...Amazon Deforestation For many inhabitants of South America, deforestation has become a major threat affecting not only this region, but the world as a whole. With the question, is deforestation a positive to society, would be immediately proven wrong. We may not realize it, but with the destruction of cutting down amazonian trees there are consequential effects that disturb us and the entire planet. Deforestation is seen as a negative due to the fact that with cutting down trees, the animals that inhabit this natural region are now at a loss of a proper habitat. The result for many of the animals that are indigenous to the Amazon facing deforestation, will now experience habitat loss. As an effect of habitat loss, the populations of different...
Words: 334 - Pages: 2
...Mateo Vargas Mrs. Cox English IV per. 3 12 November 2015 Deforestation By the time that you finish reading this article 324 football fields or 428 acres worth of forests will be lost to deforestation. Yearly this is a rate of thirty five million acres of forest loss. This is equivalent to a space the size of Nicaragua.*** Deforestation is the long term or permanent loss of forest cover and its transformation into another land use. Deforestation happens when forests are cut down faster than they are renewed.*** Deforestation has been occurring since the beginning of human development. The rate of deforestation has increased over time with the development of new technology. Technology allows for people to clear forests faster and do more harm....
Words: 1705 - Pages: 7
...Deforestation is threatening to destroy the planet’s rainforest ecosystems. Currently, the Amazon experiences the highest rates of deforestation in the world, averaging close to 2 million hectares per year. The large-scale removal of trees caused two once-in-a-century droughts in the region in the past nine years. The 2005 and 2010 droughts induced more frequent fires and reduced surface runoff for the region. The Amazon also went from being a global net carbon sink to a source of global net carbon during the drought years. In general, the region also experiences more frequent smaller droughts because the land-use changes have disturbed the region’s hydrological cycle. The forest can no longer evapotranspire effectively because the albedo...
Words: 779 - Pages: 4
...Amazon Deforestation Dilemma Small-scale ranchers who contracts land from the Brazilian authority are responsible for contributing to the obliteration of the Amazon rainforest. Greenpeace suggests that the Brazilian supplier JBS sources the meat products it supplies to Meat markets from farms in illegitimately stripped lands. The consumers and any other buyers shopping for meat at meat markets are adding to the destruction of the forest. Farms formed from the Amazon rainforest are progressively being liable for annihilation of the forest. In addition, some of these farms being industrialized from land illegally created from land belonging to the native people. Greenpeace has announced the serious damages of its own JBS moral code. Cattle farming are currently quoted as the major particular cause of Amazon forest damage. Greenpeace are condemning meat markets for fueling the situation through by selling to consumers. Greenpeace accuse that its dealer JBS is violating meat markets’ moral codes and those of its own. Meat markets’ supplier JBS refuse to address the problem and hence...
Words: 582 - Pages: 3
...Deforestation is not necessarily explained by the extent of forest cover is the most important message by Figure 2. Although forestland extension in the high Amazon is quite smaller than the extension in the low Amazon, deforestation level in both areas is comparable. The location of the high Amazon lands is one intuitive explanation for this since they are closer to the Peruvian highlands and the Coast, where the most populated cities (including Lima, the capital city) and the most important markets are located. 3.1. Deforestation and Ra Agricultural expansion is the major driver of deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon (MAAP 2015). Coffee, cocoa, and oil palm cultivations leaded such expansion during the last years; being coffee the most influencing...
Words: 383 - Pages: 2
...The Amazon rainforest is one of the worlds most beneficial places for natural resources and it's being destroyed as we speak. Though some people want to preserve it, we still gotta use it for our benefit as a whole. We need everything we can get to survive on this planet, This rainforest should maintain untouched as we continue deforestation and continue to use its resources. Since there is a crisis going on about loss of jobs, there are people needed to help with the deforestation. The job issue is growing and this can become a great opportunity to help those who need jobs to bring in some income to their families. Jobs can be created when helping out either agriculturally or just cutting down some trees. This can help the people who live within the rainforest who need help economically. With economics, there can be a better system for the whole forest; all with the deforestation. The jobs needed can range from the lumberer, manufacturer, transportation and construction industries....
Words: 474 - Pages: 2
...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....
Words: 477 - Pages: 2
...Causes and Effects of Deforestation Throughout the Amazon Rainforest Over the past 50 years, deforestation rates throughout the Amazon Rainforest have been gradually increasing, and could potentially lead to the full destruction of the forest. Government participation in saving the rainforest along with community ownership could result in positive outcomes for the Amazon’s future. Many things are being affected by deforestation, such as species of animals and plants, people in general, and climate. Even though the Amazon Rainforest is close to 2.27 million square miles wide, over 600,000 square miles have been cut down since 1970. According to Hannnah, over half of the Amazon could be destroyed by the year 2030. Many farmers in the 1970s...
Words: 922 - Pages: 4
...2-4-2014 | | Amazon Deforestation | | Deforestation is the loss or destruction of naturally occurring forests. It is primarily due to human activities such as cutting trees for fuel, slash-and-burn agriculture, clearing land for livestock grazing, oil extraction, and many others. Deforestation is considered to be one of the contributing factors to global 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...
Words: 797 - Pages: 4
...Deforestation Of the Amazon This assignment will be focused on the topic of deforestation in Amazon (mainly located in Brazil). For this topic I picked three articles from newspapers. I decided to choose this topic because I have always been interested in the Amazon and its beauty. It’s still fascinating for me how there is people (tribes) living in the Amazon forest when I cannot picture myself without technology living in a rural environment. I’ve also been always interested in the way they live and communicate among them so the fact that we have deforestation taking place there makes me so sad because it is something so beautiful and unique. The first article is mainly about the consequences of deforestation of the Amazon forest in America. In this article it is stated that a complete deforestation of the Amazon could result in a reduction of twenty per cent of rain and snowfall. This doesn’t sound scary but the real problem is that according to the Princeton University (located in New Jersey) who came up with this report, it also means that this reduction would lead to water and food shortages and great risk of forest fires. The reason behind these shortages is because due to the change that would happen in the snowpack of Sierra Nevada which is the main source of irrigation for California’s Central Valley which consequently would affect the food/water supply not only for California but the entire United States. Also, a naked Amazon could contribute to a weather cycle...
Words: 1924 - Pages: 8
...Causes and consequences of reduced biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest The Amazon Rainforest is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon basin in South America. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract oftropical rainforest in the world. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations contain "Amazonas" in their names. Besides short term rubber exploitation of the Amazon rainforest in the early 20th century, the Amazon was largerly ignored in terms of economic development and deforestation until the 1960s. In the nine years from 1991 to 2000, the total area of Amazon Rainforest cleared rose from 415,000 to 587,000 km²; comparable to the size of Spain or Madagascar. Most of this lost forest has been replaced with pasture for cattle. Before 1970, the estimated remaining forest cover of the Amazon was around 4,100,000, in 2011 it was around 3,354,711. Even though the level of deforestation in 2011 decreased, the Amazon is still being deforested at a rapid rate. The main causes of deforestation of the Amazon are: * Creating huge cattle ranches * Creating soybean farms * Exploiting mineral deposits * Using wood as a fuel * Using wood for furniture...
Words: 702 - Pages: 3
...of environmental resources include: clean air, clean water, and wildlife. Amazon Rainforest Deforestation The main sources of deforestation in the amazon rainforest are human settlement and development of the land. Deforestation of the amazon rainforest can be attributed to many different factors. The rainforest is mainly seen as a resource for cattle pasture, valuable hardwoods, housing space, farming space (especially for soybeans), road works (such as highways and smaller roads) and medicines. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/deforestation). Did you know that in the amazon rain forest, around 17% of the forest has been lost in the last 50 years, mostly due to forest conversion for cattle ranching. From reading this article I found at (www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation) I learned that forests play a critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as a carbon sink-soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns. Due to deforestation forests around the world are being jeopardized of their benefits. Deforestation has many forms such as fires, clear cutting for agriculture, ranching and development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate change. Forests provide shelter for over 70 percent of animal species here on earth. If not taken seriously, the effects of deforestation can eliminate...
Words: 399 - Pages: 2
...Deforestation Environmental Science SCI-204 iLab 1 People relay on products from rainforest everyday and never realize it. Today, people around the world use woods that come from rainforest for products like desk, flooring, instruments, and many other products made from exotic woods. “Tropical forests yield some of the most beautiful and valuable woods in the world, such as teak, mahogany, rosewood, balsa, sandalwood and countless lesser-known species.” (Rainforest Alliance, 2014) Many medications are made up from plants and trees that are only found in rainforest. “Some 120 prescription drugs sold worldwide today are derived directly from rainforest plants.” (Talk, 2014) Many food products come from rainforest. Things like coffee beans, bananas, nuts, chocolate, and spices all can be found in the rainforest. “At least 3000 fruits are found in the rainforests; of these only 200 are now in use in the Western World.” (Taylor, 2012) Another product people use everyday is oxygen. The Amazon produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen. “The Amazon Rainforest has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet" because it provides the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen.” (Taylor, 2012) The next time you inhale, and fill your lungs with life giving oxygen be thankful to the rainforest. The rainforest has helped the world with many products, and all of them are important to everyday life. When you go to your local coffee...
Words: 1496 - Pages: 6
...economy and the society. To illustrate the above, true Amazon deforestation will be used to document the application of systematic thinking to sustainability challenges. This study will show us the link between...
Words: 1799 - Pages: 8
...and there is a large biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest, which is the tropical biome which I have studied. The Amazon covers 40% of the South American land mass, passing through countries such as Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Chile. It is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth, homes to about 1 million different plant species, over 500 species of mammals, and over 2000 species of fish. There are also a few endangered species in this biome, including the black caiman, which is a reptile and a pirarucu, which is a fish. The standard of living is simply the degree of wealth and material comfort available to a person or community. For the standard of living to improve for generations today and for future generations, it is often necessary for development to occur. And for development to occur, it is almost inevitable that the biodiversity in the area will be affected in one way or another. There are currently some threats to the Amazon rainforest, mainly being deforestation, overhunting and overfishing. If these activities are done in abundance, then it is not possible for people to achieve a reasonable standard of living in the future. So measures must be taken to sustainably develop the Amazon biome, which I will elaborate on later. Deforestation is definitely the biggest threat to the rainforest – 13% of the original forest has been cleared, which is a massive amount if we remember that the Amazon rainforest is huge. 13% of the amazon rainforest is around 70,000km2. There are...
Words: 1167 - Pages: 5
