APES Unit 5

Unit 5: Land and Water Use

Key Topics and Concepts

1. The Tragedy of the Commons

• Definition: Overuse of shared resources due to individual self-interest, leading to depletion or degradation.

• Examples: Overfishing, deforestation, air pollution.

• Solutions: Government regulation, privatization, community management, or sustainable practices.

2. Land Use and Management

• Types of Land Use:

• Urbanization

• Rangelands (used for grazing)

• Forests (timber, habitat)

• Farmland (agriculture)

• Deforestation: Causes, impacts (soil erosion, loss of biodiversity), and solutions (sustainable forestry, reforestation).

• Urban Sprawl: Impacts (habitat loss, increased pollution) and strategies for smart growth (zoning, public transportation).

3. Agricultural Practices

• Types of Agriculture:

• Subsistence Farming

• Industrial Agriculture (monocropping, intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides).

• Green Revolution: High-yield crops, synthetic fertilizers, and mechanization.

• Impacts of Agriculture:

• Soil degradation (erosion, salinization).

• Water use (irrigation, aquifer depletion).

• Pollution from fertilizers (eutrophication, dead zones) and pesticides (bioaccumulation, biomagnification).

• Sustainable Practices:

• Crop rotation, agroforestry, no-till farming, integrated pest management (IPM).

4. Irrigation Methods and Water Use

• Types of Irrigation:

• Drip irrigation (efficient).

• Flood irrigation (wasteful, causes waterlogging).

• Spray irrigation.

• Water Conservation: Efficient irrigation, water recycling, drought-resistant crops.

• Water Pollution:

• Point vs. non-point sources.

• Agricultural runoff (fertilizers, pesticides).

5. Pest Management

• Pesticides: Benefits and drawbacks.

• Resistance: Pesticide treadmill and the development of resistant pests.

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Combining biological, physical, and chemical controls for sustainable pest control.

6. Forestry

• Clearcutting: Short-term economic gain, long-term environmental impacts (loss of biodiversity, soil erosion).

• Selective Logging: Reduces impact but is more expensive.

• Fire Management: Prescribed burns to reduce fuel buildup and prevent catastrophic wildfires.

7. Mining and Resource Extraction

• Types of Mining:

• Strip mining, open-pit mining, mountaintop removal, subsurface mining.

• Environmental Impacts:

• Habitat destruction, water contamination (acid mine drainage), air pollution.

• Mining Laws: Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977) for land restoration.

8. Fishing Practices

• Overfishing: Leads to declining fish stocks and ecosystem imbalance.

• Sustainable Fishing:

• Methods: Aquaculture, quotas, marine protected areas (MPAs).

• Problems with Aquaculture: Waste, disease spread, competition with wild species.

9. Global Impacts of Land and Water Use

• Desertification: Causes (overgrazing, deforestation) and solutions (reforestation, sustainable land management).

• Soil Erosion: Impacts of deforestation, agriculture, and overgrazing.

• Climate Change: Connections to agriculture and deforestation.

Key Terms to Know

• Tragedy of the Commons

• Monocropping

• Eutrophication

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• Clearcutting

• Aquaculture

• Salinization

• Acid Mine Drainage

• Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977)

• Prescribed Burns

• Point vs. Non-point Pollution

Key Case Studies and Examples

1. Tragedy of the Commons Example: Overfishing in the Atlantic cod industry.

2. Deforestation: Amazon Rainforest deforestation and its role in carbon sequestration.

3. Agricultural Impacts: The Dust Bowl (1930s) as a result of poor farming practices.

4. Mining Impact: Mountaintop removal in Appalachia.

5. Sustainable Practices: Kenya’s agroforestry initiatives to combat soil erosion.