Question 2: Deforestation in Pará, Brazilian Amazon Figure 2 is a simplified figure for a recently cleared area in Pará state, Brazil. It shows land uses es...

(a) Deforestation is the large-scale or permanent removal of forest trees, usually to convert the land to another use. (b) Any two correctly identified uses are acceptable: cattle pasture (55%), commercial crops (25%), roads and settlements (10%), or regrowth (10%). Correct combined totals include pasture plus crops = 80%; pasture plus roads/settlements = 65%; pasture plus regrowth = 65%; crops plus roads/settlements = 35%; crops plus regrowth = 35%; roads/settlements plus regrowth = 20%. (c) Interception and transpiration decrease because there are fewer trees. Surface runoff increases because exposed or compacted soil absorbs less water. Infiltration and groundwater recharge may decrease. Rivers may have higher peak flow after rain and lower flow in dry periods. (d) Rainforest trees intercept rainfall, recycle water through transpiration and hold soil together with their roots. Clearance removes this protection. Heavy rain reaches bare ground directly, and machinery, grazing and roads can compact the soil. Infiltration falls and runoff rises, causing soil erosion. Nutrient-rich topsoil is washed into rivers, reducing soil fertility and polluting or silting waterways. Habitats are fragmented or destroyed, so biodiversity falls and species may become locally extinct. At a global scale, trees store carbon. Burning cleared vegetation releases carbon dioxide, while fewer trees remain to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Higher atmospheric greenhouse-gas concentrations strengthen the enhanced greenhouse effect and contribute to global climate change. Reduced evapotranspiration may also reduce regional rainfall, making forest recovery more difficult and increasing the risk of further fires. (e) Valid features include heavy rain falling directly on bare or compacted soil; runoff moving down the slope; the absence of tree roots or canopy; and sediment shown entering the river. (f) Valid strategies include enforcing protected areas and monitoring illegal clearance using satellite images; sustainable selective logging with replanting; agroforestry, where crops are grown beneath or among trees; improving yields on land already cleared rather than clearing new forest; certification or payments for conserving forest; and ecotourism or harvesting non-timber forest products.