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

In Middle and South America, it is evident that human interactions affect the physical features. The human interaction that affects Middle and South America is deforestation. In 1970’s a period of deforestation began in Brazil with the construction of the Trans-Amazon Highway; the road allowed migrant farmers to grow crops (Pulsipher & Pulsipher 2012). Deforestation continued throughout Middle and South America. The use lodging of hardwoods, extracting minerals, oil, gas, stones and clearing off land for raising cattle, and growing crops has impacted most of the land in Middle and South America (Pulsipher & Pulsipher 2012). The human interaction of deforestation has led to many environmental issues, changes in physical features. There are loss

"An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest are lost each year." (LiveScience).

Deforestation in the Amazon is driven by demographic, political-economic, and socio-economic forces. Demographic reasons include the increase in population size, change in population densities, and migration of people within the country. Political-economic incentives are the result of policies that promote economic development, and the political climate including corruption and the mismanagement of resources. Political-economic factors also include the property rights and several claims to land titling. In addition to these, the development of public services such as roads, railways, water lines, electrical grids and sanitation require large chunks of forest land to be cleared. Oil exploration and mining are supplementary economic incentives that push policy-makers to allow for the deforestation of the Amazon. Socio-economic factors include overall lack of concern about forest and wildlife conservation, individual household behaviors, and agricultural production.

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.

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.)

It has been noted that in the early 1970s the Brazilian Amazon covered 4,001,600 s.q. km. However, as of 2015, the remaining coverage has decreased to roughly 3,331,065 s.q. km. This indicates a total forest loss of 670,535 s.q. km in the short timeframe

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.

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

According to Andersen, other countries argue that the understandings of the Amazon rainforest and its functions are still not 100% determined accurately in the global ecosystem and that too much deforestation can cause huge damages to the global life support system. They also argue that the rainforests are much more valuable than the alternative land uses. Other countries also argue that Brazil can get only short-term rather than long-term effects from deforestation which is not worth it (Andersen, 2002). In general, many people are concerned with the overall loss of biodiversity of species due to the Amazon deforestation, as well as the effect of deforestation on overall global warming. Governments usually do not think about the ecosystem and the climate, first they think about the economy. I believe that not only the Brazilian government, but also governments from all countries should pay more attention to improving the ecosystems in their countries by working on the sustainability of their

Covering over 2 million km2, the Amazon Rainforest is home to the world’s largest rainforest and contains almost 50% of the world’s biodiversity and one-fifth of all freshwater. As the years have gone by, there has been growing evidence that has overturned historic understanding of what Amazonia was like prior to the colonial period, showing that the region was once home to far larger and more densely indigenous populations than originally thought. The governments and people of South America must implement environmental and indigenous standards for the species and humans of the Amazon or otherwise the struggles for biodiversity and cultural survival in the Amazonian region will continue to worsen.

The Amazon Rainforest is a vital and spectacular part of our planet. The forest spreads over nine countries on the South American continent which are Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It is the world’s largest remaining rainforest covering over 2.5 million square miles, with 63 percent of it resting in Brazil. (Finer 2008). It is considered the lungs of Earth. Giving the entire world population daily oxygen and absorbing our carbon dioxide. Industrialization is the main factor killing our rainforests. Because Brazil is speeding up productions of timber, metals, and beef, to boost their economy, the Amazon Rainforest is declining. The measurements of deforestation in the rainforest

The majority of deforestation in the Amazon takes place in Brazil.2 There are major threats to the animals, plant life, the native people and to the entire Earth. Deforestation is a global issue as it is affecting everyone. A major factor which is increasing deforestation is a law in Brazil which allows a person to cut down 20% of the rainforest on their own land. With this law in place people will continue to destroy the Amazon rainforest. There has already been a major loss to biodiversity and a big change the water system as trees have been cut down and the river has been polluted.3 When the trees are destroyed, carbon is entering the atmosphere causing harm to the ozone layer.4 It is expected that by 2030 the whole rainforest will be destroyed.5 32% of the Amazon is under control of the government, and there are still companies or groups clearing the rainforest for their own benefit.6 Deforestation can be legal when large companies cut down trees but is illegal if individual people cut down trees.7 There are groups and organisations around the world who