🌳 Protected areas (in situ): how they increase forest cover
Big idea: Protected areas reduce deforestation by restricting land conversion and allowing forests to regenerate.
How protected areas help recovery
- Stop or reduce logging and land clearing
- Prevent conversion to agriculture/cattle ranching
- Allow secondary succession to rebuild forest cover
- Protect habitats → biodiversity can recover too
For 2 marks: give ONE clear mechanism (e.g., limits land conversion) + ONE outcome (forest regrowth / higher cover).
⚖️ Laws & enforcement: deforestation bans and restrictions
Big idea: Forest cover can recover when clearing forests becomes illegal or strictly controlled, and rules are actually enforced.
What “effective enforcement” looks like
- Clear rules (where cutting is allowed vs banned)
- Monitoring (rangers, satellite checks, inspections)
- Penalties (fines, permits removed, prosecutions)
- Less illegal clearing → more natural regrowth over time
A law alone is not enough — enforcement determines effectiveness.
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IB-style question — Evaluate a conservation measure
The Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) was once distributed across Borneo. Between 1990 and 2005, Malaysia introduced a trade ban on rhino horn, established three forest reserves, and funded anti-poaching patrols. Population surveys show numbers rose from ~90 to ~170 individuals by 2005, but declined again to ~50 by 2020 after deforestation resumed. Evaluate how effective these conservation measures were. [3]
How to answer it, step by step
- Strength
• The trade ban was most effective — population nearly doubled (90 → 170) in 15 years, suggesting reduced poaching pressure.
• Forest reserves and patrols supported the recovery by reducing habitat disturbance. - Weakness
• Measures failed long-term: numbers fell to ~50 by 2020 as deforestation outside reserve boundaries continued.
• Reserves covered too small an area; edge effects and habitat fragmentation isolated populations, limiting gene flow. - Conclusion
• Conservation measures were partially successful in the short term but ultimately insufficient without protecting the wider landscape from deforestation.
Final answer
Evaluate questions need strength + weakness + a conclusion with a value judgement — all three are required for [3]. Without a conclusion, the maximum is [2].
IB-style question — Flagship vs keystone; arguments for preservation
(a) Distinguish between the roles of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) as a keystone species and as a flagship species in conservation of the Himalayan highlands. [2]
(b) State one ethical argument and one economic argument for preserving snow leopard populations. [2]
How to answer it, step by step
- Keystone species [1]
• The snow leopard is an apex predator; it regulates prey (blue sheep, marmot) populations, maintaining plant cover and ecosystem structure.
• Without it, overgrazing would reduce vegetation and destabilise the food web. - Flagship species [1]
• Its charismatic/iconic image attracts international conservation funding and public support.
• Protecting the snow leopard safeguards the broader Himalayan ecosystem and its co-occurring species. - Ethical argument [1]
• All species have intrinsic value and the right to exist regardless of their usefulness to humans (ecocentric view). - Economic argument [1]
• Ecotourism built around snow leopard sightings generates income for local herder communities, providing a financial incentive to tolerate predator presence.
Final answer
For 'distinguish' you need a difference between the two roles — not just a description of each. Flags use appeal; keystones use ecological function. For arguments, one clear sentence per type is sufficient for [1].