investment in the past to train personnel #7 Food processing in Singapore ‘The food procassin industry in Singapore has more than 800 different food processing factories that made more that $8.48 in 2011. Historically the industry developed similarly to the Caribbean but by 1970 it was the third largest industry in the county. It survived many financial catastrophes, Majority (95%) of the businesses conists of small or medium sized enterprises. Products exported include dairy Products, vegetable olls, beers and non-alcoholic beverages, bakery products, processed meat and chocolate products. Top importers of Singapore's products include Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Australia etc Companies are located all over th country in industrial estates with connect roadways and port access points 19000 workers are migrant workers with local employees being highly educated and skilled. Raw materials are sourced from outside the island Many investments in technology, research and development Government keeps taxes low and products duty-free Challenge ‘= Increased competition from neighbouring countries whe have lower prices = Limited market in the country so income is dependent on exports. And consumers are becoming more health conscience when it comes to processed foods ‘© Increased demand for raw materials used in this industry which raises the cost Singapore has started buying land in other countries to grow their own raw materials. Factors influencing the development and growth of the tourism industry (for example, physical, historical, cultura, ‘man-made attractions, role of government) ‘Tourism is travel for pleasure which began in the 18th and 19th centuries with rich Europeans and Americans traveling to Paris ad major Italian cites. By the 20th century, they began travelling to the colonies. Perfect weather, beautiful attractions, attude of the people, lack of diseases of other tropical destinations made the region highly atractive, 5a Pont wo peg Because of the long sea journey, they stayed for weeks or months at atime. As # the Dut vised Cura and more people became more affluent, holidays increased. Beaches become ‘ Novth Ameria wea! tos and tbe popular as the tan became a trend. In the 1960s flights opened the floodgatesCSEC Geography Notes 2021/2022 (Ms. Luke) {or tourists in the Caribbean. The journey was cut down to 8 hours instead of 3 weeks. Jobs started offering holiday periods. Media has increased tourism over the year. This meant an influx of foreign currency that helped develop hotels and resorts for visitors. Tourism is the biggest business in the region, Benefits Employment in the hotels, cruise ship industry, resorts, restaurants, informal sector. Foreign exchange Government revenue for development of services and infrastructure Multiplier effect: Agriculture and other industries that supply products and services to restaurants, hotels etc, Case Study: Jamaica One of the main tourist destinations in the region. The first tourist hotels were built in Montego Bay and Port Antonio in the 1800s. After WW1, transport improved and many flocked to Jamaica. Over 220000 Jamaicans work in the tourism industry. Jamaica specialises their tourism experience targeted to specific demographics. Ecotourism —green tourism for the enviaramentalists (wildlife watching, bamboo rafting, special hotels, ecolodges, ‘Adventure tourism (hiking, scuba diving, surfing etc) Community tourism where people seek to get the authentic local experience (bed and breakfasts, local establishments, greater conection ith the natural environment, learning and sharing culture) Challenges © Competition from other tropical destinations © Crime © Global pandemic