Future threats to the Amazon rainforest Future threats to the Amazon rainforest Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com July 31, 2008 Between June 2000 and June 2008, more than 150,000 square kilometers of rainforest were cleared in the Brazilian Amazon. While deforestation rates have slowed since 2004, forest loss is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Here mongabay.com takes a look at past, current and potential future drivers of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Please note, breaking news on the Amazon can be found at Amazon news. Past drivers of deforestation in the Amazon Most deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has occurred since the late 1960s when the Brazil's military government began to sponsor large-scale development programs to promote colonization in the region. While the Trans-Amazonian largely failed to meet its economic and social goals, it did open up large tracts of previously inaccessible rainforest land to development. Current drivers of deforestation in the Amazon Cattle Soy Small-holder clearing
Deforestation - Wikipedia Conversion of forest to non-forest for human use Deforestation has many causes: trees can be cut down to be used for building or sold as fuel (sometimes in the form of charcoal or timber), while cleared land can be used as pasture for livestock and plantation. Disregard of ascribed value, lax forest management, and deficient environmental laws are some of the factors that lead to large-scale deforestation. In many countries, deforestation—both naturally occurring and human-induced—is an ongoing issue.[5] Between 2000 and 2012, 2.3 million square kilometres (890,000 sq mi) of forests around the world were cut down.[6] As of 2005, net deforestation rates had ceased to increase in countries with a per capita GDP of at least US$4,600.[7][8] The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in habitat damage, biodiversity loss, and aridity. Deforestation is more extreme in tropical and subtropical forests in emerging economies. Causes Environmental effects Atmospheric Soil Notes
Rain Forest Environmental Problems Deforestation The largest factor of environmental danger to rain forests is deforestation. Mongabay notes Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations statistics that show 10.4 million hectares of rain forest are destroyed every year. The FAO defines deforestation as "the conversion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction of the tree canopy cover below the minimum 10 percent threshold." Logging and clear-cutting for farming (often referred to as slash-and-burn) both destroy rain forest permanently. Degradation Degradation is also very damaging to the rain forest, but there is a possibility that areas affected to this degree can be converted back into forest. Habitat fragmentation is another example of degradation in the rain forest. Climate Change Global warming affects rain forest on a very large scale.
News: Rain Forest For centuries, humans have relied on rain forests for a variety of products. Foods such as tomatoes, peppers, corn, rice, coconuts, bananas, coffee, cocoa, tapioca, beans, and sweet potatoes all originally came from the rain forest. Many civilizations have exploited the timber in rain forests and cleared the land for farms. Some preliterate tribes have actually lived in the rain forests for thousands of years. Today people rely on tropical rain forests for a variety of everyday products: paper (7 percent of all paper pulp comes from the rain forest); rubber (used in tires and other products); wax (used in plastics); mahogany and teak (used in wood products such as furniture); and many other items. Destructive Activities Unfortunately, human activities have taken a toll on the rain forest. Farming. Cattle ranching also poses a danger to rain forests. Logging. Other activities. Destruction Aftermath Soil and erosion. Flora and fauna. Climate. Copyright © 2002 Grolier Incorporated.
Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses. An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest, which is roughly the size of the country of Panama, are lost each year, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Some other statistics: About half of the world's tropical forests have been cleared (FAO) Forests currently cover about 30 percent of the world’s land mass (National Geographic) Forest loss contributes between 6 percent and 12 percent of annual global carbon dioxide emissions (Nature Geoscience) About 36 football fields worth of trees lost every minute (World Wildlife Fund (WWF)) Deforestation occurs around the world, though tropical rainforests are particularly targeted. NASA predicts that if current deforestation levels proceed, the world's rainforests may be completely in as little as 100 years. Error loading player: No playable sources found Weather vs.
Amazon Rainforest News: Brazil's rainforest faces new threats May 29, 2011Source: GlobalPost Brazil’s environmental movement suffered two major setbacks last week when a gunman shot and killed a leading rainforest activist and the Congress passed a bill that environmentalists believe will trigger another wave of Amazon destruction. Jose Claudio Ribeiro da Silva, an activist from the Amazon state of Para who was engaged in the fight against illegal logging, was gunned down on Tuesday morning alongside his wife Maria do Espírito Santo. The two assassins reportedly cut off the couple’s ears as proof they had successfully completed their mission. Just six months earlier Silva had predicted his own death, telling a conference in Manaus he had received threats from loggers who were preying on the rainforest around his isolated home near the town of Nova Ipixuna. "I could be here today talking to you and in one month you will get the news that I disappeared,” Silva said. “This year the technique was completely different. “I am more than angry,” she said.
Deforestation | Threats Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen and provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter. But forests around the world are under threat from deforestation, jeopardizing these benefits. 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. Deforestation is a particular concern in tropical rainforests because these forests are home to much of the world’s biodiversity. WWF has been working to protect forests for more than 50 years.
Problems in the Amazon Rates of deforestation vary from one Amazon country to another, mostly because the factors that drive this process also vary across the region. In Brazil for instance, most clearing is carried out in large and middle-sized ranches for cattle pasture, whereas the role of small farmers clearing for agriculture is relatively more prevalent in other countries3. Deforestation is particularly marked in areas adjacent to urban centres, roads and rivers. But even remote areas that are considered void of human activity are showing signs of human pressures, especially where mahogany and gold are found.4 Some deforestation, when carried out in private properties, can be legal. According to the Brazilian Forestry Code (a federal law), 20% of rainforest in each property can be cleared under a license provided by environmental agencies. What are the impacts of deforestation? Loss of biodiversity: Species lose their habitat, or can no longer subsist in the small fragments of forests that are left.
Rain Forest In Brazil, which houses 30 percent of the remaining tropical rain forest on Earth, more than 50,000 square miles of rain forest were lost to deforestation between 2000 and 2005. Biologists worry about the long-term consequences. Drought may be one. Some rain forests, including the Amazon, began experiencing drought in the 1990s, possibly due to deforestation and global warming. Efforts to discourage deforestation, mainly through sustainable-logging initiatives, are underway on a very limited basis but have had a negligible impact so far. The rain forest is nearly self-watering. Plants in the rain forest grow very close together and contend with the constant threat of insect predators. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that 70 percent of the anti-cancer plants identified so far are rain forest plants. Many trees and plants, like orchids, have been removed from the rain forest and cultivated.
Why people do slash and burn Amazon Rainforest Destruction There are many reasons the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed, but if you take a closer look all of them share the same principle, profit. For someone that is exploiting the forest and destroying it in the process there is nothing that will change their minds unless they find a more profitable business. Although this is a sad statement it is true and well known. But the local population usually can’t fully understand the environmental issues and how they can affect other people’s lives. They lack information and education, and although this can be solved with special environmental education programs, this doesn’t solve the problem if you don’t provide a means for the people to survive. Take that and the fact that the Amazon population is actually small for the area the forest covers and you will see that the problem is not the local population, but they are just instruments in hands of profit mongers. The businesses that are destroying the forest are also well known.
Deforestation Facts for Kids - The World Counts TheWorldCounts, 22 July, 2014 When you see paper and wood, what do you think of? Do you think of the tree that was felled to make the product? Before we started to build cities many centuries ago, they say that 60% of the Earth was covered in Forests. Now, there is less than 10% left. Deforestation is when forests are converted for other purposes by cutting down the trees to clear the land for other use. What you need to know about Deforestation Can you imagine Earth without forests? 13 million hectares of forest have been cleared for other uses or by natural disaster. More facts: Rainforests cover only 6% of the world’s surface… yet they are home to more than 50% of the plant and animal species on Earth.A patch of rainforest measuring 4 square miles can contain as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 400 species of birds, 750 species of trees and 150 species of butterflies. Why are Rainforests Important? Rainforests help regulate the Earth’s temperature and weather patterns. Reduce. References