Conservation of Appalachian Mountain
Habitat Loss
Q.1
before the European settlement, the American natives led primitive lifestyles inclusive of hunting-gathering, crop farming, and fishing. European exploration introduced large scale farming and land use as well as mining, which affected the ecological balance negatively. They also increased the scale of hunting and fishing, resulted in segmentation, which was different from the initial land use.
Q.2
lumbering, tourism, and mining started in the early 19th century. Lumbering was motivated by the need for rafts for movement; salt mining was motivated by the need to conserve commodities and for use in the manufacture of gun powder. The mining of coal and other minerals was motivated by increased industrialization.
Q.3
the increased mineral exploration resulted in large scale clearing of forests. Humans moved to occupy the forest areas while the mining activities dented the landscape. Uncontrolled activities demanded the creation of a control board, national forest system.
Q.4
due to activities such as logging and fires as well as pollution, which characterized the history of the Appalachians, the South’s trout almost became extinct. However, the US forest service reproduced the trout in large hatcheries to safeguard the species as well as protecting their habitats.
Q.5
Alabama has a large commercial forest due to the abundant forest resources. As a result of the contemporary treads of population increase, there have been significant demands for settlement land plummeting the forest clearing.
Q.6
although the coal mining has reduced, conservation of the big sandy crayfish and Clinch River’s water fresh mussels are under threat due to pollution, increased ORV use and chemical dumping in their habitats. They are also threatened by sedimentation and oil spills, which contaminate their habitats.
Q.7
conservation officials and biologists are helping to reduce the threat by creating public awareness on activities that can restore the diversity. Restoration programs have also been initiated, facilitated by the allocation of funds to finance restoration programs, as well as the implementation of fines for human negligence.
Climate Change
Q.1
in the global temperature animation, the world temperatures become dramatic after the 21st century, especially 2006. By 2016, the temperatures are extreme in the upper hemisphere. This is the same region where temperatures warmed up first between 1995 and 2000.
Q.2
Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee show similar treads of temperature increase as they approach 2019. Tennessee initially has low temperatures, through a period of cooling before exponential warming shown by the stripes. Virginia has initial cool temperatures towards millennium but rises steeply as they approach 2019. Kentucky has experienced warming all along with limited cooling treads but the highest warming in 2019.
Q.3
the climate time machine demonstrates increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide globally in which human beings are helping increase through daily activities. This is primarily a concern for scientists since a rise in the same increases the global temperatures exponentially.
Q.4
The data also reveals reducing levels of sea ice and an increase in the sea levels as 2019 approaches. This reveals that as the world warms up, the sea ice melts even further, leading to a rise in sea level.
Q.5
currently, the sugar maple species is evenly distributed on the upper sections of the map, especially in the area it is supposed to be. In the future, however, the species shift from its zone of existence and is shrinking in distribution. The potential soil productivity is ranked as the first variable influencing the distribution of the sugar maple. Sugar maple will be positively influenced by increased shade tolerance and environment habitat specifically. While no climatic traits affect it negatively.
Q.6 Eastern Hemlock
This tree species is mainly located at the edges of the observation map. The species retains its distribution but is projected to shrink in availability over time. The mean July temperatures are the top influencers of the species distribution. This species’ adaptability will be positively influenced by shade tolerance but negatively affected by insect pests and drought.
Q.7 Bigtooth aspen
This is a rare tree species located at the map edges in sparse quantities. The species distribution is projected to shrink significantly with time especially affected by Mean July temperature as the first predictor. Bigtooth aspen’s adaptability to climate will be positively influenced by firereg and dispersal, while shade tolerance, drought, and fire will negatively influence its adaptability.
Q.8
TNC defines resilient areas as those which are secure from impacts of climate change due to the presence of multiple microclimatic conditions.
Q.9
climate corridors are zones characterized by high flow of species, often ridges while climate flows are the seasonal movement of species and populations in response to climate. These point conservation officials to the areas where conservation is necessary for response to climate changes. Climatic flow reveals areas that are mostly affected by climate change.
Q.10
Most of the areas across central and southern Appalachian regions established to be climate flow zones or flow corridors have been purchased to foster conservation measures. This conservation network is ideal for the protection of resilient wildlife landscapes because they are free from human interference while maintaining the ecosystem stable.
Q.11
according to the TNC maps, over 4 million acres of resilient networks (carbon storage) in the east are owned by public and private agencies. A public awareness program justifying the need for this protection would demonstrate the devastating effects of climate change and weigh these against the long-term advantages of a conservation program. This would be achieved by encouraging industries to mitigate their resource exploitation in the protected areas.
Habitat conservation
Q.1
The great smoky mountain conservation association was created in 1925, motivated by the desire to conserve what was remaining of the mountain after years of industrial logging. However, its creation meant the evacuation of the natives while others were reluctant to sell their lands, ending up in court battles.
Q.2
the creation of the national parks resulted in mass evacuation of the previous residents. Expulsion of human residence in the area was the only sure way of conservation of the space without the risk of interference. However, the managers would have chosen to fence the areas under conservation and allow partial human residences in the areas. Fencing and regulating human activity would have reduced the conflict in this mountain.
Q.3
purchasing large scale lands by external entities poses significant risks such as removal of the modes of survival if, for instance, the land provided food. However, the development of the land poses opportunities such as economic gains from tourist visits. This conflict can be resolved by employing natives into the established parks while offering restricted access to some areas of the land, which poses less threat to the operation of the park.
Ecological Restoration
Q.1
High soil density as a result of mining equipment often reduces the vegetation’s ability to reproduce and regenerate. Also, surface mining reduces soil stability and may inhibit tree survival. Additionally, the dense soils reduce the tree roots and water penetration, stunting tree growth, and survival.
Q.2
Ecological restoration is crucial in the Appalachian region to regain the initial diversity and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Some of these goals are revegetation through various strategies. Initiatives to increase the suitability of habitats for native species are also utilized matched with remediation of the damaged ecosystem through improvement or total replacement.