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Critical and Creative Thinking Questions 347
- How does an ecosystem’s population growth rate affect
its likelihood of meeting the criteria for endangered
ecosystems? Describe the four criteria in your answer. - Which federal agencies are responsible for managing
public rangelands? What environmental and economic
issues do they face? - Given the important contributions of forests in providing
both timber and ecosystem services, how would you
manage U.S. public forests if you were in charge? Whose
interests would you have to balance? - For three decades, Forest A has been harvested using
clear-cutting, and Forest B has been managed through
sustainable forestry. Describe five differences you
would expect to see between the two forests, including
sustainable forest practices in your description.
For questions 13 and 14, examine the following graph of world
land use that was assembled by the World Resources Institute
and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
Critical and Creative Thinking Questions
- Why is deforestation a serious global environmental
problem? - What are the environmental effects of clear-cutting on
steep mountain slopes? on tropical rainforest land? - Distinguish between rangeland degradation and
desertification. Why is moderate grazing beneficial
to rangelands, yet overgrazing leads to erosion? - Debate conflicts over logging in Tongass National Forest
from two points of view: that of the wise-use movement
and that of the environmental movement. - Do you think additional federal lands should be added to
the wilderness system? Why or why not? - Consider the message that the cartoon shown here sends
about the popularity of U.S. national parks. What might
park managers do to protect parks while encouraging their
use? What are some of the uses that must be considered in
managing a national park? - Should private landowners have control over what they
wish to do to their land? If you were a landowner, what
are some land-use decisions you might have to make that
could affect both the public and the environment? Identify
a ranked list of five or more priorities you would follow. - Explain how economic growth and sustainable use of
natural resources can be compatible goals. ✓✓THE PLANNER - How much of the world’s total land area is used for
agriculture? How might conservation easements protect
some of these areas? - Based on types of habitats represented, which of the
categories shown are most likely to include the most
endangered U.S. ecosystems?
Wetlands
and lakes
3%
Other:
Rock, ice, tundra,
and desert
30% Forests
26%
Permanent
pasture
26%
Cropland
12%
Urban
areas
3%
World Re
source
s In
stitute and U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organization.
Sustainable Citizen Question