When you buy a solid mahogany dining table, you might unknowingly be contributing to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Because tropical rainforests span multiple borders and their destruction impacts the global climate, international cooperation is essential. Two major global strategies used to manage these ecosystems sustainably are CITES and REDD.
Students often confuse the scopes of CITES and REDD. Remember that CITES only targets the trade of specific endangered species, whereas REDD targets the protection of the entire forest ecosystem to prevent carbon emissions.
In 8-mark 'Evaluate' questions, you must provide a balanced argument weighing the environmental benefits of these schemes against socio-economic hurdles like national debt, poverty, and enforcement challenges.
Always use specific place names and examples to secure Application (AO2) marks, such as referencing the Juma Sustainable Forest Reserve in Brazil or specific species like Mahogany and African Elephants.
When evaluating the limitations of global actions, explicitly use the term 'national sovereignty' to explain why developing countries might reject international conservation interference in favour of their own economic development.
CITES
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; an international agreement aimed at ensuring trade does not threaten the survival of wild animals and plants.
REDD
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation; a global UN initiative that provides financial incentives to developing countries to protect their rainforests and mitigate climate change.
Biodiversity
The variety of different species of plants and animals living within a specific ecosystem.
Appendix I
The highest level of CITES protection, enforcing a total ban on the international trade of species threatened with extinction.
Appendix II
A CITES protection level that allows strictly controlled and monitored trade for species not yet threatened with extinction but at risk of over-exploitation.
Carbon sink
A natural environment, such as a tropical rainforest, that absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases.
Carbon offsets
Credits purchased by developed countries or corporations to compensate for their own greenhouse gas emissions by funding environmental protection projects elsewhere.
Carbon sequestration
The natural process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored in solid biomass, such as trees, through photosynthesis.
National sovereignty
The concept that an independent nation has the absolute right to govern itself and manage its own natural resources without external interference.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Geography B
CITES
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; an international agreement aimed at ensuring trade does not threaten the survival of wild animals and plants.
REDD
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation; a global UN initiative that provides financial incentives to developing countries to protect their rainforests and mitigate climate change.
Biodiversity
The variety of different species of plants and animals living within a specific ecosystem.
Appendix I
The highest level of CITES protection, enforcing a total ban on the international trade of species threatened with extinction.
Appendix II
A CITES protection level that allows strictly controlled and monitored trade for species not yet threatened with extinction but at risk of over-exploitation.
Carbon sink
A natural environment, such as a tropical rainforest, that absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases.
Carbon offsets
Credits purchased by developed countries or corporations to compensate for their own greenhouse gas emissions by funding environmental protection projects elsewhere.
Carbon sequestration
The natural process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored in solid biomass, such as trees, through photosynthesis.
National sovereignty
The concept that an independent nation has the absolute right to govern itself and manage its own natural resources without external interference.