With reference to a named example, explain how careful management can help to achieve sustainable development in cold environments. Arctic tundra is often very flat, cold and windy. Much of the ground is permanently frozen and the air is very dry. In fact the tundra is a type of cold desert. The temperature of the Arctic tundra varies from about 10oC in summer to -40oC or below in winter.
These conditions mean that there is little food for animals to live on, so the Arctic tundra can only support a small number of species. These environments are being managed sustainably. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Many cold environments are extremely fragile and have fragile ecosystems. In places such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. This part of Alaska is federal land, owned by the us, and contains high quantities of oil and gas. New environmentally friendly technologies for oil and gas have been developed, the conservation is taking place though methods such as drilling laterally beyond the drilling platform, and new drilling techniques allow oil and gas deposits to be accessed several km away from drilling rigs.
This means that less space is used, meaning smaller amount of habitat is destroyed. Insulated ice pads, roads and other infrastructure, therefore this is reducing risk of melting the permafrost. And also more powerful computers can locate oil and gas underground. The people living in this area, the Gwich’in, are also affected by the development and intervention of the US to drill for gas and oil. A pipeline has been set in place along a grazing pattern of the reindeer, they are unable to jump the pipe, so graze up and down it, over grazing this area which is already fragile.
The Essay on Alaska Oil Drilling
With the current market trends and the increased demand for crude products, many governments are trying various means to look for alternative reservoirs to meet the needs of consumers and industries. In the United States, one important agenda that the government is advocating involves a program that will address the current needs of American society – exhausting its oil reserves in Alaska. By ...
This causes minimal food for the reindeer often causing death. This affects the Gwich’in population as they rely on the reindeer to survive, they eat their meat and wear their fur. The Gwich’in may also be disturbed in following the reindeer around by humans or other human objects. Modernisation also would affect the tribes and their way of living. To improve the sustainability, the reindeer and their grazing habits need to be taken into consideration when drilling and building. For example a raised pipeline to ensue the reindeer can pass through. In Nepal, a management scheme was launched in order to protect and balance the basic needs of the local inhabitants, tourism development and nature conservation. The ACAP supports reforestation programs, as well as water, soil and wildlife conservation.
The income used from tourism in this area, the Himalayas, is put towards the preservation of trails, wildlife and ecosystems. Also tourism provides jobs such as; tour guides, lodgers, trekking guides and mountain rescue, and income for the local people, allowing them to ensure a safe lifestyle. Deforestation is another distributing factor to fragility in ecosystems in cold environments, cutting the trees causes loosened soil, causing fast surface runoff.
By protecting the areas in which trees are planted or even replanting trees can maintain sustainable development. The majority of the income not only helps preserve but helps the locals to build schools and hospitals for their people. Due to these methods, the forest area is greater and the species diversity is greater. The average amount of cut trees is lower, this is because of the decline in need for fire wood. Also wild animal populations have increased.
