Deforestation In The Amazon Rainforest

Deforestation poses an alarming threat to Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, and it has been a serious concern for over 40 years. For thousands of years, the abundant, valuable resources in the Amazon were familiar only to the indigenous people of the region. In the 1500’s, before European colonization of Brazil, there were an estimated six to nine million individuals part of different cultures that made up a rich Amazonian society (“History”). Surrounded by the luxuriant rainforest and its natural resources, these indigenous tribes were able to thrive by utilizing the resources without destroying their habitat. After European emigration, the government of Brazil exploited the value of the Amazon’s resources in the twentieth century. In the 1970’s, the Brazilian government discovered the “untapped source of boundless potential” hiding in the Amazon and began using incentives to persuade settlers to develop its resources (Casey). Once economists realized the importance of the resources found within the rainforest, European pioneers set out to transform the Amazon into their home. By endorsing colonization, the government could not only boost the country’s economy, but also gain control over Brazil’s vast territory. The government supported migration to the rainforest and campaigned for the construction of infrastructure (“History”). In concurrence, the development of roads such as the Trans-Amazonian Highway, a 2,000 mile road built in 1972, granted people and machinery entrance to

Today, the total percentage of forest cover of the earth is approximately thirty percent (“Deforestation”). That is about nine percent of the world’s total surface. The largest rainforest is the Amazon River Basin, located in South America. The Amazon is home to many species of animals, insects, plants and trees. Many of the trees and plants in the Amazon produce about twenty percent of the oxygen on earth, and absorb carbon. However, the Amazon is decreasing in size every day due to the ongoing deforestation of the land. Deforestation is when the forest of the land are cleared or destroyed, in order to be used for other actions (“Deforestation”). The Amazon is twenty percent less than it was about forty years ago (Wallace). In just about

The deforestation in the Amazonian rainforest of Brazil harms the environment and everything within it. Up to 30,000 species are expected to become extinct by the next centuries quarter due to deforestation. Oil is the number one leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon to sell to large corporate countries such as the United States of America. At 66 million tons of oil annually, 27 million hectares of land is used for oil plantations today and has a record of 700 land conflicts within the industry in just Indonesia alone. Many companies have tried to move protesters by promising a stop to deforestation, but many have overlooked this and proceeded to destroy the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, now resulting in protesters deaths by Brazilian police. It was recorded that in the past 20 years, 200 protesters have been murdered in a plea against Amazonian deforestation (Greenpeace 2016).

The Amazon Rainforest is a mighty jungle filled with an array of exotic species of wood, like mahogany, and rich natural resources such as gold, copper, tin, and nickel. Naturally, people want to make a profit, but the rainforest’s trees stand in the way. Logging is the main source of deforestation. Every year, millions of trees are cut down to be made into timber. Many times, these logging operations are illegal. These operations will keep exploiting the Amazon for its exotic timber, not caring that many of these species of plants are either rare, or help support rare species and ecosystems. Mining also creates deforestation, but not as severely as logging. Trees are cut down to make way for mining operations that dig for non renewable resources like copper and gold. Trees are also used as charcoal to help produce pig iron. A third cause of deforestation is agriculture. Cattle ranches and soy plantations are created where the Amazon Rainforest once stood. As people expand their farms, they must cut down the areas they now use for farming. Trees are also cut to make space for animal pens. Governments also contribute to the deforestation problem by building roads and creating infrastructure. Although these roads help with communication and navigation, they cut through the rainforest, and often help illegal loggers create new roads from their operations in the jungle to these roads that connect with civilization. All of these factors have helped cut down the Amazon Rainforest. In the past

One of the causes of deforestation is agricultural expansion. Soybean is one of several cash crops grown on a commercial scale to satisfy international markets, which are increasingly important drivers of deforestation, accounting for 68% of forest loss in Latin America and about 40% worldwide. Combines harvest soybeans in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

The battle for the Amazon rainforest is a daunting task. It's a long going battle between miners, loggers, and developers against the indigenous people who call it home. It's a battle like any battle in a war; it affects lives, families, the economy, politics, and the environment amongst other things. The main topic of this debate is the effects of the Amazon deforestation on the people who live in it, this will be the focus of this research paper. In this paper, I will discuss the history, causes, effects and solutions for the Amazon rainforest deforestation.

Since 1978 over 750,000 square kilometers of forests have been destroyed and deforested in the Amazon forest across Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. Brazil has the largest area of forest removed annually from the Amazon. Many terrestrial ecosystems in the Amazon are affected significantly by the impacts of deforestation. The Amazon is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. Its rainforests are known to be home to millions of plant and animal species. With the increasing deforestation that is taking place, many of those species and their habitats are under a great threat. Every species that disappears from the ecosystem due to deforestation can destroy the survival chances of another species in the Amazon.

On the surface, expanding agriculture into the rainforest seems to be a fast and simple way to alleviate hunger and malnutrition, but in reality, the resulting environmental damage--in addition to being intrinsically harmful--would actually worsen the hunger that the expansion is trying to solve. In 2014, Brazil was removed from the UN World Hunger Map, an accomplishment that Social Development Minister Tereza Campello credits to “a mix of public policies and an increased food supply” (“World Hunger Map”). Unsurprisingly, at least a significant portion of the “increased food supply” came from agricultural expansion in the Amazon Rainforest, which currently hosts approximately 200 million cows (“Cattle Ranching”). Unfortunately for Brazil, its accomplishment of ending famine within its borders may be soon reversed.

During the past 30 years, deforestation in the Amazon has been a huge problem. The Amazon Rainforest is home to an estimated one-third of all known animal species and makes up about half of the world’s rainforests. The reasons for the deforestation is to expand pastures for cattle production, and fields to grow soybeans. ("Brazil Geography-Introduction." N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2016.)

When the majority of the population is exposed to the words, “the Amazon”, through some form of written or spoken communications, most likely their initial, instinctive response is to visualize the Amazon rainforest as it is portrayed by a staggering amount of both past and present media outlets. This portrayal tends to be one consisting of a vibrantly colored rainforest, brimming with an abundance of diverse and exotic flora and fauna, and, a thriving and well-balanced collection of ecosystems which is, frankly, not even remotely accurate to the actual Amazon rainforest. Behind its deceptive facade endorsed by television, books, and occasionally even news, the Amazon rainforest occupies many dark truths relevant to degradation of the state of the earth’s various ecosystems and environments. Over the last several decades the Amazon has undergone numerous dramatic and, in fact, damaging changes all of which have been attributed to the area’s extensive deforestation.

Our world has had deforestation for a while and worldwide, 32 million acres of forests are cleared each year (“Docksai, 45-51”). While we have trees being cut down, especially in the Amazon in Brazil is also a home to tropical rainforests plants with cancer-fighting compounds (“Balaguer, 14-21”). During the time of October and November of 2013 scientists have found that there has been a 136% increase in deforestation (“Balaguer, 14-21”). The reason why I care so much about deforestation is that trees on earth carry oxygen for us and if there are no more trees and we have an overpopulated world we probably won’t be alive. Another reason why is that the Amazon forests are homes to beautiful animals such as the birds there.

The economic benefits of deforesting the Amazon are endless and with the nation of Brazil in control roughly 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest (Oswald 1), one can only imagine the economic prosperity it brings to the country. For instance, 65-75% of the land used after deforestation (Oswald 1) goes towards creating space cattle ranching which is big business in Brazil as Brazil is the largest exporter of cattle in the world. The exported volume of cattle achieved 264 822 tons in 2012, and generated USD 1.220,316 million in exports (Duran 1). This shows how Brazil has supported the world’s economy by being a leader in the exportation of cattle. Additionally, cattle ranching in Brazil has created many jobs within the country and has drastically improved the country 's economic state. The cattle beef industry generates about 360 000 direct jobs as well as thousands of jobs among inputs suppliers, moving almost USD 2 billion in domestic inputs (Duran 1). Clearly, cattle ranching is a vital industry for the well being of the Brazilian economy however, the short-term economic benefits of deforestation are more than offset by long-term impact to both the environment and the population of Brazil.

According to many scientific studies, there has been a significant increase in the levels of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere.5 This increase in greenhouse gases has serious consequences for the region, as well as the rest of the planet. These effects caused by deforestation have led to increased surface temperatures across the region of the Amazon.6 When the trees are cut down, the farmers move into the newly cleared area. These farmers bring livestock with them. These livestock release methane, another greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. This only compounds the greenhouse effect seen in the Amazon region.7 The trees that were cut down absorbed much of the carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere. These trees are being replaced by organisms that release more greenhouse gases. Increasing surface temperatures are suspected to be one of the key factors in the continuing drought in Brazil. Since 2014, as shown in Figure 5 there has been an increasing drought throughout Brazil. With some areas experiencing less than 50% of their average precipitation levels. Brazil has begun to push for water rationing in most areas of the country. Climatologists in Brazil fear for the fragile ecosystem of the Amazon, worrying that continuing droughts could permanently damage one of the most important and diverse ecosystems on the

The main reason for so much loss of land is due to all the illegal farming that goes on in the amazon. The only way to detect any illegal activity is with a satellite. This works, but not so well because they only capture half the rainforest because the other half is covered by clouds. The illegal farmers are smart and use techniques that trick the low resolution images that the satellites take. This is why Brazil is stepping up their game and trying a plan. “Brazil is using a plan called Deter B.” Brazil has been improving way to act on the situation. They have more involved and made their forces better in tracking illegal soybean and cattle grazing farms. Brazil has said in a meeting with us the US that deforestation of the amazon is going to stop by 2025 - 2035. With this would take the ban off Brazil's cattle transport to the US. The US would actually help with their legal soybean and cattle grazing farms. Brazil has realized what has been going on but the there re-elected president that wants to build a highway running through the middle of the Amazon. We should preserve our biggest and most important biodiversity in the world. If not it could all be gone in no

One of the regulation that Brazilian government and environmentalists put on regulating deforestation is restricting commercial use of cutting forest. In Jeff Tollefson’s article, “Battle for the Amazon,” he states “federal government designated areas in the Amazon basin for protection, cracked down on ranchers, farmers and land speculators, and put pressure on local government, while environmentalists ramped up campaigns against companies that were exporting beef, leather, and soya beans from illegally cleared land”. From here, we see both government agencies and environmentalists have actively put effect on stopping illegal deforestation in Amazon forest, and the result is remarkable. In the latter paragraph, it states “Brazil has lowered its carbon dioxide output more than any other country through a historic effort to slow forest loss. The deforestation rate here last years was roughly 75% below the average for 1996 to 2005 - just shy of Brazil's pledge to achieve an 80% reduction by 2020.” In other words, it can be said that the policy on restricting illegal activities in Amazon forest is workable for stopping deforestation, and government should strengthen the enforcement on