CORE Natural Resource Management 5

Question 1

What does the term 'non-point source pollution' refer to in water quality management?

Accepted Answer

Contamination that originates from diffuse sources across a landscape, such as agricultural runoff

Answer

Non-point source pollution comes from many dispersed sources — fertilizer runoff, urban stormwater, and sediment — making it difficult to regulate compared to point sources like factory pipes.

Question 2

Riparian zones are important to conserve because they:

Accepted Answer

Filter sediment and pollutants, stabilize streambanks, and provide critical wildlife habitat

Answer

Riparian zones — the vegetated areas along streams and rivers — act as natural buffers filtering runoff, preventing erosion, moderating water temperature, and supporting diverse plant and animal communities.

Question 3

Which management strategy is most consistent with the 'North American Model of Wildlife Conservation'?

Accepted Answer

Managing wildlife as a public trust resource held in common for all citizens

Answer

The North American Model treats wildlife as a public trust, meaning no individual owns wild animals; the government holds them in trust and manages them for the benefit of all citizens.

Question 4

What is 'sustained yield' in forestry and fisheries management?

Accepted Answer

Extracting a resource at a rate that does not exceed its natural regeneration rate

Answer

Sustained yield means harvesting no faster than a resource can replenish itself, ensuring the same level of harvest can continue indefinitely without depleting the resource.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a 'keystone species'?

Accepted Answer

Sea otters, whose predation on sea urchins maintains kelp forest ecosystems

Answer

A keystone species has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem relative to its abundance; sea otters control sea urchin populations that would otherwise overgraze kelp forests.

CORE - Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education Practice Test

CORE - Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education Practice Test

CORE Natural Resource Management 5