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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 and paper manifacture * Building roads * Providing land for urban and industrial uses

Tropical rainforests have been proven to have a a very high material value, that has yet not even been explored properly. The main would be the abundance of various species. Rainforests are known as the most biodiverse biomes, but the Amazon is known to be even more species rich than wet forests in Asia and Africa. One in ten known species in the world lives in the Amazon Rainforest.This constitutes the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world. The biodiversity of plant species is the highest on Earth with some experts estimating that one square kilometer may contain more than a thousand types of trees and thousands of species of other higher plants. It is estimated that nearly half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants, animals, and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter-century due to rainforest deforestation. Edward O. Wilson estimates that 137 plant and animal species are being lost every single day. Rainforest plants are complex chemical storehouses that contain many undiscovered biodynamic compounds with unrealized potential for use in modern medicine. Gaining access to these plants is severely threatened by the rapid rate of deforestation.

Satellite image showing deforested areas of the Amazon. Visible smoke is caused by deforestation fires.
Satellite image showing deforested areas of the Amazon. Visible smoke is caused by deforestation fires.

With large scale reduction of biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest, many drastic consequences will emerge.
Social:
The displacement of indigenous communities and their traditional way of life. When governments decide to offer forests for deforestation mainly to open up areas for 'civilized' communities, access to forest resources by indigenous peoples are ignored.. This encroachment ignores their rights as much as it takes away the resources that their ancestors have bestowed upon them.
Loss of cultural diversity inside the rainforest.
Loss of Amazon rainforest as a point of interest.
Fewer new medicines extracted from the Amazon
Economic:
Food supplies will become more vulnerable to pests and disease
Water supply will decrease
Depletion of resources that are being extracted within deforestation According to a study, "in most areas studied, the various ventures that prompted deforestation of the Amazon rarely generated more than US$5 for every ton of carbon they released and frequently returned far less than US$1".
Environmental:
Depletion of the regions genetic bank
Increased levels of carbon dioxide
Reduced levels of oxygen
Decreased perticipation due to a reduced vegetation coer
Reduced interception capacity leading to greater likehood of flooding
Severe soil exhaustion and erosion
Political:
Failure of local and international governments to prevent deforestation
Possible conflicts due to a lack of resources
Worsened international relations between countries

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