Cambridge International AS Level

* 1 8 5 2 9 2 7 3 4 6 *

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 8291/21

Paper 2 Hydrosphere and Biosphere October/November 2021

1 hour 30 minutes

You must answer Section A on the question paper and Section B on the answer booklet/paper you have
been given.

You will need: Answer booklet/paper

INSTRUCTIONS
● Section A: answer all questions. Write your answer to each question in the space provided on the
question paper.
● Section B: answer one question. Write your answer on the separate answer booklet/paper provided.
● Use a black or dark blue pen. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
● Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● Do not write on any bar codes.
● You may use a calculator.
● You should show all your working and use appropriate units.
● At the end of the examination, fasten all your work together. Do not use staples, paper clips or glue.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 80.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in
brackets [ ]. For Examiner’s use
Section A
1
2
Section B

Total

This document has 12 pages.

DC (LK/SG) 202889/3
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Section A

Answer all questions in this section.

Write your answers in the spaces provided.

1 (a) Table 1.1 shows the number of marine wildlife affected by marine debris in one year.

Table 1.1

marine debris
wildlife bottles cans lobster fishing fishing fishing plastic string other
group and hooks lines nets bags and
fish rope
traps
amphibians 1 0 0 0 3 1 6 0 1
birds 2 0 0 5 45 53 19 10 4
fish 5 1 2 1 48 11 11 7 3
invertebrates 6 2 1 1 14 12 6 13 0
mammals 0 0 0 3 6 1 6 6 1
reptiles 0 0 0 0 10 4 1 3 1

(i) State which wildlife group is affected by every type of marine debris shown in Table 1.1.

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(ii) State which wildlife group is most affected by marine debris shown in Table 1.1.

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(iii) Suggest two sources of the marine debris shown in Table 1.1.

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(iv) Calculate the percentage of all mammals in Table 1.1 affected by plastic bags.

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(b) Fig. 1.1 shows part of an ocean food web.

killer whale

tiger shark

green sea turtle leatherback sea turtle

squid
jellyfish
shrimp

zooplankton

sea grass phytoplankton

Fig. 1.1

(i) State what the arrows in the food web shown in Fig. 1.1 represent.

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..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Sea turtles are under threat because of plastic bag pollution in the sea. The turtles
mistake the bags for jellyfish.

Explain the effects of a reduction in sea turtle numbers on the food web shown in Fig. 1.1.

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(iii) Suggest strategies to prevent plastic bag pollution reaching oceans.

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(c) Fig. 1.2 shows the net primary productivity of different aquatic ecosystems.

open ocean

coastal waters

lakes and streams

estuaries

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
net primary productivity / arbitrary units

Fig. 1.2

(i) Complete the bar chart in Fig. 1.2 to show a net primary productivity of 23 arbitrary units
for lakes and streams. [1]

(ii) Suggest why net primary productivity is low in open oceans.

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(iii) An estuary is found where a river meets coastal waters.

The net primary productivity of an estuary is high because there is a high concentration
of nutrients.

Suggest reasons why the concentration of nutrients is high.

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[Total: 20]

2 Fig. 2.1 shows a habitat changing over time from open water to mixed woodland.

Key

mixed woodland
grasses and shrubs
swampy ground
open water
sediment

Fig. 2.1

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(a) (i) State the process shown in Fig. 2.1.

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(ii) Explain the reasons for the changes shown in Fig. 2.1.

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(iii) Explain what is meant by abiotic and biotic factors of an ecosystem.

Give an example for each.

abiotic ................................................................................................................................

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example .......................................................

biotic ..................................................................................................................................

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example ....................................................... [4]

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(b) Table 2.1 compares subsistence farming with commercial farming.

Table 2.1

factor subsistence farming commercial farming

amount of produce sold low high
destination of foods consumed on farm or locally high proportion processed
by food manufacturers
power source animals fossil fuel, electricity
plant nutrition organic e.g. legumes, ash, chemical fertilisers
bone, manure
pest control crop rotation, intercropping commercial pesticides
weed control rotations, hoeing, commercial herbicide
hand picking
seed from own crops from commercial grower
livestock feed from own crops, fodder from commercial feed
manufacturer

(i) Explain how commercial farming described in Table 2.1 can lead to loss of local habitats.

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(ii) Subsistence farmers often clear land for crops.

Explain why clearing land leads to loss of biodiversity.

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(iii) Describe a strategy to prevent land being cleared for crops.

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[Total: 20]

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Section B

Answer one question from this section.

Write your answers on the separate answer paper provided.

3 Animal breeding programmes and release into National Parks is one method of wildlife
management.

Fig. 3.1 shows media reports about deaths of rare animals connected to this method of wildlife
management.

13/02/2019

A rare Amur tiger was found dead at an animal breeding centre in Europe, just four days after
the death of a Sumatran tiger at a zoo.

15/02/2019

Another rare tiger has died after a fight at a zoo in Europe. The 13-year-old Amur tiger entered
an area where two other tigers were being held as a tourist attraction.

28/07/2019

An adult lion called Skye was encouraged out of a National Park, using food as bait, and shot by
a hunter who had paid for the experience.

This follows a similar event in 2015, when a lion called Cecil was killed. He was also encouraged
out of a National Park using food and was shot. The lion was well known to visitors and appeared
to enjoy human contact.

Fig. 3.1

(a) Animal breeding programmes and release into National Parks is one method of wildlife
management.

With reference to Fig. 3.1 explain the advantages and disadvantages of this method of wildlife
management. [10]

(b) Using examples, evaluate the success of methods to conserve the biodiversity of ecosystems,
other than animal breeding programmes and release into National Parks. [30]

[Total: 40]

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4 Fig. 4.1 is a graph of average Arctic sea ice extent for March each year from 1979 – 2019.

17.0

16.5

16.0
average
sea ice 15.5
extent /
millions km2
15.0

14.5

14.0
1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
year

Fig. 4.1

(a) Describe and explain the changes in Arctic sea ice extent shown in Fig. 4.1. [10]

(b) Using examples, evaluate the success of different international protocols in managing
environmental change. [30]

[Total: 40]

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5 Fig. 5.1 is a graph showing human population from 1800 with a prediction to 2100.

10

6
population
/ billions 5
4

0
1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060 2080 2100
year
Key
predicted population

Fig. 5.1

(a) Describe and explain the trend shown in Fig. 5.1. [10]

(b) Assess the difficulty of providing resources for the human population. Use examples from
countries with contrasting levels of income. [30]

[Total: 40]

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