...climate change. It can occur around the world, even though it’s more common in tropical rainforests. Countries with significant deforestation currently or in the recent years include Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, and parts of Eastern Europe. Though deforestation has increased rapidly in the last fifty years, it has been known to be practiced through history. Deforestation is typically done to make more land available for housing and urbanization and cattle ranching. Most of the logging industry that contributes to deforestation is done illegally, as reports from the World Wildlife Fund state. Common methods include burning trees and clear cutting, which is the controversial practice of complete removal of a given area of forest. In Brazil, you will find the Amazon rainforest. It is 5.7 million square kilometers and the largest continuous rainforest in the entire world. Since 1970, one sixth of the Amazon has been cleared mainly for ethanol production and cattle. While techniques like slash-and-burn provide a short term boost in agricultural production, rainforest soil is typically very thin and does not support this type of agriculture over the long term. Michigan State University professor and expert on land use change in the Brazilian Amazon, Robert Walker, said that “probably 80 to 90 percent of all cleared land in the region is attributable to some form of pasture or ranching. Brazil has historically had the distinction of serving as the world’s leader for deforestation...
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...Amazon rainforest As Brazil continues to grow, the demand for resources and land has increased along with the population. The population growth rate is estimated be 0.8 percent (2014 EST). Maintaining sustainable management of the Amazon rainforest can be a difficult, but important task that shouldn't be overlooked. Brazil needs to take advantage of the resources that the forest has to offer in order to develop, so not taking advantage of the rainforest is not an option. Exploiting the forest can have some irreversible damage such as climate change, soil erosion, and flooding can all be effects of unchecked exploitation ("Sustainable Management of The Forest", N.D). Sustainable management will allow for Brazil to develop without compromising the integrity of the rainforest. According to ("Sustainable Management of The Forest", N.D) Possible strategies that may help conserve, or at least minimize the human footprint. “Agro-forestry - growing trees and crops at the same time. This lets farmers take advantage of the shelter of the canopy of trees. It prevents soil erosion and the crops benefit from the nutrients from the dead organic matter.” Because of the nutrients left behind from dead matter, farms have natural fertilizer for the crops they may choose to grow. Selective logging trees that are a pre-determined height, in order to avoid cutting down younger trees ("Sustainable Management of The Forest", N.D). Educating those involved in exploring and removing the resources...
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...Amazon rain forest is located in Southern America. The bordering countries that surround the Amazon rain forest are Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It is believed that the Amazon rainforest is one of the largest formulated forests and measures at seven million square kilometers (www.brazil.org.za, 2014). Anacondas, Jaguars, spider monkeys, and sloths live in the Amazon forest. Its rainy or dry seasons can make home for many animals. And can either be extreme wet season or hot. There are many ecosystems in the Amazon rain forest, for example one of the major ecosystems in the Amazon Rain forest is the Amazon River. It runs four thousand miles down the Amazon, and is one hundred and twenty miles wide. The Amazon River is home to anacondas and many other life forms species. However the Amazon River is only the second largest river in the world. The Amazon is home to many indigenous tribes and animals. The climate change in the weather is of concern to people, who take a closer look into the fact that, the Amazon River and the forest itself needs to be preserved. It’s of concern to others, because the weather is unpredictable, which does not give its people enough time or resources to prepare for upcoming floods or extreme droughts. That ruins the plants and land. Another concern is the international involvement. Brazil needs assistance, and cannot control the illegal activities that happen in the Amazon Forest. For example, gang activities and drug trafficking. Environmental...
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...economical, and the overall influential importance of the Amazon Rainforest is, in my opinion, a necessity to understanding why deforestation is a huge mistake and will lead to major consequences for the entire planet. Common important facts about why deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest might include issues such as greenhouse gases or entire ecosystems demolished. Geographically, The Amazon Rainforest is by far the biggest rainforest left on our planet (sad to say) proportional to the size of Australia. The rainforest itself reaches out to several countries around Brazil. Economically, the regions of the Amazon Rainforest provide surrounding countries and entire continents with some of the most basic necessities and natural resources. Bananas, papayas, oranges, and pineapples are some of the major food exports out of the Amazon Rainforest regions. Along with food resources, many spices and other natural resources are only found in the Amazon Rainforest regions. Continuing the deforestation in order to use the land for other means of resources would harshly alter the economy of South America entirely and further affect the import/export economy of the United States and others. In addition to its economic influence, the Amazon Rainforest regions have aided advancements in medicine and scientific breakthroughs. Many explorations and scientific research of animal and plant life in the Amazon Rainforest have led to the discovery of cures to many diseases and ailments...
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...What is an ecosystem? Well, an ecosystem includes all living things, such as animals and plants, and non-living things, such as the climate, soil and weather in a given area. Some examples of an ecosystem could be a desert, coral reef, or a rainforest. The ecosystem that has and will still to this day amaze me is the rainforest ecosystem. The rainforest can be characterized by its dense growth of trees in a very wet climate. There are tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests. The largest and in my opinion the most beautiful rainforest is the tropical. The tropical rainforest is home to more species of plants and animals than any of the other ecosystems combined. A tropical rainforest can be located near the equator. This type of rainforest is mainly in Brazil, but can also be found in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and West Africa. On the other hand, temperate rainforest can be found by the coast, the largest being by the Pacific coast of North America. The Daintree rainforest in Australia is by far the most interesting tropical rainforest. It is located north of Australia near Daintree, Queensland by the coast. This rainforest contains 30% of frog, marsupial and reptile species in Australia, and 65% of Australia's bat and butterfly species. It also contains 20 % of bird species in the country. In the rainforest there are both abiotic components and biotic components. Abiotic components are the nonliving things, such as ware, air, temperature, wind and the sun....
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...Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem The tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon Rainforest are some of the richest environments in the world. They get their name because of the high amount of rainfall they get per year. The climate of a rainforest is very hot and humid, so all types of species must learn to adapt. A rainforest can hold as many as 80,000 plant species. Forty thousand of the Amazon Rainforest species regulate the whole planet’s climate. Anywhere between 40-100 species of trees can be found in about 108,000 square feet of land. The rainforests are rich in diverse types of trees for example, mosses, vines, flowers, and shrubs. These trees and plants sometimes find a new way to grow other than the ground. One example of...
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...Amazon Rainforest is incredible. To see it, is to have an awe-inspiring experience. “The Amazon Rainforest has evolved over millions of years to turn into the incredible complex environment” (Amazon Rainforest) It is a beautiful landscape filled with some of the most beautiful animal and plant species on earth (see figure 1) .and is one of the world's greatest natural resources. The Amazon Rainforest produces about 20% of the earth’s oxygen because its vegetation continuously recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen. It has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet" (Amazon Rainforest). This rainforest is the world’s largest tropical rainforest and covers over a billion acres. The areas included would be Brazil, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, and Peru. Figure 1 “Why is the Amazon Rainforest so important?” The Amazon is very ecologically important for many reasons. First of all, the rainforest has probably the largest collection of plant and animal species in the whole world. It is estimated that a single hectare (2.47 acres) of Amazon rainforest contains about 900 tons of living plants, including more than 750 types of trees and 1500 other plants (Rainforest Facts). The Amazon rainforest is considered the richest biological incubator in the world. Amazingly, the Andean mountain range and the Amazon jungle are the home to more than half of the world's species of flora and fauna; and are home to over 438,000 species, and many more are yet to be discovered (Rainforest Facts)...
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...Tropical rainforests are an unbelievably diverse and fascinating biome of planet earth there are many different regions of these rainforests however, they only cover approximately 6% of the earth’s surface. The rainforests are estimated to be the location to where more than half of all the plants and animals in the world reside. These areas are all situated on or near the equator where the heat is the most dependable over the planet some of the location include: South & Central America, Africa, Australasia & Oceana are part of the eight major different rainforests in these regions. 57% of the world’s tropical rainforests are found in Latin America, the largest rainforests of the world are in: Brazil South America, Zaire Africa and Indonesia South East Asia....
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...is the removal of related ecosystems or rainforests into ecosystems that are less biodiverse such as croplands, pastures, or plantations. Also, more people need wood to make furniture, houses, and many more everyday things. An estimated 18 million acres of forest are lost each year. Believe it or not but in 100 years if the current rate of deforestation continues all forests will be gone. This will cause terrible effects on the global climate and it will get rid of the majority of plant and animal species on the planet. Deforestation is mainly due to our acts that are totally against the laws of nature. To create new land area for people forests are being destroyed. This trend shows the greed of humans and the increasing needs. There are two different types of deforestation: Clear Cutting and Slash and Burn. Clear Cutting is cutting down a large area of trees that are standing at the same time. Slash and Burn is when people cut down all the foliage in a forest and burn it to access the nutrients. (4) A lot of the countries with high amounts of deforestation are the ones that are developing. For the countries to grow and develop their economies they need access to more resources, employment of people, logging to manufacture more timber products, and agricultural expansion. The solution to getting all these positive things is deforestation. The world’s highest rates of deforestation are happening in the economies of Nigeria, Indonesia, and Brazil. The Deforestation Index states...
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...Planned responses ____ Made the argument that deforestation in the Amazon rainforest will help create more jobs and opportunities in Brazil, and also help make more profit for the Nation. I disagree, I believe that in this scenario the negatives will heavily outweigh the positives. The more people these logging companies employ the more land they will deforest, using their highly destructive clear cutting. Many sources say,(including NPR, The Guardian,and Reuters) that diseases ravage the poverty stricken citizens of Brazil. About 72% of deaths are due to non communicable diseases. When you destroy the forest, you may kill plants or animals that could be used to help treat the illnesses. Therefore, I believe that curing and treating diseases should come before easy money....
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...Executive Summary Why are the rainforests so important to human and animal life? Scientists believe the rainforest are considered the “world’s lungs” and actually eliminates CO2 from the atmosphere and provides oxygen for every living creature. In addition, pharmaceutical companies are realizing the importance of the discovery of anti-cancer drugs that are only found in plants in the rainforest. We are not thinking of the consequences that deforestation of the rainforest will have on the Earth. We need to stop the deforestation and the destruction of the rainforest before it is too late. It is said that Mother Earth has given many responsibilities to the trees. Without the trees in the rainforest, it could have global implications not just on life but the quality of life to all living things. Trees in the rainforest improve the quality of the oxygen that all creatures breathe by trapping carbon and other particles produced by pollution. Trees also determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. As more water is able to be put back in the atmosphere, clouds form and provide another way to block out the sun’s heat. Trees are what cool and regulate the earth’s climate in conjunction with other such valuable services as preventing erosion, landslides, and making the most infertile soil rich with life (Connor, 2009). To be considered a rainforest, the forest must get at least 80 inches of rain per year. Most tropical rainforests get anywhere from 160 to 400 inches of rain...
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...Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use. The term deforestation is often misused to describe any activity where all trees in an area are removed.[not in citation given][neutrality is disputed] However in temperate climates, the removal of all trees in an area[not in citation given]—in conformance with sustainable forestry practices—is correctly described as regeneration harvest.[2] In temperate mesic climates, natural regeneration of forest stands often will not occur in the absence of disturbance, whether natural or anthropogenic.[3] Furthermore, biodiversity after regeneration harvest often mimics that found after natural disturbance, including biodiversity loss after naturally occurring rainforest destruction.[4][5] Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees are cut down to be used or sold as fuel (sometimes in the form of charcoal) or timber, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities and settlements. The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse impacts on biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforestation has also been used in war to deprive the enemy of cover for its forces and also vital resources. Modern examples of this were the use of Agent Orange by the British military in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency and the United States military in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Among countries...
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...winters. The trees shed their leaves in autumn. Fourthly, rainforest is a known biome in South America as it is home to the Amazon rainforest which is the world’s largest tropical rainforest. The temperatures...
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...world’s ecosystems. Everyday, a piece of Earth’s ecosystem is demolished by human hands for the conquest for timber, minerals, and other resources. Forests cover 2% of the Earth’s surface, 6% of the landmass, and yet they house half the animal and plant species while rainforests cover twice that area. Deforestation is occurring across the globe on a scale that if it were continue at its present rate the forests could disappear within the next one to two hundred years. This raises concerns and questions. First, why should we be concerned? Second, what kind of damage could deforestation lead to animal and plant species, human existence, and to mother Earth and its atmosphere? Third, how and why the rainforests benefit the human race. To answer these questions, this paper will discuss where the most deforestation is occurring and the consequences of deforestation. Tropical rainforests are defined by two primary factors: location and amount of rainfall they receive. Rainforests receive from 4 to 8 meters of rain a year. Most of the rainfall is blocked by heavy vegetation, and water reaches the forest floor by rolling down branches and trunks. A distinctive characteristic is that the rainforests have no seasonality or no dry or cold season of slower growth. In addition, they are the Earth’s oldest living ecosystems. The rainforests are a priceless part of mother earth and their removal through deforestation would mean the loss of one of the planet’s most valuable ecosystems. Rainforests...
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...By Shaina Herring The Amazon River is the fuel source for the 2,100,000 square mile Amazon rainforest . Spanning 9 countries in northern South America, this rainforest is so rich in plant life it produces approximately 20% of the worlds oxygen. Boasting the world’s largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon includes various ecosystems from swamps to savannas resulting in this particular biome housing the largest collection of plant and animal species in the world. Fascinating creatures such as jaguars, anacondas and even electric eel can be found along with incredible plant species such as bromeliads, epiphytes (air plants) and even carnivorous plants like the Venus fly trap. These are just a few of thousands of plant and mammal species living harmoniously with roughly 2.5 million species of insects! High temperatures (an annual average of 80 degrees) and constant rain keep the climate fairly consistent year round which helps to support the Amazon’s appeal for biodiversity. Temperature- The average temperature of the rainforest is 80 degrees Fahrenheit and when coupled with 90% humidity produces a heat index of 86. The heat helps many of the indigenous plant animal species like the Howler monkey, aka Alouatta, who’s primary diet consists of vegetation. This type of diet slows their metabolism so much that this species has to utilize the harsh sunlight just to speed it up after cooler evenings. Many of the plants and animals push upward...
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