GCSE Ecosystems Unit

1. The Management of Rainforests
GCSE Geography
There are numerous issues to be resolved in the management of the rainforests involving the
integration of a wide range of very different points of view. Some of the possible
management alternatives are summarised below using the Korup National Park Tropical
Rainforest in Cameroon - Africa as an example.
1. The conservation of specific areas by the creation of biosphere reserves (fig 1)
involving;
• The defining of a core area providing total conservation protection for the
rainforest area
• The creation of a zone where research is permitted by drugs companies for
development of new medicines and anti cancer drugs
• The creation of a zone that can be used for tourism and for settlement for the
native populations.
2. The sustainable management of the forest’s resources – timber is extracted using a
renewable cycle of between 25 and 60 years and replanting using fast growing species
like Acacia Mangium tree.
3. The development of rural village communities to reduce the pressure from the local
population on the forest. This would involve developing new craft based industries,
education on importance of the forest as a resource, agro-forestry (where crops are
grown alongside trees) and the introduction of plantation crops.
4. The development of eco-tourism or green tourism.
5. The introduction of the concept of ‘Debt for Nature’ where a country’s foreign debt is
written off in exchange for the conservation of specific areas.
“Biosphere”-
The zone of the
Earth containing
living organisms.