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Human impact in desert areas 1700,2000 and 2050

The creation of national parks has undoubtedly helped to protect rainforests. Yet, as national parks are open to the public, tourism is damaging some of these areas. Often, national parks are advertised to tourists before adequate management plans have been developed and implemented. Inadequate funding is allocated for preservation of forests by government departments. Governments see tourism as an easy way to make money, and therefore tourism is encouraged whilst strict management strategies are given far less government support. Ecotourism, or environmentally friendly tourism, should educate the tourists to be environmentally aware. It should also be of low impact to its environment. Unfortunately, many companies and resorts who advertise themselves as eco-tourist establishments are in fact exploiting the environment for profit. In Cape Tribulation, Australia, for example, the rainforest is being threatened by excessive tourism. Clearing for roads and pollution of waterways are two of the major problems in this area. The Wet Tropics Management Authority which oversees the surrounding World Heritage Area is promoting tourism to the area before any management plans have been formulated, before any effective waste management strategy has been devised and before any ecofriendly power alternatives have been fully explored. Solutions: The rights of indigenous forest dwellers and others who depend on intact forests must be upheld. In instances where there are campaigns opposing specific tourist developments, they should be supported. Genuine ecotourism should be preferred to other tourist enterprises.

The immediate causes of rainforest destruction are clear. The main causes of total clearance are agriculture and in drier areas, fuelwood collection. The main cause of forest degradation is logging. Mining, industrial development and large dams also have a serious impact. Tourism is becoming a larger threat to the forests.

The creation of national parks has undoubtedly helped to protect rainforests. Yet, as national parks are open to the public, tourism is damaging some of these areas. Often, national parks are advertised to tourists before adequate management plans have been developed and implemented. Inadequate funding is allocated for preservation of forests by government departments. Governments see tourism as an easy way to make money, and therefore tourism is encouraged whilst strict management strategies are given far less government support. Ecotourism, or environmentally friendly tourism, should educate the tourists to be environmentally aware. It should also be of low impact to its environment. Unfortunately, many companies and resorts who advertise themselves as eco-tourist establishments are in fact exploiting the environment for profit. In Cape Tribulation, Australia, for example, the rainforest is being threatened by excessive tourism. Clearing for roads and pollution of waterways are two of the major problems in this area. The Wet Tropics Management Authority which oversees the surrounding World Heritage Area is promoting tourism to the area before any management plans have been formulated, before any effective waste management strategy has been devised and before any ecofriendly power alternatives have been fully explored.

Which Way Our Future Aboriginal people are very proud of their indigenous heritage. They want the importance of their culture recognised, respected and protected. To ensure the ongoing survival of their culture, Rainforest Aboriginal people have been negotiating for shared management of their traditional country with government agencies. Rainforest Aboriginal people want to be to be recognised as the traditional land owners of the World Heritage Area with distinct cultures and individual needs. They would like to negotiate plans for their traditional lands and be involved with all aspects of land management decision making, and activities such as tourism and walking tracks planning, fire management, wildlife protection, and on the ground management. Other important goals include ranger training and employment opportunities so that Rainforest Aboriginal people can actively use their customary and contemporary land management knowledge to continue their traditions of managing their country.

The identification, ongoing protection and presentatiosn of cultural values is paramount. This includes cultural sites and their traditional knowledge (sometimes referred to as intellectual and cultural property rights) such as food and medicine resources. They want to be able to hunt and gather their traditional foods and other resources, while managing impacts which have the potential to impair these activities through disturbance and habitat destruction. Other important aspirations relate to the future of Rainforest Aboriginal people's communities and their survival into the 21st century. Many Rainforest Aboriginal people want to get more involved in cultural tourism because it means they can present their culture and benefit economically. One of the most heart-felt aspirations Rainforest Aboriginal people have is to get secure title to their traditional lands to ensure the integrity and survival of their cultures.  

he first bomb was exploded in a test at Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945. See also Manhattan Project. Two more bombs had been built, and the possibility arose of using them to convince the Japanese to surrender. President Harry S. Truman decided to allow the bombs to be dropped. For maximum psychological impact, they were used in quick succession, one over Hiroshima on August 6, the other over Nagasaki on August 9. These cities had not previously been bombed, and thus the bombs’ damage could be accurately assessed. U.S. estimates put the number killed or missing as a result of the bomb in Hiroshima at 60,000 to 70,000 and in Nagasaki at 40,000.

Although the human cost of the war was tremendous, casualty figures cannot always be obtained and often vary widely. Most experts estimate the military and civilian losses of Allied forces at 44 million and those of the Axis at 11 million. The total number of civilian losses includes the 5.6 million to 5.9 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. Of all the nations that participated in World War II, the human cost of the war fell heaviest on the USSR, for which the official total, military and civilian, is given as more than 20 million killed. The United States, which had no significant civilian losses, sustained more than 400,000 deaths.

Ecotourism (also known as ecological tourism) is travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low impact and (often) small scale.

rainforests continue to be destroyed at a pace exceeding 80,000 acres (32,000 hectares) per day.

World rainforest cover now stands at around 2.5 million square miles (6 million square kilometers), an area about the size of the contiguous 48 United States or Australia and representing around 5 percent of the world's land surface. Much of this remaining area has been impacted by human activities and no longer retains its full original biodiversity

Tropical rainforests have supported humans since ancient times. Although forest life cannot be described as easy, these peoples have built their lives around the surrounding forest and its systems. Consequently, they are a great storehouse of the knowledge about the forest. They know the medicinal properties of plants and understand the value of the forest as an intact ecosystem. As forests fall, these indigenous peoples lose their homes and culture. Conflicts with settlers, who also bring disease and domestic animals, has resulted in the decline of the native population in many areas.

Eat less beef and pork. Fish and poultry have a much lower impact on the environment, while other protein sources including nuts and organic soy are even less damaging to the planet. Think about packaging before you buy products. Individually-wrapped candy generates a lot of trash, while fruits and vegetables are healthier and mean less waste. Turn off lights when you don't need them. When light bulbs burn out replace them with energy-efficient bulbs Do not waste water. Recycle. Encourage your parents to drive fuel-efficient cars and not to overheat their house. Don't let your animals go into the environment when you don't want them any more. Before buying a pet be sure that you are ready to take care of it. Having a pet is a responsibility. Things you can do to help save rainforests: Don't buy products made from wildlife skins Don't buy exotic pets that have been collected from the wild. You can ask pet stores whether animals are "wild-caught" or "captive bred." "Captive bred" animals are more friendly for the environment Buy recycled paper. Don't buy wood products from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, or Africa unless you know they come from eco-friendly suppliers. A good way to know if wood is rainforest-safe is if it has a "certification label." An example of a certification label is "FSC-certified" which means the wood comes from sustainably managed forests. Learn more about rainforests and the plants and animals that live in them. Tell your friends and parents why rainforests are important.

Ecotourism is environmentally responsible travel to enjoy and appreciate nature and cultural experiences. Ecotourism should have low impact on the environment and should contribute to the well-being of local people.

Ecotourism is: "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."

Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement and participate in ecotourism activities should follow the following ecotourism principles: Minimize impact. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation. Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people.  Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climate.

Eaten Any Wood Today? You may have! And you probably brushed your teeth with it. Chances are you even dressed with wood. Skeptical? Don’t be. We’re all familiar with forest products like lumber, furniture, and paper. But few of us realize how many different things we regularly use that are manufactured from trees. In fact, more than 5,000 wood and paper products make our lives better each day. Here are just a few: Fruits and NutsFruit from trees such as apples and peaches, as well as nuts from trees such as walnuts, are all favorite products grown on trees. Bandage StripsTree gum, sap extracted from trees, makes the adhesive on bandage strips stick to your skin. Baseball BatsThe white ash tree is a hardwood that is used to make baseball bats—including, of course, Kentucky’s own Louisville Slugger! CandlesTree gum can be used to make candles. ClothingCellulose is used to produce rayon and acetate, which can be used to make a vast array of clothing such as ties, shirts, dresses, and suits. CombsWood pulp and cellulose can be used to make plastics for items such as hair combs. Cough SyrupCellulose products, used for their even-flowing consistency, often thicken cough syrups and other liquid oral medicines. CrackersNot only is the cracker box a product of trees, but the crackers themselves can be made using a high-purity cellulose. CrayonsGum extracted from trees can help make crayons. Eyeglass FramesCellulose wood fibers are dissolved and can then be formed into molded articles like eyeglass frames. Football HelmetsEthyl cellulose is responsible for making the hard, impact-resistant plastics found in football helmets. GumGum and synthesized essential oils from trees can be used to make chewing gum. Ice CreamIce cream can be made with cellulose, which comes from trees. LipstickCellulose can help give lipstick its easy-apply texture. MakeupMakeup sometimes gets its creamy texture from the tree derivative cellulose. Maple SyrupSap from trees is used to make syrup. Milk CartonsMilk cartons can be made from pulpwood. Nail PolishNail polish contains nitrocellulose to help make the polish glossy when it dries. NewspaperPulpwood is used to make newspaper, wrapping paper, book paper, and wallpaper. PaintMethylcellulose, a product made from cellulose, gives paints their thick consistency. Parmesan CheeseCellulose powder is sometimes used to help keep grated Parmesan cheese pieces from caking together. PencilsTree logs are used to make pencils. PerfumeTree bark is used to make “tall oil,” which cosmetic companies can use to make perfumes. Photo FilmLogs are reduced to pulp, and the pulp is processed to create cellulose acetate chemicals that can be used to make photographic film. ShampooMethylcellulose can be used to thicken shampoo and conditioner. Without it, they would just be soapy water! SpongesCellulose is broken down into chemicals that can be used to make sponges. TiresTree-produced chemicals can be used for making the synthetic rubber found in tires. Toilet PaperWood pulp makes paper products such as toilet tissue, paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue. ToothpasteCellulose can be used in toothpaste to give it a paste-like consistency.

What Can I Do? As an individual, many people feel that there is little they can do to stop a problem as big as tropical deforestation. This type of pessimist thinking needs to be stopped, replace pessimism with optimism and many solutions will arise! Recycling paper can slow rates of annual deforestation. The largest component of solid waste by weight in the US is paper and paperboard (EPA, 1998). Roughly 40% of municipal solid waste is paper; each year about 71.8 million tons are generated (EPA, 1998). From an environmental or economic standpoint, it makes sense to recycle; not only can money be saved, but also trees. Valuable landfill space is prolonged; for every ton of recycled paper, three cubic yards of landfill are saved (EPA, 1998). Purchase items that carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) image (Figure 11). The FSC, founded in 1993, is an international, non-profit association, that issues certificates for well managed forests; economic, social, indigenous, and environmental interests are all taken into account. To be classified as a well managed forest, the forest's ecosystem can not damaged, only low volumes of trees are expelled, and impacts on plant and animal life are limited (Greenpeace, 2001B).

Over 2000 tropical plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties (RIC, 2000B). One of these plants may lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer. Over 25% of the world's modern drug originally came from rainforests (RIC, 2000B). Many contraceptives, stimulants, and tranquilizers commonly used today originated in tropical rainforests. In 1987, a tree compound that was 100% effective against the HIV-1 virus was found in a Malaysian gum tree (Rainforest Alliance, 1999). When research biologists were sent back to get more samples from the tree, it had already been cut down. Unfortunately, no tree found since has produced the same compound (Rainforest Alliance, 1999). If deforestation continues at current rate humankind may lose the cure to two of the world's most fatal diseases.