Unit 5: Land and Water Use

Conservation

Management or regulation of a resource so that its use does not exceed the capacity of the resource to regenerate itself

Preservation

The maintenance of a species or ecosystem in order to ensure their perpetuation with no concern to their potential monetary value

Ecosystem Capital

Natural resources with an economic value

Renewable Resources

Resources that can be regenerated quickly

Nonrenewable Resources

Resources that do not regenerate quickly

Consumption

The day-to-day use of environmental resources

Production

The use of environmental resources for profit

Traditional Subsistence Agriculture

The reliance on animal and human labour to plant and harvest crops by families

Slash-and-Burn

An area of vegetations is cut down and burned before being planted with crops

Green Revolution

1950-1960; Farming became mechanized and crop yields in industrialized nations boomed

Integrated Pest Management

A combination of several methods to combat pests and is a environmentally sensitive approach than chemical methods

Salinization

An accumulation of soluble salts in soil layers

Furrow Irrigation

Water lost: 33%

Flood Irrigation

Water lost: 20%

Spray Irrigation

Water lost: 25%

Drip Irrigation

Allots an area only as much water as is necessary and delivers the water directly to the roots

Water lost: 5%

Con: Expensive

Photosynthate

Photosynthetic products

Monoculture

One type of plant is planted in a large area

Plantation Farming

Industrialized agriculture in which a monoculture cash crop is grown and then exported to developed nations

Arable

Suitable for plant growth

Loamy

A balanced mixture of clay, silt, and sand

Aggregates

Clumps

Crop Rotation

Different crops are planted in the area in each growing season

Polyculture

Planting several crops on the same plot of land simultaneously, increasing biodiversity

Dust Bowl

Resulted from droughts in the Great Plains in the 1930s

Contour Plowing

Rows of crops are plowed across a hillside

Terracing

Farming on flat platforms cut into the hillside, reducing soil runoff

Perennial Crops

Crops that grow back without replanting each year

Windbreak

Comprised of one or more tows of trees or shrubs planted near crops in such a way as to provide shelter from eroding winds

Intercropping / Strip Cropping

Practice of planting bands of different crops in a field

Green Manure

Made by leaving plants to wither and then serve as mulch

Free-range Grazing

Animals are able to move about outdoors and eat the foods they are adapted to eat

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs / Feedlots)

Animals are confined and concentrated into smaller spaces in order to keep costs down and quickly get livestock ready for slaughter

Overgrazed

Overconsumption by animals, resulting in erosion and compaction and desertification

Rotational Grazing

Regular rotation of livestock between different pastures in order to avoid overgrazing in a particular area

Deforestation

The removal of trees for agricultural purposes or purposes of exportation

Old Growth Forest

A forest that has never been cut

Second Growth Forests

Forests were cutting has occurred and a new, younger forest has arisen naturally

Plantations / Tree Farms

Planted and managed tracts of trees by humans that are harvested for commercial use

Silviculture

Management of forest plantations for the purpose of harvesting timber

Clear-cutting

Removal of all of the trees in an area

Selective Cutting

Removal of select trees in an area which leads to uneven-aged management

Shelter-wood Cutting

Mature trees are cut over a period of time, leaving some mature trees in place to reseed the forest

Agroforestry

Trees and crops are planted together

Greenbelts

Open or forested areas built at the outer edges of cities

Surface Fires

Burning of only the forests’ underbrush and does little damage to mature trees

Crown Fires

Starts on the ground or in the canopies of forests that have not experienced recent surface fires

Ground Fires

Smoldering fires that take place in bogs or swamps and can burn underground for days or weeks

Controlled / Prescribed Burns

Burning of fuel to combat against fuel buildup

Interbasin Transfer

The transport of water over very long distances from its source through aqueducts or pipelines

Groundwater

Any water that comes from below the ground

Aquifer

Underground beds or layers of earth, gravel, or porous stone that hold water

Confined Aquifer

Aquifer that has boundaries that don’t readily transport water

Unconfined Aquifer

Aquifer that free to flow both vertically and horizontally

Compacted

Mineral grains making up the aquifer collapse on each other and the material is unable to hold as much water

Water-stressed

Renewable water supply of 1,000-2,000 cubed meters per person

Water-scarce

Renewable water supply of less than 1,000 cubed meters per person and lacks sufficient freshwater resources to meet demand

Riparian

Of, on, or relating to the banks of a natural course of flowing water

Riparian Right

The right of people who have legal rights to use that area

Prior Appropriation

Water rights are given to those who have historically used the water in a certain area

Fishery

The industry or occupation devoted to the catching, processing, or selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals

Tragedy of Free Access

The depletion of marine fisheries worldwide

Capture Fisheries

Caught in the wild and not raised in captivity for consumption

By-catch

Species of fish, mammals, and birds that are caught during fishing operations but are not the target fish

Drift Nets

Nets that float through the water and indiscriminately catch everything in its path

Long Lining

Use of long lines that have baited hooks and will be taken by numerous aquatic organisms

Bottom Trawling

The ocean floor is literally scraped by heavy nets that scrape away or smash everything in its path

Aquaculture / Fish Farming

Raising of fish and other aquatic species in captivity for harvest

Mining

Excavation of earth for the purpose of extracting ore or minerals

Metallic Minerals

Mined for their metals and can be extracted through smelting and used for various purposes

Nonmetallic Minerals

Mined to be used in their natural state and nothing is extracted

Mineral Deposit

An area in which a particular mineral is concentrated

Ore

Rock or mineral from which a valuable substance can be extracted at a profit

Gangue

Waste material from mining

Tailings

Piles of gangues

Overburden

Layer of soil and rock

Strip Mining

Removal of the vegetation from an area, making it susceptible to erosion

Shaft Mining

Vertical tunnels are built to access and then excavate minerals that are underground and otherwise unreachable

Suburbs

Satellite communities

Urban Sprawl

The emigration of people out of the city and into the suburbs

Brownfields

Urban areas that contain abandoned factories or former residential sites

Megacities

Cities that have grown in excess of 10 million people

Ecological Footprint

Environmental impact of a population or individual person

IPAT Model

Mathematical model to describe the impact that humans have on the environment

I = P (A)(T)

I = Total Impact

P = Population Size

A = Affluence

T = Level of Technology

Cost-benefit Analysis

Weighing of benefits against costs

Marginal Costs

Additional costs

Marginal Benefits

Additional benefits

Externalities

Unwanted or unanticipated consequences of our using of resources

Sustainability

Humans using resources in such a way as to not deplete those resources for future generations

Sustainable Yield

Amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing the available supply