Slash-and-burn cultivation is an agricultural practice used by subsistence farmers in tropical forest areas. Which of the following best explains an environmental effect of this practice?Environmental damage from this practice is short-lived and only affects a small area of land with no impact on larger areas or regions.Option A,Environmental damage from this practice is short-lived and only affects a small area of land with no impact on larger areas or regions.There are long-term benefits to the tropical soil in the clearings from the increased exposure to the sun and the infusion of nutrients from the burned biomass.Option B,There are long-term benefits to the tropical soil in the clearings from the increased exposure to the sun and the infusion of nutrients from the burned biomass.Conservation efforts are in place that have largely stopped this practice, minimizing any environmental issues that might occur.Option C,Conservation efforts are in place that have largely stopped this practice, minimizing any environmental issues that might occur.Tropical soil is damaged from the increased exposure to the sun, but there is a sharp increase in biodiversity that overrides any soil damage.Option D,Tropical soil is damaged from the increased exposure to the sun, but there is a sharp increase in biodiversity that overrides any soil damage.Air pollution and long-term land-cover change are side effects of slash-and-burn agriculture that have a long-ranging effect on a broader region.

1 answer

The best explanation of an environmental effect of slash-and-burn cultivation is:

Air pollution and long-term land-cover change are side effects of slash-and-burn agriculture that have a long-ranging effect on a broader region.

This option accurately reflects the significant and widespread environmental impacts associated with slash-and-burn agriculture. While the practice may have short-term benefits for farmers in terms of soil fertility, its long-term effects include deforestation, habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, air pollution from smoke, and changes in land cover that can affect the climate and ecosystem services over larger areas.