Lesson video

Hello and welcome.

My name is Ms. Harrison.

I'm so excited to be learning with you today.

Today's lesson is called "Threats to the Taiga from Commercial Development." Grab everything you might need for today's lesson, and let's begin our learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain ways in which the taiga is threatened by commercial development.

Before we can begin this learning, we need to define the keywords that we'll be using throughout today's lesson.

The keywords in our lesson today are biodiversity, threat, and climate change.

Biodiversity, this is a measure of how many different species live in ecosystem.

Threat, this is a natural or human-made factor that poses a risk to the environment.

Climate change, this is the long-term changes in temperature, weather patterns, and atmospheric conditions resulting from human activities like burning fossil fuels.

Now that we've defined these keywords, we can begin our learning.

The first question we are going to explore in today's lesson is, why is the taiga important? The taiga, also called the boreal forest, is the largest terrestrial biome on Earth.

It spans North America, Europe, and Asia, covering vast regions of Canada, Russia, and Scandinavia.

Despite making up around 30% of the world's forest, the taiga is under threat.

Deforestation, wildfires and climate change are leading to its rapid decline, endangering its unique ecosystem and the wildlife that depends on it.

Canada is home to 28% of the world's taiga biome, making it a significant part of this vast forest ecosystem.

The taiga covers roughly 60% of Canada's land mass, making it the country's dominant biome.

It's also the second largest forest biome in the world, playing a crucial role in the carbon storage and biodiversity.

The Canadian taiga stretches from the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland and Labrador through Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, and extends into the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

This enormous region supports a variety of wildlife and ecosystems, but it is increasingly under threat from climate change, deforestation, and industrial development.

I would now like you to pause the video here and have a think.

Why is the taiga important? Press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, the reason why the taiga is important is because it's a carbon sink.

It has biodiversity.

It helps with climate regulation.

It's a resource supply.

It's the livelihoods for indigenous communities, and it also supports the water cycle.

Human activity is threatening the taiga biome, and some of the threats include habitat loss through deforestation, displacement of indigenous communities, and pollution of water sources.

Let's test our knowledge.

True or false, the taiga plays no role in regulating Earth's climate.

Pause the video here whilst do you have a think and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, this statement is false.

I would now like you to explain why this statement is false.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Brilliant work, the reason why this statement is false is because the taiga plays an important role in regulating the Earth's climate.

As the largest land biome, it stores carbon dioxide, helping to reduce the amount of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

The taiga also influences weather patterns and helps control temperatures around the world.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

I would now like you to identify correctly which biome is highlighted on the map.

Pause the video here whilst you take a closer look and press play when you're ready to continue.

Brilliant work, the answer is A, a taiga biome, well done.

I would now like you to complete the word fill using the words below.

This word fill is focusing on why the taiga is important.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic, let's check our answers.

Your answer should have looked like this.

"The taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome, stretching across North America, Northern Europe, and Asia.

The taiga is important for climate, biodiversity, and resources.

It acts as a carbon sink, absorbing CO2 and helping to mitigate climate change.

It also provides a habitat for key animal species, including wolves, bears, and moose, supporting biodiversity.

Additionally, the taiga supplies timber, minerals, and fossil fuels.

Excellent work on this.

You've done brilliantly.

We're now going to explore our second question of today's lesson.

How does development threat in the taiga? A direct threat is one that immediately and directly damages an environment.

Logging is an example of a direct threat to the taiga.

The taiga ecosystem is a coniferous forest ecosystem, and logging cuts down coniferous forests, so we can see how human activities will then pose as a threat.

An indirect threat leads to damage to an ecosystem over time but does not itself directly cause the damage.

So for example, burning fossil fuels leads to the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Global warming leads to climate change, and as a result, new pests can survive in the warmer taiga, and these new pests kill taiga trees.

So we can see, again, human activity is the burning of fossil fuels, which has led to climate change, which has then led to new pests being able to survive, and then we've seen the threat, which is new pests killing taiga trees.

Which statement best describes direct threat? Is it A, a threat that doesn't change the environment directly but which leads to long-term damage, B, a threat that causes immediate harm to an environment, C, a threat to an environment that is focused at a small or local scale, or D, a threat to an environment that affects a wide area? Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, the answer is B, a threat that causes immediate harm to an environment.

Well done if you managed to identify that correctly.

Commercial exploitation of taiga resources causes threats to the taiga.

I would like you to pause here and have a think, ways in which the taiga is exploited commercially.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, logging causes cutting down trees for timber, pulp and paper production, which uses taiga timber, fossil fuel extraction, removing oil and gas from taiga reserves, mining, extracting minerals from the taiga, and hydroelectric power, damming taiga rivers to create reservoirs.

Now let's take a closer look at all of these.

Logging, there are several logging methods used in the taiga biome.

There's clear cutting.

This method involves completely stripping areas of all trees.

While it is the most efficient and cost-effective method for the logging industry, it causes significant environmental damage by destroying habitats and reducing biodiversity.

Selective logging, in this approach, only the most valuable trees are removed, leaving the rest of the forest intact.

This method reduces overall damage compared to clear cutting, but can still disrupt ecosystems and wildlife habitats.

Sustainable forestry, this method aims to balance logging with conservation efforts.

It may involve replanting trees to replace those that were cut down, ensuring that forests can regenerate over time.

Sustainable forestry helps maintain biodiversity and protect the long-term health of the taiga.

The logging industry is a key part of Canada's economy, generating approximately $23 billion annually.

It provides employment for around 200,000 people, supporting communities, particularly in rural and forested regions.

Logging operations range from large-scale industrial clear cutting to more sustainable forestry practises.

While the industry is economically important, it also has environmental impacts, making sustainable management crucial for the future of Canada's forests.

The logging industry also directly threatens the taiga in other ways.

Wildlife is displaced as animals lose their habitats, forcing them to relocate and disrupting ecosystems. Soil erosion increases because tree roots, which help hold soil together, are removed, leading to land degradation.

Additionally, fewer trees mean less CO2 absorption, reducing the forest's ability to act as a carbon sink and contributing to climate change.

Let's look at pulp and paper production.

Pulp and paper production is a major industry that relies heavily on softwoods from the taiga.

These trees are processed into paper, cardboard, and packaging materials, which are often used worldwide.

Each year, around 400 million tonnes of paper is consumed with the majority coming from soft wood trees grown in the taiga.

While some of this paper is eventually recycled, the demand for fresh wood pulp continues to drive deforestation in the region.

Timber is heavy and expensive to transport, so processing for pulp and paper production often takes place directly within the taiga.

However, this can lead to several environmental issues.

Chemicals from the paper mills can contaminate nearby taiga rivers, polluting water sources and harming aquatic life.

Pulp mills also release harmful toxins into the air, contributing to air pollution and negatively affecting the surrounding ecosystem.

These practises further damage the fragile taiga ecosystem, highlighting the need for more sustainable, environmentally friendly methods of production.

True or false, pulp and paper production has little impact on the taiga environment because it takes place in other biomes.

Pause the video here whilst do you have a think and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, this statement is false.

I would now like you to explain why this statement is false.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Brilliant, the reason why the statement is false is because not only does pulp and paper production create the demand for large areas of the taiga forest to be cut down, but pulp paper processing often takes place in the taiga because timber is expensive to transport.

This means waste chemicals pollute the taiga, causing a direct threat.

Excellent Work on this task.

Fossil fuel extraction for commercial development can cause both direct and indirect threats to the taiga.

For example, exploration for oil and gas can disrupt wildlife habitats and contribute to environmental degradation.

The development of roads and pipelines to access these resources fragments the forest, making it harder for wildlife to migrate, increasing human activity in previously remote areas.

And pipelines increase the risk of pollution, as leaks or spills can contaminate soil, water, and air, causing long-term damage to the ecosystem.

These activities pose serious risks to the delicate taiga environment, threatening its biodiversity and its health.

The names of two ways in which the taiga is being commercially developed are missing.

I would like you to fill them in.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, the two ways in which the taiga is being commercially developed are hydroelectric power and mining.

Well done if you managed to identify those correctly.

Mining also poses significant threats to the taiga, especially when extracting valuable minerals.

These threats include clearing forests for mining operations and roads, which leads to habitat loss and destruction of biodiversity, pollution of taiga rivers and soils from mining waste and chemicals, which can poison water sources and harm plant and animal life, fragmentation of habitats, as mining sites and roads disrupt the natural landscape, making it harder for wildlife to survive and migrate, diverting rivers to access mineral resources, which can change water flow and negatively impact ecosystems that rely on the natural course of rivers.

These mining activities contribute to the rapid degradation of the taiga ecosystem.

Canada is home to around 7,000 abandoned mines, many of which continue to pose significant environmental risks long after they have been closed.

These old mining sites often leach toxic chemicals, such as heavy metals and sulphur, into the surrounding soil and water, causing long-term pollution that harms local ecosystems. The contamination can spread through the soil, impacting plant life, and enter waterways, threatening fish and other aquatic species.

The lasting effects of this pollution create ongoing challenges for the restoration of taiga habitats, as the damage to the environment can persist for decades or even centuries.

The pollution from these abandoned mines continues to threaten the health of wildlife and local communities while also hindering efforts to protect and preserve the fragile taiga biome for future generations.

As you can see on the screen, there is a GIS map showing the number of abandoned minds in Canada, and as you can see, there are tonnes of them.

True or false, abandoned mines in the taiga often recover naturally with no human intervention needed.

Pause the video here whilst you decide if this statement is true or false and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, this statement is false.

I would now like you to explain why this statement is false.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic, the reason why this statement is false is because abandoned mines can leach toxic chemicals into the environment for decades, damaging ecosystems and water quality.

Natural recovery is slow and may not occur without active restoration efforts.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

Hydroelectric power involves building dams that create reservoirs which often flood vast areas of the taiga.

This process causes several significant environmental impacts, deforestation, as large areas of trees are cleared to make way for the reservoirs, loss of habitat for wildlife, as the flooding destroys ecosystem and forces animals to relocate, changes to river flow, which affect transportation and deposition downstream of the dam, disrupting the natural landscape and river systems. These consequences highlight the environmental trade-offs of generating energy from hydroelectric power.

The James Bay Project is a major hydroelectric initiative in Canada and was designed to harness the power of the water to generate electricity.

It provides 15,000 megawatts of electricity, making a significant source of Quebec's energy supply.

While it plays a crucial role in powering the region, the project also has considerable environmental impacts, including the flooding of large areas of taiga and the disruption of local ecosystems. The James Bay Project flooded an area approximately 11,500 kilometres squared of land.

This large-scale flooding caused several significant impacts, the displacement of around 10,000 Cree and Inuit people from their ancestral lands, disrupting their way of life in connection to the land, destruction of wildlife habitats, as the flooded areas wiped out ecosystems and forced animals to relocate, an increase in mercury levels in water and fish, which poses health risks to both wildlife and humans who rely on these fish for food, the submersion of indigenous sacred sites, leading to the loss of cultural heritage and a disruption of important traditions for local communities.

These consequences highlight the environmental and social challenges associated with large-scale hydroelectric projects like the James Bay Project.

The damming of rivers in the taiga has significantly disrupted local ecosystems, particularly impacting fish migration patterns.

As rivers are damned and flooded to create reservoirs, the natural flow of water has altered, blocking fish species from reaching their spawning grounds.

For example, Atlantic salmon, which rely on migratory routes to reach their breeding areas, are unable to complete their lifecycle due to the dams. This has caused a significant decline in the populations.

Similarly, the northern pike, which depend on specific habitats in shallow waters, have lost access to these critical areas due to the fluctuating water levels.

As a result, fish populations in affected areas have dropped by more than 60%, severely impacting biodiversity.

These changes disrupt the food chain, as fish are a key source of nutrition for many predators, including birds and mammals.

Additionally, local communities that rely on fishing for their livelihoods are facing economic challenges.

The long-term effects of these disruptions could lead to a collapse of local ecosystems, affecting not only fish populations, but also the animals and people that depend on them.

True or false, the main threats to the taiga come from the direct damage done to forests by the logging industry.

Pause the video here was you decide if this statement is true or false and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, this statement is true.

I would now like you to explain why the statement is true.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, while the logging industry does directly damage the taiga forests, other types of commercial development are also damaging the taiga, while indirect threats from warming taiga climates are also a major threat to the taiga and taiga biodiversity.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly, I would now like you to explain two ways in which development threatens the taiga.

Some options to help you with your answer, include an example or examples in your explanation or explain one direct threat and one indirect threat.

Andeep has said, "A direct threat is something that causes immediate harm to an environment." Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, let's check our answers.

"A direct threat to an ecosystem is something that directly causes harm to the ecosystem.

Logging is a direct threat to the taiga because it involves cutting down trees, resulting in deforestation.

Fossil fuel extraction is another way in which the commercial development of the taiga can threaten this important biome.

This can directly threaten the taiga by removing forest to build the extraction sites, but exploration for oil and gas can cause indirect threats, too.

Roads built to explore new sites can open up new areas of the forest for loggers, for example, while road traffic can disturb taiga animals and threaten the ecosystem that way.

Mining threatens the taiga in a range of ways, including clearing forests for mining operations and roads, pollution of taiga rivers and soils from mining waste and chemicals, fragmenting habitats, and diverting rivers.

There are actually 7,000 abandoned mines in Canada that often still pollute the taiga.

Hydroelectric power development is another major threat to the taiga.

For example, the James Bay project in Canada flooded an area of about 11,500 kilometres squared.

Not only did this destroy a huge area of taiga habitat, it also affected fish migration patterns, causing a decline of 60% in fish populations.

Indigenous nations of the taiga were displaced, affecting 10,000 people." Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

You've done brilliantly.

We're now going to explore our final question of today's lesson.

How does tar sand exploitation threaten the taiga? The Alberta tar sands are a major oil-extraction site located in Canada's taiga.

This extensive industrial operation plays a crucial role in Canada's economy, generating an average of $54 billion annually for their country's GDP.

However, the environmental costs are substantial.

The extraction process leads to widespread deforestation, disrupting habitats and biodiversity while also causing water contamination from the chemicals used in extraction processes.

Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels results in significant greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and further threatening the delicate balance of the taiga ecosystem.

These environmental impacts raise concerns about the long-term health and sustainability of the taiga.

This satellite image clearly shows the expanding tar sands-extraction operation in Alberta from 2014 through to 2020 and its projected growth by 2024.

The expansion is vast, demonstrating the increasing scale of operation and its significant impact on the landscape.

Over 20,000 hectares of forest are cleared annually for the tar sands extraction, a process that has serious environmental consequences.

This large-scale deforestation not only leads to the loss of critical wildlife habitats but also destroys local ecosystems, making it harder for species to thrive.

Furthermore, the destruction of trees, which act as carbon sinks, accelerates climate change by releasing large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and further destabilising the taiga biome.

This ongoing deforestation and extraction are driving a cycle of environmental degradation with long-term consequences for both the ecosystem and global climate.

Tar sands extraction has led to several environmental disasters, including oil spills and leaks that have polluted nearby rivers.

In 2013, a pipeline rupture spilled 28,000 litres of crude oil into the Athabasca River, causing significant contamination.

This spill had a devastating impact on fish populations, especially northern pike, which were affected by the oil contamination.

The toxic substance in the oil harmed aquatic life, disrupting ecosystems and the livelihood of local communities that depend on fishing.

The extraction and processing of oil from the tar sands is a highly energy-intensive process that generates a substantial amount of greenhouse gas emissions with approximately 73 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being released annually.

This considerable volume of carbon dioxide significantly contributes to the acceleration of global warming, which has far reaching impacts, not only on global weather patterns but also on specific ecosystems such as the taiga.

The taiga, which is already vulnerable due to its cold climate and delicate balance of ecosystems, is especially sensitive to temperature fluctuations.

The increase in CO2 levels from activities like oil extraction amplifies the greenhouse effect, leading to higher global temperatures.

This warming of the climate disrupts the natural processes that have kept the taiga biome stable for centuries.

One of the most visible and damaging effects of the climate change in the taiga is the alteration of vegetation.

As temperatures rise, species that are well adapted to colder environments may no longer thrive, while warmer-climate species may move on, disrupting the delicate biodiversity of the region.

This change in vegetation can also lead to shifts in the food supply for wildlife as animals depend on certain plants for sustenance.

Over 1400 First Nation indigenous people have been forced to relocate or face serious health risks due to the pollution caused by tar sands extraction in the Canadian taiga.

The contamination of air, water, and soil has made it difficult for these communities to maintain their traditional lifestyles.

The blue arrows on the map highlight all oil sands projects that have been developed on indigenous lands in Alberta between 1985 and 2015.

These developments have significant impact to the land, disrupting not only the environment but also the rights and well-being of local indigenous populations.

True or false, tar sands extraction is a good example of how human activities can directly and indirectly threaten the taiga.

Pause the video here whilst you decide if it's true or false and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, this statement is true.

I would now like you to explain why.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic, the reason why the statement is true is because, "The tar sands extraction is a good example of a direct threat because forest is cleared to extract the oil, and processes release pollutants into the taiga rivers.

They're also a good example of indirect threats because they result in carbon emissions, which increase the rate of taiga climate change." Well done if you explained that correctly.

True or false, the tar sands extraction process contributes significantly to carbon emissions, with over 73 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being released annually.

Pause the video here whilst you decide if this statement is true or false and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic, this statement is true.

I would now like you to explain why.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic, the reason why the statement is true is because tar sands extraction is highly energy intensive and contributes to around 73 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, which contributes to climate change globally.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

I would now like you to use examples to explain ways in which tar sand exploitation threatens the taiga.

Andeep has said the examples that he will use will be from the exploitation of tar sands in Alberta, Canada.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic, let's check our answers.

Your answer could include some of the following points.

"The commercial development of tar sands leads to significant threats to the taiga ecosystem, including to people living in the taiga.

One of the most serious impacts is water contamination.

The 2013 oil spill into the Athabasca River highlighted the risks of oil extraction.

In this spill, large amounts of toxic substances were released into the river, affecting both water quality and aquatic life.

The pollution harms fish populations, posing a risk to local communities who rely on the river.

Another significant threat is to traditional ways of life in the taiga.

Many oil-extraction projects take place on or near indigenous lands, disrupting their traditional ways of life.

Sacred sites are often damaged or destroyed, causing a loss of cultural heritage.

This leads to ongoing legal conflicts as indigenous communities fight to protect their land rights and way of life.

CO2 emissions from the oil-sands extraction also contributes significantly to climate change.

The industry produces approximately 73 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, furthering global warming crisis and harming ecosystems. This is an example of an indirect threat to the taiga from tar sand exploitation because a warmer taiga climate will have a devastating impact on the taiga biodiversity." Well done on that task.

You did brilliantly.

We've now come to the end of our lesson on threats to the taiga from commercial development, and you've done fantastically.

But before we end this lesson, let's summarise everything we've learned today.

The taiga is vital for carbon storage, biodiversity, and resources, but human activities are threatening it.

Threats from commercial development of the taiga include those related to activities like logging, pulp and paper production, fossil fuel extraction, mining, and hydroelectric power.

Commercial exploitation of tar sands resources in the Canadian taiga is an example of how human activities can directly and indirectly threaten the taiga.

Well done in today's lesson.

You've done fantastically, and I look forward to with you again very soon.