ENVST Land Use

The majority of rangelands on what continent(s) have been degraded as a result of human activity?

All continents except Antarctica

More megacities (urban areas of more than 10 million people) are found in _______ than any other continent.

Asia

You're at a restaurant and your dining companion is getting annoyed with you because you keep complaining about the impacts of land use extensification on natural ecosystems. You need a good scientific rationale for why you want to choose a type of food that will have the least impact on land use extensification. Which of the following is the best explanation?

I'm avoiding eating most meat because the loss of caloric (food) energy in animals means that more land is needed to support meat production than is needed to support the production of fruits and vegetables.

Land use intensification means obtaining more from the lands that are already used by humans. For food production, this means getting more crops to grow in areas that are already used for agriculture. Increasing agricultural yields often requires the use of lots of both fresh water (which is increasingly limited) and fertilizer (which has many negative environmental impacts). Despite these requirements, many experts say that land use intensification is a better option that land use extensification. Why?

The alternative to land use intensification is more destruction of natural habitat, loss of biodiversity, and loss of many ecosystem services.

Cities require centralized infrastructure such as water treatment, waste treatment, and electricity generation. Given your knowledge of urbanization trends, what do you predict will happen by 2050 in these three infrastructure areas?

There will be an increase in the number of large energy production, water treatment, and waste treatment facilities located around cities

Deforestation generally can lead to all of the following EXCEPT __________

an increase in CO2 uptake by plants

Globally, the rate of meat consumption is increasing faster than the overall rate of food consumption. What is this likely to mean for land use change?

both deforestation and desertification will increase

The proportion of people living in cities is predicted to rise in the next 30 years. What steps could specifically be taken to reduce the impact of these urban residents on energy use, water use, and land use extensification?

cities can be designed with mass transportation systems, water use reduction systems such as low-flow toilets, and urban gardens used for food production.

Which of the following is an example of land use intensification?

converting a cattle pasture for crop production

There has been a large increase in the number of cars in places such as China where urbanization has increased. Which of the following scenarios would result in people both buying fewer cars and moving more to cities?

encourage people to live in very dense cities and provide more mass transportation options.

Cover crops are used to prevent _________

erosion

If a government is encouraging afforestation and reforestation, it is UNLIKELY to be for which one of the following purposes?

food production

Rangelands are

grazing areas too dry for crop production

Which of the following land uses covers the greatest amount of Earth's ice-free land surface?

grazing livestock

Which of the following is true of predicted global population trends?

growth in global population is expected to occur in urban areas as people move to where the jobs are

How can urbanization help to create a more sustainable future for our planet?

in large cities, living space tends to be used more efficiently and per capita energy use tends to be lower.

Since the early 1990s, humans have kept up with the rising demand for food by _______

increasing agricultural yields

Which of the following represents a land use intensification strategy that would reduce the development pressures that lead to deforestation and the loss of natural ecosystems?

increasing fertilizer use on crops

There are pros and cons to land use extensification versus intensification. Which of the following statements best characterizes the cons (the negative aspects) of each of these activities?

land use extensification leads to the loss of natural ecosystems, and land use intensification creates more water pollution and increased energy use.

All of the following have contributed to the decrease in total cropland area in the United States EXCEPT __________

open-pit coal mining

What areas of the planet are at high risk of desertification?

overgrazed rangeland, irrigated areas experiencing soil salinization, rangelands that are experiencing prolonged drought

The degradation of rangeland typically occurs as a result of

overgrazing

Imagine you find yourself out one evening for a nice dinner. You look at the menu and you get very depressed because you just can't get the problem of desertification out of your mind. Given your knowledge of the land use activities that are most likely to contribute to desertification, which of the following menu items would be the most appropriate choice if you want to avoid further guilt (and yes, you have to pick something from this menu).

roasted salmon with cream, mushrooms, and tomatoes

Why might someone (reasonably) say that cities are good for the environment but suburbs are bad?

the residents of cities drive less, use more public transportation, and take up less space on the landscape than residents of the suburbs.

Areas that have undergone desertification or are at risk of desertification can create problems such as loss of grazing lands, loss of potential cropland, and the exposure of vast areas of land to erosion by wind and water. Because awareness of this problem is growing, which of the following would be a logical prediction about changes in forest cover in the future?

the total area of land covered by forest may increase through afforestation and reforestation

The main purpose of the deforestation occurring in Brazil is __________

to produce food

Which of the following best describes urban sprawl?

urban sprawl involves the rapid and often poorly planned development of suburbs

Suburban residents _____________ than their urban counterparts

use more energy