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25 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is conservation? |
Actively managing ecosystems in order to increase biodiversity. |
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What is monoculture? |
Large fields growing only a single crop |
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How much of the land in the UK is used for agriculture? |
85% |
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Why is agriculture important? |
It is important to provide plentiful and cheap food, wood, wool and leather. |
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How do farmers manage land? |
They use modern methods to manage the land effectively to produce a maximum yield. |
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What has happened in the last fifty years? |
Due to intensive farming, the yield of grain per hectare has doubled
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What is a side effect of intensive farming? |
A reduction in biodiversity |
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What are some intensive farming techniques? |
Clearing woodland Removing hedgerows Spraying pesticides and herbicides Growing monocultures Improving grazing land |
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Why is woodland cleared and what effect does this have? |
It's cleared to increase the land available for cultivation and grazing. This reduces the number of tree species and reduces the variety of habitats, leading to a decrease in animal diversity. |
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Why are hedgerows removed? |
They're removed to enlarge fields and increase the area available for agriculture. They can also compete with arable crops for light. |
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What effect does removing hedgerows have? |
It leads to the loss of habitats and a reduction in insects and birds. They can also act as corridors for wild animals to use to move around safely and to meet other animals in mating seasons which isn't possible once they're removed. |
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Why are pesticides used? |
They're used on crops to kill invertebrates which eat the crops. |
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What other effects does spraying pesticides have? |
They kill pests and pollinating insects like bees and butterflies. Insects are also part of the food chain, so larger animals like birds and hedgehogs have less to eat and their numbers are reduced. |
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Why are herbicides sprayed? |
To kill weeds which compete with crops
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What other effects does spraying herbicides have? |
It kills plants which are at the bottom of the food chain so animals higher up in the food chain reduce in number due to a lack of food. |
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What is the effect of growing monocultures? |
Growing one crop over a large area greatly reduces the number of habitats and biodiversity. |
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How is grazing land improved? |
By sowing rye grass and clover species which provide cows and sheep with the most nutritious fodder.Fields are fertilised and land is drained |
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What effect does fertilising fields have? |
It increases the growth of rye grass which out competes lower growing weed species. |
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What effect does draining the land have? |
It favours the growth of rye grass but leads to a big reduction in weed species and a loss of habitats for invertebrates and small mammals. |
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What conservation measures have been taken to stop the reduction in biodiversity? |
The environmental stewardship scheme encourages farmers to replant hedgerows and leave margins around their fields to act as wildlife habitats and corridors |
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What conservation measures have been taken to stop the reduction in biodiversity in the EU?
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The EU has banned the use of various insecticides which have a disproportionate effect on non pest species, such as bees. |
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What other conservation measures are in place? |
Endangered species, like the hen harrier are protected and killing them is a criminal offence. Intensive agriculture is restricted in areas which have been declared national parks, SSSIs or AONBs |
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What is an example of a national park? |
The Lake District |
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What is an SSSI an what is an example? |
This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. E.g. Morecambe Bay |
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What is an AONB and what is an example? |
It's an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. E.g. The Forest of Bowland |
