help me find the report. on the topic "human influence on the nature of Africa" or simply on nature and received the best answer
Answer from Dorji Lejiev[expert]
6. Human influence on nature. Reserves and parks
Back in the 19th century. Africa was presented as a continent of virgin nature. However, even then the nature of Africa was significantly changed by man. The area of forests, which had been uprooted and burned for arable land and pastures for centuries, has decreased. Especially great damage to the nature of Africa was caused by European colonialists. Hunting, carried out for profit, and often for sport, led to the mass extermination of animals. Many animals were completely destroyed (for example, some species of antelope, zebra), and the number of others (elephants, rhinoceroses, gorillas, etc.) was greatly reduced. Europeans exported expensive wood to their countries. Therefore, in a number of states (Nigeria, etc.) there is a danger of complete disappearance of forests. The territories in place of cleared forests were occupied by plantations of cocoa, oil palm, peanuts, etc. Thus, savannas were formed in place of equatorial and variable-humid forests. The nature of primary savannas has also changed significantly. There are huge areas of plowed land and pastures here.
Due to poor agricultural practices (burning, overgrazing, and cutting down trees and shrubs), savannas have been giving way to deserts for many centuries. Over the last half century alone, the Sahara has moved significantly southward and increased its area by 650 thousand km2. The loss of agricultural land leads to the death of livestock and crops, and to the hunger of people.
To save savannas from the onset of deserts, a wide forest belt in the Sahara, 1,500 km long, is being created, which will shield agricultural areas from the dry winds of the desert. There are several projects for watering the Sahara. Great changes in natural complexes have occurred in connection with the development of mineral resources and the development of industry.
Natural disasters (earthquakes, droughts, floods, hurricanes, etc.) can bring enormous disasters to the population. One of Africa's most devastating natural disasters is recurrent droughts. This especially affects the population of savannas adjacent to the Sahara. As a result of droughts, people, livestock and other living organisms die. The cause of worsening droughts is the cutting down of bushes and trees, as well as excessive grazing.
Some countries suffer disasters from floods, plant diseases, and locust invasions, which can destroy the entire harvest of fields or plantations in a few hours.
Currently, humanity increasingly understands the need to protect nature on Earth. For this purpose, nature reserves (territories where natural complexes are preserved in their natural state) and national parks are organized on all continents. Only people conducting research work are allowed in the reserves. National parks, unlike nature reserves, can be visited by tourists who are required to comply with the rules established there. In many African countries, the protection of wild animals and the most interesting natural complexes (forests, savannas, volcanic areas, etc.) is given great importance. Nature reserves and national parks on the mainland occupy large areas. There are especially many of them in Southern and Eastern Africa. A number of them are world famous, for example the Serengeti and Kruger national parks. Thanks to the measures taken, the numbers of many animals have now been restored.
Answer from Evgeniy Fomichev[newbie]
Malamute, so what?
Answer from Alexander Rodnov[newbie]
Answer from Galina Steglenko[newbie]
Read the text of the textbook and the result will be the same.
MAN: SETTLEMENT AND INFLUENCE ON NATURE OF AFRICA
(see the map of the physical-geographical zoning of Africa with links to photographs of the nature of this region)
Africa is considered the most likely ancestral home modern man (Fig. 23).
Rice. 23. Centers of human development and ways of his settlement around the globe(according to V.P. Alekseev): 1 - the ancestral home of humanity and resettlement from it; 2 - primary western focus of race formation and settlement of proto-Australoids; 3 - settlement of proto-Europeans; 4 - settlement of protonegroids; 5 - primary eastern focus of race formation and settlement of proto-Americanoids; 6 - North American tertiary focus and dispersal from it; 7 - Central South American focus and resettlement from it.
Many features of the continent’s nature speak in favor of this position. African apes - especially chimpanzees - have, compared to other anthropoids, the greatest number of biological characteristics in common with modern humans. Fossils of several forms of great apes have also been discovered in Africa. pongid(Pongidae), similar to modern apes. In addition, fossil forms of anthropoids have been discovered - australopithecus, usually included in the family of hominids.
Remains Australopithecus found in the Villafran sediments of Southern and Eastern Africa, i.e. in those strata that most researchers attribute to the Quaternary period (Eopleistocene). In the east of the continent, along with the bones of australopithecines, stones with traces of rough artificial chipping were found.
Many anthropologists view Australopithecus as a stage of human evolution that preceded the appearance of the earliest humans. However, the discovery of the Olduvai location by R. Leakey in 1960 made significant changes in solving this problem. In a natural section of the Olduvai Gorge, located in the southeast of the Serengeti plateau, near the famous Ngorongoro crater (northern Tanzania), the remains of primates close to australopithecines were discovered in the thickness of volcanic rocks of Villafranca age. They got the name Zinjanthropes. Below and above the Zinjanthropus, the skeletal remains of Prezinjanthropus, or Homo habilis (Habilitative Man), were found. Along with the prezinjanthropus, primitive stone products were found - rough pebbles. In the overlying layers of the Olduvai site, remains of African archanthropes, and on the same level with them - Australopithecus. The relative position of the remains of Prezinjanthropus and Zinjanthropus (Australopithecus) suggests that Australopithecus, previously considered the direct ancestors of the earliest people, actually formed a non-progressive branch of hominids that existed for a long time between the Villafranchian and the mid-Pleistocene. This thread has ended dead end.
Simultaneously with it and even somewhat earlier, there existed a progressive form - prezinjanthropus, which may be direct and immediate ancestor of the earliest people. If this is so, then the opinion is fair that the homeland of Prezinjanthropus - the region of the continental rifts of East Africa - can be considered the ancestral home of man.
R. Leakey discovered in the vicinity of Lake Rudolf (Turkana) the remains of human ancestors, whose age is 2.7 Ma. In recent years, there have been reports of finds that are even older.
The remains of archanthropes, except for Olduvai, were found in northern Africa, in Algeria. The local name for North African archanthropes is atlantrops.
Modern man(Homo sapiens) appeared on the territory of Africa during the last, Hamblian pluvial, which corresponded approximately to the end of the last glaciation of the northern regions of the Earth.
Fossil remains of modern humans found in different areas of the continent show significant racial differences. Obviously, the main races existing in Africa at the present time emerged already in the late (Upper) Paleolithic era. Further differentiation of races continued during the Neolithic. In North Africa, judging by the bone remains, there was an ancient Caucasian type, in South Africa - the so-called Boskopian type, ancestor of modern Bushmen and Hottentots. In the west, sub-Saharan Africa itself developed Negroid(Negro) type. During the Neolithic, it was apparently formed Ethiopian contact race, and in the equatorial forests of the Congo basin a race of African pygmies developed ( Negrillian).
Modern indigenous population North Africa, including almost all of the Sahara, consists of representatives of the southern Caucasoid (Mediterranean) race, which is older than the formation of the branch of the large Caucasian race.
Anthropologically, the Caucasian population of North African countries is distinguished by a large homogeneity. It is characterized by dark skin, dark hair and eye coloring, a dolicho- or mesocephalic skull, an average height of about 170 cm. There are deviations from this type: lighter skin, light brown hair and blue eyes, which may be the result of local depigmentation in mountainous areas with a more severe climate. The southern Caucasian race belongs to the ancient Berber population North Africa and the majority of the modern population of North African countries, historically formed as a result of the Arab invasion and Arabization of the indigenous Berber population. Most of the continent south of the Sahara, with the exception of the areas adjacent to the Red Sea and the Somali peninsula, is inhabited by peoples belonging to the African branch of the great equatorial race. It contains three second order races: actually Negro (Negroid), Negrill and Bushman (Khoisan).
Traits of the Negro race proper are especially pronounced among the population of the Niger and Congo basins. These peoples have very dark skin, curly hair, pronounced prognathism, a wide nose with a low bridge, swollen lips, a dolicho- and mesocephalic head. In other areas, Negroids have deviations from these classically expressed characteristics. For example, in Southeast Africa, some peoples have lighter skin color, while the peoples of the Upper Nile and Senegal, on the contrary, have almost black skin; Prognathism is expressed to varying degrees in different peoples. The differences in height are very large. The inhabitants of the Nile basin are especially tall.
At the border of the areas of southern Caucasians and Negroids, contact racial groups formed already in the Early Neolithic. This - Ethiopian race, to which the peoples of Ethiopia, Somalia and neighboring areas belong. Representatives of the Ethiopian race express almost all the characteristic features of Negroids, but in a softened form. Their skin is brown in color, but lighter than that of the most lightly colored blacks, their hair is curly and even kinky, but to a lesser extent than that of blacks, their lips are full, but not swollen, there is no prognathism, their nose is narrow, with a protruding bridge, their narrow, high face . In Western Sudan, on the border between the areas of Caucasians and Negroids, transitional forms with a combination of anthropological characteristics of both of these races also developed.
A special place within the African branch of the equatorial race is occupied by pygmies (negrilly). They live in small groups in the equatorial forests of the Congo Basin. Their average height is 141-142 cm, the maximum is 150 cm. The skin color is generally lighter than that of typical Negroids, the hair is curly, the nose is wide, with a low bridge, the mouth is wide with thin lips, facial hair is more abundant than that of tall Negroids. The fact that pygmies, on the one hand, have features that bring them closer to blacks, and, on the other hand, significant differences from the latter, suggests that these races had a common ancestor. The anthropological characteristics of the pygmies probably developed in the Neolithic under the influence of the specific natural environment of the equatorial forests, within which they still live.
Groups live in southwest Africa Bushmen and Hottentots, united according to some common anthropological characteristics into one Khoisan or South African, race, or racial group. This race also has characteristics in common with other dark-skinned Africans (wide nose and curly hair); some features bring her closer to representatives of the Mongoloid race (relatively light, yellowish-brown skin color and epicanthus); other signs are specific to the Khoisan race: accumulation of fat in the buttocks (steatopygia), severe wrinkling of the skin. The features of anthropological similarity with blacks are explained by the fact that at the early stages of development all races of the African branch had a common ancestor. Mongoloid traits do not depend on the connection with the Mongoloids, which obviously never existed and could not have existed, but on the similar environmental conditions in which these races were formed. The arid areas of the interior of South Africa are to some extent similar to those of Central Asia. This similarity, for example, explains the presence of epicanthus among the Bushmen, which is considered a characteristic feature of the Mongoloids.
The movement of peoples around the Earth, which occurred from ancient times and intensified during the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, during the period of colonization of Africa by Europeans, led to further mixing races and the formation of mixed anthropological types. The Arab invasion of Africa, their penetration not only to the north, but also to the south, deep into the continent, into the very thick of the Negroid peoples, led to the formation of mixed types of population of South Sudan, very close in anthropological characteristics to the Ethiopian contact race.
As a result of the mixing of races in the Middle Ages, the population was formed Madagascar. It apparently developed as a result of contacts between Negroids and the Southern Mongoloids (Indonesians) who penetrated the island.
Currently there are about 800 million people. This population is distributed extremely unevenly across the continent. Vast areas are almost completely uninhabited, many are very sparsely populated. For example, in the Sahara, Kalahari, Namib Desert population density 1 person per 1 km2. The population of the tropical forests of the Congo Basin and many mountainous regions of East Africa is very low. The population density of the northern, southwestern and southeastern coasts of the mainland and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea is significantly higher. The Nile Valley in Egypt stands out especially - it is one of the most densely populated areas not only in Africa, but throughout the world. The population density there exceeds 200 people, and in some places reaches 1000 people per 1 km 2. In some areas of Africa, the highlands and mountainous areas are more densely populated than the lowlands, which have less favorable conditions for human life and activity. About 40% of the continent's total population lives at an altitude of more than 500 m above sea level.
A big problem for Africa is such natural focal diseases, like malaria, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, yellow fever, schistosomiasis, etc. Many of them are associated with vector habitats (mosquitoes, tsetse flies, shellfish). In recent decades, AIDS has become widespread in many African countries, especially south of the equator. In 2001 there was a pandemic in Africa HIV infection and AIDS claimed lives 2.3 million people. The continent has the highest rate of HIV infection and the highest proportion of people living with HIV and AIDS. In 2001, there were 28.1 million people living with HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, representing 70 % of the total number registered worldwide. Over the past 20 years, the disease has significantly affected the average life expectancy in the region, with countries such as Botswana and Malawi no longer exceeding 40 years. It is now officially believed that in Botswana 35% of the adult population are HIV-infected. Every year the number of HIV carriers and AIDS patients is growing steadily. A large role in this is played by tribal traditions that encourage early onset of sexual activity, as well as the orientation of some developing countries towards the mining industry - mining villages with many dormitories arise around the mines, in which workers isolated from their families predominate. In North African countries this problem is not so acute.
In Africa, the dominant position is occupied by rural population, the countries of this continent are the least urbanized compared to other regions of the world. Agriculture is dominated by plantation or slash-and-burn agriculture and pastoralism, often combined with a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. Long years of colonialism left an indelible mark on the distribution of the population, methods of farming and the nature of the use of natural resources.
Sharply reflected on the state of the natural environment African countries also have socio-demographic processes in recent decades: high rates of population reproduction, which is associated with the expansion of acreage and pastures, excessive and not always rational use of natural resources, urban growth. All this taken together has led to the fact that at present relatively few areas of Africa have preserved their pristine nature. Changes in the composition of forests under the influence of felling and burning, or even displacement of forests by anthropogenic savanna, desertification of savannas in zones bordering deserts, the spread of introduced plants and animals of other continents and the extermination of local species - all these results of human activity have become widespread not only in the most developed and populated areas. the outskirts of the mainland, but also in its interior regions. In 1990-1995 The rate of deforestation in Africa was 0.7% per year. Over 15 years (from 1980 to 1995), the area of African forests decreased by 66 million hectares. The rate of deforestation is highest in southern West Africa.
Over the past 100 years in Africa there has been a significant worsened state of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Rapid population growth, agricultural intensification, urbanization and industrial growth have increased environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources. Some of the most pressing environmental problems include loss of soil fertility, accelerated erosion processes, deforestation, decline in biodiversity, increasing water scarcity, and deterioration in water and air quality (Fig. 110).
Africa today is completely inseparable from environmental problems. The essence of the main environmental problems of the continent: Intensive reduction in the area of moist equatorial forests (A sharp reduction in the area of forests in the equatorial climate zone as a result of human activity (uprooting and burning for pastures and arable land) has led to the fact that savannas have now formed in their place)) Desertification and, as a consequence of this phenomenon, catastrophic droughts (Due to improper agricultural practices over many centuries, savannas are giving way to deserts. Thus, over the past half century, the Sahara has moved significantly south and increased its area by 650 thousand km 2) The need to protect the animal world, expansion and improving the network of national parks and reserves; Environmental pollution. Poaching In this regard, national parks and reserves are being created
A national park is an area where human activity is limited for environmental protection purposes. Unlike nature reserves, where human activity is almost completely prohibited (hunting, tourism, etc. are prohibited), tourists are allowed into the territory of national parks, and economic activity is allowed on a limited scale.
Virunga National Park. Virunga is one of the oldest national parks in Africa. It is located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Virunga National Park was officially founded in 1929. It was then called Albert and Kivu National Park. In 1969, the separate Virunga National Park was separated from the single Albert and Kivu conservation area.
The Air and Tenere Nature Reserve is located on the southern border of the Sahara Desert. Its area is sq. km. The reserve was founded in 1988. Immediately, about 15% of its territory was allocated as a special reserve with a strict protection regime to protect the addax antelope. In 1991, the reserve was included in the list of UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites. Air and Tenere Nature Reserve
Volcanoes National Park is one of Rwanda's most famous attractions. The Volcanoes National Park area currently borders the Virunga National Park in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as several other protected areas. Rwanda Volcanic National Park
Mount Kenya National Park Mount Kenya is the second highest African peak, after Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, with Batian Peak (5199 m). It is located in the center of the country, slightly below the equator. There are 11 glaciers on its snow-covered mountain peaks. Here, among the eternal snows and alpine meadows, many rivers flow, including the Tana River, which is the largest river in Kenya. Thanks to the fertile soils, intensive farming is carried out up to an altitude of 2000 meters. Then begins the cedar forest, in which olive trees, ferns, vines and mosses grow. At an altitude of 2500 meters, thickets of giant bamboo up to 12 meters high appear. And already at an altitude of 3200 m the vegetation becomes poorer and this is where the Mount Kenya National Park begins, with an area of 492 square meters. km. Animals in the national park include elephants, buffaloes, as well as lions and leopards, which live in the forest zone.
Serengeti National Park Serengeti National Park is located in the Great African Rift region. It is included in the list of the most famous national parks in the world. The Serengeti National Park is a series of low-grass, hilly valleys covering an area of square kilometers in Tanzania and Kenya. The world's largest pack of lions, or as zoologists call it a pride of lions, was discovered in the world famous Serengeti National Park in 2005. The pride consisted of 41 lions. They were led by three adult males, each of whom was 10 years old. The pack also included eight 4-year-old lionesses and 9 young “princesses” who were two years old. There were also 13 lion cubs in the pride, ranging in age from 4 months to a year. Nowhere in Africa has there previously been such a large pack as this one, called the Seronera Pride. Ordinary prides are lions.
Nairobi National Park The fauna and flora of Nairobi National Park are very diverse. In the park you can see lions, rhinoceroses, cheetahs, antelopes, giraffes, and gazelles. The Athi River also flows there, in whose waters there are crocodiles and hippos, and in the coastal forests - birds and monkeys. About 400 different species of birds have been recorded in Nairobi National Park. One of the features of the park is the large number of rhinoceroses living in it, about 50 individuals. Here, unlike other parks and reserves, you can almost always see a black rhinoceros in its natural habitat. Just seven kilometers from the capital of Kenya there is a small savanna with tall grass and rare spreading trees - Nairobi National Park, with a total area of only 117 square meters. km.
Kilimanjaro National Park The fauna of Kilimanjaro National Park is incredibly rich: on the northern slope there are lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, buffaloes and eland antelopes, and on the southern slope there are monkeys: African lemurs, thickbodies, hyraxes, duikers. Birds are not inferior to animals in their diversity and abundance: hornbills, buzzards, bearded vultures, crowned eagles, as well as many small birds. The world of insects also amazes with its diversity. Kilimanjaro National Park was founded in 1973 and now covers 756 square kilometers. km. The base of the mountain is at an altitude of 1829 m above sea level, and Kibo Peak is at an altitude of 5895 m. At this altitude, Kilimanjaro is the highest African mountain and the highest peak in the world on which you can walk.
The first mention of Ishkel’s conservation status dates back to the 13th century, when the then ruling dynasty in the Arab Caliphate banned hunting in the vicinity of the lake. The national park within its current boundaries was founded in 1980. At the same time, the park was included in the UNESCO List of World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites. The first mention of Ishkel’s conservation status dates back to the 13th century, when the then ruling dynasty in the Arab Caliphate banned hunting in the vicinity of the lake. The national park within its current boundaries was founded in 1980. At the same time, the park was included in the UNESCO List of World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites.
Masai Mara National Park is the northern (Kenyan) part of the Serengeti plain with an area of 1510 square meters. km, located at an altitude of 1650 m. The climate here is mild and warm, and the landscapes are breathtaking. The Maasai Mara National Park is considered to be the most densely populated park in the world. In terms of the richness of flora and fauna, only the Serengeti and Ngorongoro can be compared with it. Masai Mara National Park is the northern (Kenyan) part of the Serengeti plain with an area of 1510 square meters. km, located at an altitude of 1650 m. The climate here is mild and warm, and the landscapes are breathtaking. The Maasai Mara National Park is considered to be the most densely populated park in the world. In terms of the richness of flora and fauna, only the Serengeti and Ngorongoro can be compared with it.
Mole National Park is located in the Northern region of the African state of Ghana. The reserve in Mola, covering an area of square kilometers, was founded in 1971. Its territory is home to 93 species of mammals, 9 species of amphibians and 33 species of reptiles. In addition, the park is home to more than 300 species of birds.
The Kruger National Nature Reserve is the largest nature reserve in the South African region. In size it is comparable to the territory of Israel and Wales. Its area is sq. km. The park extends 350 km from north to south and 60 km from east to west.
SUBJECT . Human influence on the nature of Africa. Reserves and national parks of Africa.
The purpose of the lesson : establish the main reasons that influenced the change in the nature of Africa and the consequences to which they led; find ways to solve environmental problems; continue the formation of students’ cognitive activity, the ability to independently work with different sources of information individually and in a group, obtain knowledge, work with a map, analyze, draw conclusions;
Equipment: physical and political map of Africa, presentation, atlases, video “Serengeti - a reserve of Africa”, student reports on environmental problems and ways to solve them.
Preparatory stage.
The class is divided into groups in advance and studies material on a specific problem.
In each group, the guys must solve the following problems:
1) Find and study information on this problem.
2) Establish causes and consequences.
3) Talk about ongoing activities in African countries and suggest your own ways out of the current environmental situation.
During the classes
Ι. Organizing time.
The teacher introduces the class to the goals and objectives of the lesson.
Teacher. Today we will talk to you about the problems associated with human intervention in the nature of Africa as a result of his economic activities. We will need to establish the causes of the current environmental problems on the African mainland and find ways to solve them. During the lesson we will listen to prepared presentations from each group on one environmental issue. For each presentation on an issue, you will be required to establish cause-and-effect relationships and display them as a diagram in your workbook.
ΙΙ. Learning new material.
Teacher: The nature of Africa is amazing and diverse, but today it is experiencing, like the nature of other continents, environmental problems of a global nature. Back in the 19th century, Africa was represented as a continent of virgin nature. Especially great damage was caused to the nature of Africa by European colonialists.
1st problem. "African rainforest decline"
Teacher: the children of the first group will speak on this problem.
Researchers : Our group, using various sources of information, studied this problem in detail and came to the conclusion that over the past decades, a lot of forest has been destroyed in Africa. In the course of our work, the main reasons for the reduction in forest area were identified. The reasons are as follows:
1) Clearing of forests for various economic needs of the population, and, above all, for slash-and-burn farming. Each African family annually clears new land for arable land on average from 0.5 hectares to 1 hectare, destroying forests in the process. For this reason, ¾ of the forest area was cleared.
Every year, 3 million hectares of forest are burned for crops. In the West African Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, shifting agriculture has reduced forest cover by a third over the past decade. The situation is not the best in neighboring countries - Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameroon, Nigeria.
2) Use of wood by the population as fuel.
Wood is used as fuel by peasants throughout Africa, who cannot afford more expensive kerosene and gas, and are forced to cut down more and more trees, devastating the area.
around villages. In the countries of the Sahel, the region separating the Sahara from the savannas of West Africa, more than 14 million tons are burned annually for cooking and heating homes. wood and charcoal. In Ethiopia, 95% of its energy needs are met by forests. Peasant women dragging a bundle of firewood on their backs for 10-15 km for the family hearth is one of the most common sights on African roads.
3 )Increasing timber exportsto developed countries of the world due to commercial agreements between developed Western capitalist countries and developing African ones, which provide for the export of unprocessed wood to Western European countries. Over the past 100 years, since active logging, the country of Congo has almost completely cleared the forests on the Atlantic coast. Valuable tree species that are in great demand on the world market grow here: okume, acaju, sapeli. With modern
intensive exploitation of the area, in which French, Swiss, Algerian, and Libyan firms take part, will last for several decades.
Ecologists : 1) The area of African forests has almost halved in 200 years. This has led to the disappearance or reduction of rare species of animals and plants.
2) We should not forget that tropical forests are the main “factory for the production of oxygen.” About a third of the oxygen contained in the atmosphere is produced here, which means its amount will decrease throughout the planet;
3) Wet equatorial forests cleanse the atmosphere of pollutants and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide. But today, as a result of deforestation, the amount of carbon dioxide increases, which leads to the “greenhouse effect”, which means a warming of the climate throughout the planet, which in turn causes the melting of glaciers and leads to an increase in water levels in the World Ocean.
4) The destruction of vegetation leads to disruption of the seasonal rainy cycle and drying up of rivers.
5) Hylea holds and preserves poor and unstable soils. When forests are cleared, the soil will be completely destroyed, turning into a desert.
Exercise.
Reduction of tropical forest area. Scheme No. 1.
Slash-and-burn agriculture Wood - fuel Export of wood
Extinction and decline of rare species
Animals and plants of the rainforest
Reducing the amount of oxygen
And an increase in carbon dioxide.
"Greenhouse effect", warming of the Earth's climate.
Melting glaciers and rising water levels in the World Ocean.
2nd problem. "Soil deflation"
Teacher : The guys from the second group will tell us about the second problem.
Researchers : our group worked on a problem - soil deflation, i.e. blowing away the fertile soil layer. This phenomenon is often observed in the Sahel zone and in savannas, which are located in the tropical and subequatorial climate zones.
We have established the main causes of soil blowing:
1) Destruction of savannah vegetation for slash-and-burn farming;
2) Intensive grazing in countries with arid climates;
3) The proximity of the desert also speeds up the blowing process, since there are often strong samum winds, reaching speeds of up to 50 km per hour.
Ecologists : having studied this problem, we saw the consequences that resulted from the destruction of the grass cover of savannas as a result of slash-and-burn agriculture, intensive grazing in countries with arid climates - Chad, Mali, Sudan, Niger. This consequence is the ever-increasing soil deflation on the continent.
Exercise. Draw up a diagram of cause-and-effect relationships for this problem.
Soil deflation. Scheme 2.
Slash-and-burn agriculture Intensive grazing
Destruction of vegetation
Soil destruction
Soil deflation
3rd problem. "Desert Offensive"
Teacher: The third group will speak on the third problem.
Researchers : African countries are facing an acute problem of the onset of the desert. Over the course of many centuries, due to poor management, savannas began to give way to deserts. Over the last half century alone, the area of the Sahara has increased by 650 thousand km². It may happen that almost all of Africa turns into a desert. Their area is increasing more and more, and they are getting closer and closer to the equator. We have studied and established the reasons for this attack:
1) Africa is the hottest and driest continent, characterized by a continental and dry climate. There are often droughts here. 44% of the continent's territory is subject to drought, which leads to soil deflation.
2) Deforestation, intensive grazing, and destruction of the grass cover of savannas also increase soil deflation and erosion. All this leads to the formation of shifting sands and an increase in the area of deserts.
You see that all the problems that we have discussed are the causes of the onset of the desert. This suggests that in nature everything is interconnected.
Exercise. Draw up a diagram of cause-and-effect relationships for this problem.
The coming of the desert. Scheme No. 3.
Continental climate Slash-and-burn agriculture Deforestation
Formation of shifting sands
Increase in desert area
4th problem. "Destruction of African Animals"
Teacher: The guys from the fourth group will tell us about this problem.
Researchers: Africa is a land of deserts and savannas, in which both people and animals live according to the laws of nature. The animals of Africa are diverse and amazing. The mainland has a rich and diverse fauna; 1 thousand species of mammals and 1.5 thousand species of birds live here.
Savannas and woodlands occupy more than 40% of the continent, so the bulk of the fauna consists of those animals that live there: rhinoceroses, gazelles, buffalos, elephants, cheetahs, jackals. Deserts occupy vast areas of the continent, but the difference in fauna between the north and south is quite noticeable. The northern deserts are very similar to the deserts of Asia: they are home to large numbers of jerboas, gerbils, jackals and hyenas. Southern deserts, in turn, are characterized by a large number of endemics and turtles. The moist equatorial forests do not boast a variety of fauna, but, nevertheless, you can find them: gorilla, hippopotamus, okapi, monkeys, chimpanzees and crocodiles.
Ecologists: The African fauna, unique and one of the richest faunas on Earth, has been greatly damaged by human activity:
1) Long years of European colonialism;
2) The population satisfies 80% of its need for meat food by hunting animals;
3) Trade in ivory, leather or animal skins plays a large role in the budget of a number of countries.
All this cannot but lead to the impoverishment of the fauna. In the old days, huge herds of grazing animals could be seen everywhere as far as the eye could see. Now the largest herds are concentrated in national parks, mainly in the Serengeti - Tanzania, Tsavo - Kenya. For the sake of sport, elephants were killed for their tusks during hunting, so their number sharply decreased, and the number of rhinoceroses, gorillas and other animals also decreased significantly. Quagga zebras were completely destroyed - bags were made from their skins. At the same time, in a number of African countries, great attention is paid to the protection of fauna, and many species only thanks to this have avoided complete destruction. However, the vast and diverse biological heritage in all subregions of Africa is under threat. Civil wars and armed conflicts sometimes cause irreparable damage to the continent's biodiversity. Thus, in 2002, 289 species of mammals, 207 species of birds, 127 species of fish, 48 species of reptiles and 17 species of amphibians were threatened with extinction.
5th problem. "Construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River"
Teacher: The floor is given to the children of the fifth group.
Researchers: The longest river in the world, the Nile, flows through Africa. The Nile Valley is very fertile; here peasants engage in farming all year round. In 1964, on the Nile River, with the assistance of the USSR, the Aswan Dam, a hydroelectric power station, and a reservoir were built. The high dam saved Egypt from the devastating Nile floods, and Egypt was also saved from droughts, which are frequent here. The water from the reservoir was used not only for irrigating fields, but also for fish farming. Every year 35-40 thousand tons are caught here. fish. All villages and industrial enterprises were electrified.
Ecologists : I would like to note that the construction of the Aswan Dam
had not only a positive side, but also negative consequences:
1) The Nile annually carried a fertile layer of silt onto the fields during floods.
After the construction of the dam, silt began to settle in the reservoir, and soil fertility deteriorated.
2) The destruction of the banks in the northern part of the river delta has intensified.
3) Fish migrations of sardines have decreased due to obstacles - dams.
Exercise. Guys, draw up a diagram of cause-and-effect relationships for this problem.
Teacher: guys, today we heard from you the problems that the inhabitants of African countries have faced, but which concern every person on our planet, since they are global. During the lesson, you all made diagrams of cause-and-effect relationships that can be used to judge the consequences of human intervention in the nature of Africa. This means that you can identify ways to improve the current situation on this continent. Guys, suggest your measures to solve environmental problems.
The guys come up with their proposals for solving environmental problems on the African mainland.
Let's listen to the message.
In many African countries, great importance is attached to the protection of wild animals and interesting natural complexes (forests, savannas):
1) Afforestation was carried out (1973 - 1993). A grandiose project was created in Algeria - to grow a green wall of 7 billion trees along the path of the Sahara. The forest protection belt stretches for 1500 km and is 20 km wide. Along the path of the desert, different trees are planted: the date palm, which grows at temperatures from + 50 to - 14º C, which grows on any soil; heat-loving acacia, evergreen hard-leaved Australian eucalyptus.
2) Africans love their nature, treat it with care, and try to preserve its uniqueness and originality. For this purpose, nature reserves and national parks have been created in Africa to preserve and protect the continent’s animals and plants. In Ethiopia - Simen in the mountains, in Tanzania - Serengeti, in Kenya - Tsavo, in South Africa - Kruger, etc.
Nature reserves and national parks on the mainland occupy large areas, their total number is about 400. (Message).
3) In the Republic of Mali since 1986. The Forest Law applies: “Citizens who burn forests will be subject to imprisonment for up to 2 years or a large fine.”
3) In the Republic of Niger, an annual holiday is held - Tree Day, on this day everyone plants trees.
4) The UN adopted the document “Stop the advance of the desert.”
The problem of the onset of the desert remains open today. It is necessary for the government of all African countries to hold a joint conference to consider the reasons for the onset of desert on the continent and take more radical measures to solve it. Only together all African countries can solve this global problem of humanity.
Lesson summary.
Teacher: Guys, we have established that the nature of Africa suffers from the fact that people do not wisely use its wealth and do not always conduct agriculture correctly. But Africa, the continent of the Earth, which is also subject to the greatest number of natural disasters.
Our lesson has come to an end. I hope that today you received a lot of useful information about the current environmental situation in African countries and made the right conclusion - “Nature is our common home” and that everything in nature is interconnected. The problem of nature conservation throughout the world is considered the most important after maintaining peace on Earth. Any natural complex is a fragile ecosystem of the planet. Human intervention must be very deliberate and limited. Let's take care of nature, protect everything that it has given us.
Giving assessments to active children
Homework. § 21, questions 4-8, repeat the nomenclature of Africa.
Thanks for the work.
Additional material.
Reports on reserves and national parks in Africa.
The creation of national parks is the main condition for the conservation of protected areas, where nature and its fauna remain untouched by humans. African national parks, the importance of which can hardly be overestimated, are now visited not only by foreign tourists, but also by Africans themselves, especially schoolchildren and students. National parks preserve nature and serve as natural research laboratories for critical observations.
1. Kruger.
The very first reserve in Africa, founded in 1898 by Transval President Paulus Kruger, located in the north-east of South Africa.Until 1926 bore the name Sabi - Game, then was converted into a national park, and it was given the name of its creator, Paulus Kruger. It has a length from north to south - 345 km, and from west to east - 54 km. Its area (20 thousand km²) The territory of the park is crossed by several relatively large rivers flowing from west to east.
The flora is represented by 1968 plant species, of which 457 are trees and shrubs, 235 are cereals, 27 are ferns, 16 are lianas, 1,213 are herbs and flowers. The national park contains more than 800 species of animals: 147 mammals, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 49 fish, 507 fish. As of 2009, there were 9,000 impala antelopes, 27,000 African buffalos in the national park,9600 – blue wildebeest,5400 – white rhinoceroses, 2500 – spotted hyenas, 300 – eland antelopes (the largest in the world) 200 – cheetahs.
In the territory of the national park, the population of such animals as black and white rhinoceros and giant elephant has recently begun to recover.
2.Serenghetti ( video film “Serengeti - African reserve)
The Serengeti National Park was founded in 1951, it is one of the largest in Africa, is world famous, and is located in East Africa, on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. About 30 species of animals live here, including the “big five”: elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, cheetahs, buffalos.The national park has played an important role in the conservation of elephants; recently their numbers have increased sharply. Some of the elephants are being transported today.
In the Serengeti Park in 2005, the world's largest pack of lions was discovered, or, as scientists call it, a pride of lions, it consists of 41 lions.
The sun-scorched savannas of the Serengeti remember the “great white hunters”: Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernst Hemingway, who loved to have fun on safari.
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