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Geography s.b.a. flashcard

Research was conducted in the La Brea/ Vessigny area. Specific focus was limited to changes in the ecosystem and changes to the habitat and living organisms. The landscape of the La Brea/ Vessigny area is undulating and covered with thick natural vegetation as shown in figure 1 below.

[pic] Fig. 1 showing the natural landscape of the land Prior to construction of the smelter plant and other linked projects, this area was home to many different types of flora and fauna. In its natural state, the area was viable for hunting and other agricultural practices. Rivers in the area also provided a livelihood for local freshwater fishermen. Due to filling of the rivers with excavated soil, rivers are no longer a viable entity to local fishermen and have caused the people of this area to become unemployed. As a result, the financial stability of residents has gone down, as most are unemployed now.

For construction to take place, a lot of land once used for agriculture was cleared using the ‘ slash and burn’ technique. This destroys the soil’s organisms and decreases the moisture content resulting in infertile soil. As shown in figure 2 below, Infertile soil can lead to flooding and soil erosion that will pose a problem to residents of this area unless measures are put in place. [pic] Fig. 2 showing infertile soil and the poor drainage and erosion that has taken place Flooding and soil erosion can cause destruction of properties in the area and loss of life as people and wildlife of the area may become hurt. In addition, items lost during this destruction will be costly to replace which further puts the residents in financial problems.

Another effect of the ‘ slash and burn’ method is air pollution since combustion is taking place. Combustion releases gases such as carbon dioxide in the air. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide contribute to global warming which increases the earth’s average temperature which negatively. Another alteration that man has made is quarrying of land for building material. The land excavated forced many animals to find new habitats or be destroyed in the process, which upsets the natural order of that ecosystem.

Any imbalances can throw the natural order of life in this area off. Also, excavation removes the fertile top soil once used for agriculture. Lots of land that was cleared or excavated was forested and the sites for hunting season, which was how many locals, earned a living. This also contributes the financial trouble of residents of the area.

A lot of the excavated soil, trees, branches and other materials were deposited in the rivers. Many rivers were filled to capacity as a result and now are just flat barren land. One such case is the Vessigny River that empties near the Vessigny beach; it is now been closed down because of the deposition of materials. This has had a profound effect on the local freshwater fishermen and contributed the increasing unemployment. The residents we interviewed had been living there for over 10 years. All interviewed said that they had been affected in some way as illustrated in figure 3 below.

Amount of people affected 15 | | | | | | | 13 | | | | | | | 12 | | | | | | | 11 | | | | | | | 10 | | | | | | | 9 | | | | | | | 7 | | | | | | | 4 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | 0 | | | | | | | Problem stated | Income | Water | Comfort | Health | Other | Fig. 3 showing how residents were affected 100% were against the changes taking place in the area. 60% had even protested and attended meetings to restrict the activity. All interviewed have noticed a change in the behavioural patterns of the animals.

In addition, they informed that some of the animals have inhabited the residential area, which has been an inconvenience to residents. Competition for land between animals and man will pose to be a big problem in the future as more animals lose their habitats. The effects of the construction that seem to have posed the main problems of residents are unemployment, flooding, soil erosion and the decreasing quality of life. Residents need to be comfortable in order to live in an area.

If residents are uncomfortable, they will move eventually which will hinder development in the area. In order for the area to progress development and cooperation from residents needed. All interviewed said their quality of life was affected in some way when asked how severely it was affected they answered as follows.

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