Geography Case Studies

The Restless Earth

Mount St. Helens


It is located in the NW of the US in the state of washington. Cascade mountains
It erupted in 18th March 1980

• There were signs of an impending eruption

• Earthquakes occurred frequently before the eruption
• Tiltmeters detected changes in slope caused by shifting magma.
• Seismograms plotted patterns for shallow volcanic earth quakes.

1. Steam filled with ash exploded onto the glacial summit on the mountains.
2. Residents were told to leave and visitors were not allowed inside an 8 km exclusion zone around the crater.
3. The eruption caused an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale.
4. It caused a landslide NE of the mountain. This was the biggest landslide ever recorded.
5. Wiped livings things up to 27km North of the crater.
6. In the outer 'blow-down zone', the trees were up rooted and tossed around
7. 57 people  died

• Immediate responses were mobilising helicopters to search and rescue the people in the vicinity.
• Rescuing survivors was a priority followed by emergency treatment.
• Long term responses were buildings and bridges rebuilt
• Drainage in the area had to be looked at so flooding wound not occur.
• The forest replanted.
• Removal of fallen timber.
• Roads rebuilt
• Tourists brought back.

The explosion was explosive because it was a composite volcano.

Yellowstone

1. Rising magma cannot escape and a large bulge appears on the surface.
2. Cracks appear in the surface and gas and ash erupt form the magma chamber.
3. The magma chamber collapses forming a caldera

• The caldera is bulging up beneath
• Signs of increasing activity at Norris
• Ground risen 70cm in places
• Eruptions have occurred 2m 1.3m and 630k ago. 

• Likely to destroy 10,000km^2 of land
• Kill 87k people
• 15 cm of ash would cover buildings within 1000km
• 1 in 3 affected will die
• Affect transport, electricity, water and farming.
• Lahars
• Global climate will change crops would fail and lead to death.

Japan Earthquake

Happened on the 11th of March 2011
Magnitude 9 on the richter scale.
Released in the ocean 70km away from eastern coast.

• Caused a tsunami  that travelled at 200mph
• Recorded maximum height was 40m that dominated sea walls
• 700k buildings destroyed 250k half destroyed
• 16k peopled died 8.5k injured
• 236 billion USD in damaged
• 3 nuclear power plants destroyed causing a leak in radiation
• 4.4 million houses were left without electricity 1.5m without water

Haiti Earthquake

Haiti is located in the Caribbean sea with the NA, SA and cocos plate surrounding it.

1. Happened on the 12th January 2010 
2. Focus was 8 km below ground, 15 Km SW of capital; Port au Prince (Shallow)
3. Magnitude of the earth quake was 7.0 on the Richter scale. 

• Killed around 230,000 people 
• Left 1.5 million people homeless.
• Hit a heavily Urbanised area
• Less money put into buildings and less building codes.
• No resource to act quickly
• Airports was half functioning and had one road route that took a day to traverse
• Congestion in Large cities meant less room for maneuver
• Buildings were densely compact

1.7 USD GNI
23 mobile 10 internet per 100 people
Life expectancy 60

UK GNI 40k USD

120 mobile and 66 internet

Life expectancy 79.

Haiti less economically developed than the UK.

Poor medical service.

Population

Mauritius

The island of Mauritius is located on the Indian ocean near to the east coast of Madagascar.

• In 1960, the government found out that the fertility rate was 6 and the death rate was decreasing.
•  This was predicted that the population would increase from 500,000 to 3 million in a few generations.
• Farming systems were outdated and inefficient

• Family Planning, an extensive education and publicity campaign to explain the techniques and advantages of contraception.
• Derocking scheme- removing rocks from land that was previously unproductive so that more food could be produced.
• New farming techniques - planting different crops between the rows of sugar cane increased agricultural output.
• Foreign companies were encouraged to locate in Mauritius, people were employed in the factories. Earning money and goods were exported allowing Mauritius to import other resources.
• Education- investment in education produced a skilled workforce that was attractive to foreign investors.

China

During 1970s the country was heading for famine.

Changes to industrial economy at the expense of farming had already caused a catastrophic famine in 1960.

A baby boom followed and population was growing too fast to be sustainable.

• One child policy 1979
• Must not marry until their late 20s
• Must be sterilised after first child or must abort any future pregnancies
• 5/10% salary rise for having one child.
• Would have priority housing, pension and family benefits including free education for the child.

• Disobeying the rules would mean
• 10% salary cut enforced
• Fine was very large it would bankrupt many households
• Family would have to pay for the education of both children and for healthcare of the family

• The policy has been controversial 
• Women were forced to have abortions as late as the ninth month of pregnancy.
• Women were placed under tremendous pressure.
• Local officials and central government had power over people's private lives.
• Chinese society prefers sons over daughters so girls were placed in orphanages or allowed to die.
• Chinese children have a reputation for being over indulged because they are a single child.

It has benefits, population growth slowed and people have enough food and jobs.

It is estimated that 4000 million fewer people have been born.

Increased technology and plantations have increased standards of living.

New industries have lifted millions out of poverty.

The one child policy has been made less strict

People are allowed to have 2 children if their parents are single children so the population is at replacement level.

People belonging to minority ethnic groups are also allowed to have more than 1 child.

The rules were also released for rural areas.

Some cities have relaxed the policy where aging population is becoming a concern.

EU migration

In 2004 Poland became a member of the EU
Countries in the EU are allowed free movement between member states.
Many Polish people moved to the UK as economic migrants.
International migration such as this creates a range of issues relating to both the host country and the origin country.

• Companies and services cannot get enough workers
• This makes businesses close down and the overall economy of Poland goes down
• Families that live in Poland and the father of the family is able to send back money that he had made which brings in money for the economy.
• In England,  immigrants from Poland caused problems such as a language barrier and the government does not have enough money to provide the right services for them.
• Pupils in schools who couldn't speak English struggle as they cant afford assistants and Polish speaking teachers.
• Immigrants did jobs English people didn't want to do for lower wages which avoids companies that specialize in this close down
• Most workers are young and ease the pension burden through tax but this makes the Poland economy weaker.
• Target market for some companies ie. tesco
• Increased pressure on health and education services and racial tension.

• High unemployment in Poland
• 1/5 is unemployed
• Wages are low in Poland
• People have a lower standard of living
• No restrictions on entry
• Plenty of jobs available in places
• Wages in UK are higher - twice as much as average polish earning minimum wage.
• Family members already live in UK and some areas have established Polish communities e.g Peterborough and Slough.

Refugee movement to EU

In 2011, civil war broke out in Syria.

2 million Syrians has sought refuge.

Several thousand have been accepted by the UK but UN wants them to get more.

They can't get jobs unless they are granted official refugee status which means they rely on state support.

• Language barriers so they cannot ask for help easily
• Can't get jobs so can only live in the small money given- 40 quid a week a person.
• Puts pressure on government
• They are given housing but it is not chosen.
• This means that they are separated from each other causing even more problems.
• Tax pressure since they are not contributing.
• A large amount of refugee would be very hard to control.
• Language barriers would mean they can't get much jobs.
• They are poor which means that the government needs to fund them to start off.
• May lead to theft since they are poor and cannot live through the money the government gives them.

MEDC Flooding Sheffield 2007

June 2007 Sheffield in South Yorkshire was hit by a sudden flood.

• Sheffield is situated at the foot of the Pennines, steep slopes lead to rapid run-off.
• It is largely composed of a hard impermeable sandstone rock called Millstone Grit.
• 6 rivers meet the larger River Don in and around Sheffield.
• Before the flood the weather had been relatively wet and cool.
• On the 25th of June a band of heavy rain moved in from the west from an area of low pressure .
• More than 80mm of rain fell in one day and it was more than the total monthly average.
• There is a lot of urban development in the Don Valley and the new housing estates/ leisure/ retail ie. Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield Arena and Meadow Hall shopping centre all increased run-off rates.

• 2 People drowned
• 1260 homes were damaged
• City centre and meadow hall shopping centre was flooded and many chops were closed for several weeks.
• 900 people spent time in emergency shelters
• M1 motorway was closed  when the valley reservoir threatened to burst.
• Electricity supplies were affected where many were cut off

• Evaluation of homes
• Closure of roads for safety
• Valley reservoir had water pumped out to reduce chance of bursting
• People were permanently rehoused
• Insurance companies paid out to businesses and householders so future premium went up.
• Research into new flood defences carried out by the Environment Agency

LEDC Flooding Bangladesh

July 2004 Bangladesh

Impact

•  60 % of it was submerged 
• 40% of Dhaka was flooded
• 600 Deaths
• 30 million homeless out of 140 million
• 100k people were suffering from diarrhoea.
• 35mm in one day in September
• Airport flooded and many roads, railways and bridges destroyed
• Schools and hospitals damaged
• 7 billion USD cost
• Rural areas hit and main food crop rice was washed away.
• Cash crop ie jute and sugar were destroyed

Causes

• Bangladesh is a low lying country 70% of it is less than 1m above sea level so most of it is a flood plain.
• Huge amounts of water passing through it- 2 major rivers the Ganges and Brahmaputra
• Monsoon climate with torrential rain in the summer
• Melting snow from the Himalayas glaciers add to the flood.
• Growing population- pressure on resources and resulted in deforestation
• Soil erosion and reduced transpiration
• Decreased channel capacity
• Urban growth led to even more runoff
• Many wells being dug which lowered the water table but may lead to subsidence of land
• No money spent on flood defences since it is LEDC and week buildings since no codes.

Responses

• Food supplies, medicines, clothes and blankets were distributed
• Local communities began to rebuild homes
• UN started an appeal for 74 million dollars
• Water Aid sought to supply water purification tablets
• Embankments built along the river
• Flood warnings and the provision of flood shelters
• Dried food and water supplies in the flood shelters.

Three Gorges Dam

 Started in 1994 completed in 2012

Situated on the Yangtze river

Created a reservoir flooding an area 400 miles long.

• Generated electricity for growing industries
• Protected the downstream from severe flooding
• Created thousands of jobs
• Statement of progress and technology
• Renewable energy and so less fossil fuel burnt
• Improved navigation of the river which is better for transport

• Land slides as flood water erode and destabilize gorge slopes
• Sower flowing river allows rubbish to build up
• Over a million people lives have been reallocated from homes and land
• Controversial as divided opinions created social and political unrest
• Massively expensive project.

Vyrnwy

• The reservoir built to supply water for eastern UK due to there being an excess water supply.
• It is deemed to supply water to Liverpool.
• The construction made a village to reallocate to Llanwddyn
• 2 capels 3 inns 10 farmhouses and 37 houses were lost under the reservoir
• Controversial because it is built in Whales to supply water for England

Blackpool

Original function was a fishing village

Industrial towns located near it was Liverpool and Preston

Transport development brought people to Blackpool was the railways

Located at the western coast of England 30 miles north of Liverpool

People were eager to take a holiday away from the industrial towns.

Decline

• Packaged holidays made overseas holidays more affordable and more convenient
• People began to choose Mediterranean resorts over seaside resorts because of more disposable income and they have a hot climate which were reliable = something new
• Visitors fell from 17 million to 11 million from 1990 - 1999
• Around 1000 hotels cloed down
• 300 holiday flat premises closed
• Occupancy rates fell to 25 %
• It was on a downward spiral

Unemployment > Outmigration > Falling Property Prices > Vacant Premise > Rundown look

• Improvements to the Pleasure beach theme park and the skydeck at Blackpool tower aim to bring both new and returning visitors.
• Extending the market  through marketing hotels and venues to political parties businesses and societies as conferences venues in the off peak seasons
• February Festivals over half term is a new way to draw in customers in a quiet time.

• In 2011 visitor numbers increased up to 13 million a year
• A new conference and leisure area is being developed generating around 3000 jobs
• A code of conduct scheme for large 'party groups' and licences has seen a reduction in delinquency
• Day trippers and short breakers rise instead of long stayers.

Antigua

Small island situated in the eastern Caribbean Sea.

Part of the country called Antigua and Barbuda. Capital called St. Johns

One of the Leeward island and formed as part of an island arc of volcanic islands.

• Beaches white/sandy
• Tropical Climate
• Tropical Sea
• Coral reef/ marine wildlife
• Resorts
• Heritage attractions of slave trade
• St. Johns Capital
• Cricket
• Cultural attractions- market, music + food

• Tourism creates many jobs
• Tourists spend money on local products and services valued at 200 million pounds a year
• Local people receive training and develop skills
• Cruise ships bring more tourists to spend their money
• Jobs are often low paid and low skilled
• Much of money actually goes overseas.
• Managerial jobs are given to foreign people
• Cruise ships and all including resorts discourage people from spending money locally

• Tourists made aware of cultural difference
• Fewer young people migrate abroad
• Cultural heritage can be reduced to a tourist sideshow
• The meaning of traditional music and dance is demeaned
• Traditional ways of life, customs and food are replaced by western influences
• Antigue people feel subservient

• Areas of land designated for wildlife conservations
• Artificial reefs being built to preserve coral
• Sensitive environments such as mangrove swamps destroyed.
• Coral reefs under threat by tourist activities.
• Pollution from waste water/ sewage and sediment harms coral

• Antigua builds links with other countries
• Developers demand concessions from the government
• Government officials are at risk of corruption

The Antigua government and tourist board have tried to

• Encourage tourists to spend more time and money in the local community rather than in the resorts
• Develop the at home experience where local people provide accommodation
• Encourage ecotourism projects such as the coral building
• Development of historical and cultural attractions such as the Slavery museum to foster cultural awareness.

Antarctica

Extreme environment are places where the conditions are challenging for most lifeforms to survive
The characteristics of adventure tours is that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
This type of tourism is cheaper to set up as they don't need attractions due to the land being it.
Only flight and supplies are required.

Ecuador
Santa Lucia ecotourism project in the Ecuadorian rain forest.

• Local building material are used from sustainable sources
• People are employed in conservation projects such as tree planting
• As much waste as possible is recycled
• Tourists spend money in the project
• Jobs created
• Money earned is reinvested
• Lives of people improved
• No emigration to find work
• Long term so future generations can be employed
• Working towards a common sustainable aim
• Sustainable project

Liverpool

The CBD is found in the middle of the city and was where the city was first founded.

The inner city zone surrounds the CBD

This is a zone of terrace housing and older industry characterised by grid-iron street patterns

Houses were built in the 19th and 20th century for working class people near factories

Small and cheap ie. Anfield and Wavertree

The main area of older industry is located along the river because of the importance of the docks

The more common industries are found on the edge of the city close to the major transport routes ie Kirkby industrial estate near M57

Land is cheaper here so companies can afford to buy large areas of land.

Surrounding the inner city are suburbs such as West Derby where housing is more expensive with them being detached or semi detached.

This were build for more affluent residents who could afford to travel

Regeneration

• Early 1980- 90s
• Merseyside development Corporation used an example of Urban Development Corporation
• Millions of government money was used to clean up, rebuild and fit out old buildings and docks
• They hoped that private investors would follow this public money
• Large flagship developments include the Tate Gallery and the Maritime Museum
• Private investment followed e.g The Beatles Story,bars, restaurants, shops. Many jobs created
• Training schemes to develop skills were provided for the local unemployed people
• In the long term, many service sector jobs were created
• The trendy locations and buildings attract high order businesses and professions
• New flats and apartments attract high spending residents
• Spendings filter  down through the local economy

• Jobs created didn't replace old traditional jobs
• Many homes were for richer people
• Divide between rich and poor
• Some businesses simply relocated to the docks so were not new
• Decisions were taken by people in government who didn't know of the area
• Sustainability of this scheme has been questioned

CBDs suffered

Congestion  due to higher car ownership and worst in rush hours

• Ring roads to divert traffic away from city centres
• Queen's drive is Liverpool's inner ring road,
• Improving public transport ie. the Merseyrail system and using park + ride schemes
• Congestion charge introduced in london

CBD shops close down due to lost in customers so they relocate to out of town centres

Urban blight because of cheap shops and graffiti

Liverpool One and the Metquarter improved the CBD in Liverpool.

Multicultural Issues

Ethnic communities due to heritage as a port city

Segregation arise:

• Support from others as people from the same background are there which gives a sense of belonging.
• A Specialist facilities- Churches and food available
• Safety in numbers so they group together
• Employment factors- they often buy cheaper housing in a certain part of the city
• Segregation cause tension and racism

• Support for children in school
• Promotion of ethnic and cultural events ie. Chinese New Year.
• Encouraging applications from ethnic minorities in professions such as teaching and the police force.
• Establishing community support groups that involve all members of society

Sustainable urban community

• Eldonian village in Vauxhall North of Liverpool CBD
• Brownfield site
• Redeveloped with the help and views of local people
• New houses built on the site of the former sugar refinery
• Older slums knocked down
• Leisure facilities built
• Training centre built
• Environmental factors were considered
• Shops staffed by local people
• Houses were energy efficient

Nairobi- Kibera

Kibera is a shanty town where 1 million people live due to rural to urban migration and natural increase

People Migrate because of better living standards than rural areas where there is famine.

• It has free houses built by the people using scavenged material so they are poorly built.
• Very small rooms to live + compact
• Informal sector is the main income for people. Prostitution, washing, selling food etc
• There is a clear contrast in wealth in Nairobi due to the city centre having high rise buildings and fences.
• Residents have to face high crime rates, poor sanitation, contaminated water, unemployment and pollution.
• There is a risk of authorities trying to remove the shanty towns

Self help schemes

• Residents work together with the support of the local authority which involve grants or cheap loans to purchase building materials
• Standpipes are provided for reliable water supplies
• Sometimes the authorities grant residents legal ownership of land which gives residents more security when they commit to home improvements
• Site and service schemes
• They are a more official programme to setup low cost housing on the edges of cities
• This include provisions of water, sewerage, electricity and infrastructure

Assistance from NGOs

• New governmental organisation including charities such as Christian Aid and Practical Action have collaborated with residents to improve areas
• This include provisions of low cost development

Shanghai

• 30,000 tones of waste and responsible for 70% of countries CO2 emissions
• 73% of electricity is produced by coal which causes 400k deaths yearly
• Huangpu river has fallen in quality as 4 million cubic metres of untreated waste enter it daily

India

• Untreated sewage, cremated remains, chemicals and disease causing microbes.
• Cow wade in the river.
• people wash laundry and drink from it.

Improvements

Shanghai has a solid waste disposal unit which can be used as fertilisers and are installed in most house holds

Industries try to use low sulfur coals

200million USD loan granted to improve water quality in Huangpu and Suzhou rivers

Toxic waste in Bhopal packed up and sent to USA to be disposed.

Ganga Action Plan introduced water treatment

Curitiba

South Eastern coast of Brazil. 700m km from Rio de Janeiro. Home to million residents

It was one of the pioneers of recycling in 1980. Citizens are encouraged to separate out waste and 2/3 of the waste is recycled.

City planners are proud of green spaces and has 'the solution of the parks'.
This created important spaces for leisure and recreation whilst lakes and ponds have been created which take in rainwater that used to cause flooding.

Transport policy- Bus Rapid Transport System.
Designed to be accessible for all citizens to significantly reduce the number of cars on the road and therefore cut down congestion and air pollution in the city.
Buses have been designed to routes all interconnect and ticketing + boarding are very efficient. This cuts down time buses are waiting with engines running.

Commuters use buses which are as effective but cheaper than a subway system

Sports facilities have been built where old industrial sites were once were and much of the housing is also built on brownfield sites

Part of the housing plan involved providing good quality homes for poor residents using money that the housing developers gave in exchange for being allowed to build more private houses.
Developing brownfield sites did not remove green spaces.

Historic old town centre was preserved to maintain the heritage and monuments. Roads were pedestrianized and re-designed to keep cars out of the centre.
People can also exchange recyclable rubbish for bus tickets or food which encouraged greener living throughout the city.


Desert
Located near equator between the 2 tropics 22-30 degree N+ S of equator.
Less than 250 mm rainfall. Sahara desert.
Soil is sandy + stoney with little organic matter due to lack of vegetation.
Soil are dry and soaks up water rapidly.

Cacti have spikes to prevent predators eating
No leaves to reduce transpiration
 Photosynthesis through stem
Shallow roots to collect as much water as possible
Stores water via expanding
Waxy stem to reflect hear
Slow growing to reduce loss in nutrients and water.

Temperate deciduous forest

Located at the North of the tropic of cancer and south of the tropic of capricorn
20 - 50 degrees N + S of equator. UK
Temperate deciduous forests have same rainfall all year round but temperature changes in summer and winter.
80mm a month 1000 mm a year.
Soils is rich and fertile.
Weathering is active providing plenty of nutrients.
Annual leaf fall provide organic matter to enrich soil further. Soil is brown

Rainforest

Along the equator and between the 2 tropics. Amazon
2000m rainfall a year

Leaf litter zone from trees provide nutrients.
Buttress roots stick out and give support.
Strangler figs use trees as support to grow upwards.
Epiphytes live on branches in the canopy to get sunlight and get nutrients from water and air.
Trees are deciduous but the forest is evergreen.
Rainforest has no seasons so trees flower randomly and loose leaves randomly.
Roots are shallow and doesn't go deep into the soil because the nutrients are gained from the ever falling leaves not much nutrient in the soil.
Bacteria and fungi decompose the leaves and the climate speed it up.

Tropical Rainforest Case Study
Amazonia, Brazil, SA

Logging- Tropical hardwood extraction- Mahogany
Money earned from selling overseas to USA and europe help Brazil to develop

• It damages the forest, Cutting and dragging out has an environmental impact
• Damaging habitats
• Leaf litter supply stopped sp nutrient cycle is broken.
• Local people's lives improves but tribal lives deteriorate. 
• More soil runoff + soil erosion + flooding.
• Interception doesn't occur so more rain reaches ground.

Mineral extraction- Tin, aluminium, gold, lead, copper, manganese

• Sold overseas as raw material and used to develop Brazil's own industries
• Environmental impact from washing away soil and weathered rock
• leads to pollution of rivers and destruction of habitats
• Loss of land and livelihood for local tribes

Cattle Ranching
Large scale beef production to satisfy demand in Brazil and overseas. Money earned in exports
Deforestation to create pasture ground. Pasture loses nutrients after a few years- cattles are moved to near areas of cleared rainforest, 'Land Grabbing' by major farming companies is a say of claiming ownership

Farming
People were encouraged to move from the cities- to reduce the pressure on the growing urban areas attracted by TV adverts which offered free land to those who moved. Farmers set themselves to grow crops like coffee, coca, sugar, palm oil and pineapples.
Farming was only productive for a few years because of the nutrients in the soil what were quickly depleted.
Rainforest is lost forever, no new growth take place. Farmers simply moved to another area and cleared that.

Population Pressure
The growing cities of Brazil especially the slums and shanty towns were causing problems for the government. In the 1950- 70s the forest were opened up to migrants from the cities. This involved developing roads e.g. trans amazon highway.

Slash and Burn
Traditionally, small scale forest clearance involved clearing and burning which was sustainable but on  a large scale, it is harmful because it would be too quick.
Burning destroys habitats and reduces biodiversity. Burning increases CO2 in the atmosphere.
Having fewer trees means less CO2 is removed from the atmosphere that leads to Global warming


Sonoran Desert

Arizona USA.
Population growth is a major issue.
Phoenix and Tucson are attractive to in-migrants. Good weather, scenery, clean atmosphere, open spaces and job opportunities. 20 years pop 1.8-3.6.
Housing development increase which require water and many of them have water features that increase the demand even more.
Area is home to farms producing cotton and wheat- irrigation.
The desert receive little rain and water has been obtained from underground in the water table.
This caused sink holes.

Too much water taken reduced water quality and water table so it is more difficult and expensive to extract. Rivers dried + habitats lost. Subsidence occurred because rocks and soil dried out.

The solution was to divert water from the colorado river but they also supple water for california and other parts of USA.
They try to encourage people and industry to reduce water use through more efficient washing machines, dishwashers, toilets and car washes.
Artificial turf for lawn and gold courses.

Thar Desert
NW India and into Pakistan
200,000km squared mostly in Rajasthan
Low rainfall- 1200-240mm a year. Summer in July can reach 53 degrees.

Subsistence farming
In here, people are nomads because of the climate, they often keep a few animals on grassy areas and cultivate vegetables and fruit trees. Some crops are sold at the local market.

Irrigation- India Gandhi Canal ( Rajasthan Canal) is 650 km long and provides water for 3500 km squared of irrigation for crops such as cotton and wheat.

Mining and industry- Gypsum, feldspar and phosphorite + limestone.

Tourism- Rich people in india visit places that provide local people jobs as guides

Population pressure- Most densely populated desert.
Soil erosion.
Salinisation of water
Poisonous salt deposition
Tourism can damage fragile environment

1977 government funded desert development program to reduce ecological balance.


Epping forest

Epping forest in Northern London.
Ancient deciduous forest that runs NE of London on a high grand ridge.
19 km long and 4km wide.


70% deciduous and rest is grassland and marshes.
3 native species of wood beeches and wood boring stag beetles. Fallow dear still roam the forest.
The forest was used for hunting and grazing.

Management

It is conserved by City of London Corporation.
Epping forest act of parliament
Site of special scicentific interest

Pollarding allowed the forest to be maintained.
Cutting wood at shoulder and this allowed them to shoot for the future. So higher supply of wood.

Managing recreation by providing appropriate car parks, toilets and refreshment facilities plus maintaining foot paths.

Providing 3 easy access parks to allow access for people with disabilities.

Controlling recreation+ bikes which may damage forest plants.

Maintaining ponds to prevent silting
Preserving herd of fallow dear
Preserving ancient trees by re pollarding them over 1000 had been pollarded
Encouraging grazing to maintain grassland +flora- fauna.
Preserving ancient buildings and land marks.