Amazon Rainforest

Overview

The Amazon Rainforest accounts for more than 40% of South America and stretches across the countries of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. Consisting of 1.4 billion acres of rainforest and covering 6% of the world's surface, the Amazon is considered to hold more biodiversity than any other terrestrial biome. There are over 20,000 plant species in the rainforest, 8,000 of which are endemic. Furthermore, there are approximately 1,300 animal species, 567 of which are endemic. Additionally, the Amazon Rainforest makes up half of Earth's remaining tropical forests and serves as a carbon sink, holding 90-140 million tons of carbon, reducing the planet's greenhouse gas emissions. As vegetation and trees contribute largely to the health of the planet through neutralizing climate change effects, deforestation is not only a primary threat to the preservation of this precious biome, but to the Earth as a whole. Therefore, it is crucial that humanity puts forth a strong effort to Amazon Rainforest.

http://www.worldculturepictorial.com/images/content_2/amazon_rainforest.jpg

http://worldwildlife.org/places/amazon

History

http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/extent-of-deforestation-in-borneo-1950-2005-and-projection-towards-2020_119c

Currently comprising approximately 1.6 billion acres of land, the Amazon Rainforest has already suffered a loss of 58 million acres. Since the time European colonization began (450 years ago), the last 40 years have been the most detrimental with a reduction of nearly 20%. A majority of this reduction is due to deforestation. During the 1970s Brazil's military dictatorship implemented a policy that promoted destruction of the Amazon in favor of economic benefits. The policy nicknamed "integrar para nao entregar," or "occupy it or risk losing it," distributed land among citizens and encouraged logging, ranching, and other industrial uses. The punishments for not using the land effectively were harsh; if there was no productive land activity within five years, the government reclaimed the land. Brazil's environmentally harmful stance on the Amazon in the 1970s began the controversy over destroying rainforest land for economically beneficial industrial uses versus conserving it for environmental purposes.

Human Impacts: Ugly

The main human impact on the Amazon Rainforest is deforestation. Humans deforest to create land for small-scale agriculture (subsistence agriculture), large-scale agriculture (commercial agriculture), cattle ranching, and logging. These industries provide people with the resources and food they need to survive. The graph below illustrates the impact each of these industries has on the Amazon Rainforest.

http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0803.htm

As shown in the graph, cattle ranching is the leading cause of deforestation. In 2005, it was responsible for 40% of deforestation, but today the number is closer to 60%. In particular, the Brazilian Rainforest has more than 214,000 square miles of pasture and is the largest exporter of beef.

Subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 15-20% of deforestation, is a more sustainable, small-scale method of farming. Farmers typically use the slash-and-burn technique to create fertile land, which is less harmful to the environment.

On the other hand, commercial agriculture, which also accounts for 15-20% of deforestation, is executed on large scales and crops are typically planted in monoculture. Monoculture depletes soil fertility more quickly and permanently. These harmful methods have a more detrimental effect on the environment and health of the rainforest.

Although logging in the Amazon is supposed to be controlled by strict licensing, illegal logging is very common, making it responsible for 5-8% of deforestation. Additionally, logging is tightly associated with road building, which is another contributing factor of deforestation. The new roads that are built in rain forests uncover previously protected areas, which leads to more logging.
Other activities that have impacted deforestation include hydroelectric projects, such as the building of dams and mining. Expansions of urban life and infrastructure can also be a cause of uncontrollable fires, which tropical rainforests are not adapted to.

worldwildlife.org/places/amazon

The Future

The future of the Amazon Rainforest is very uncertain. A team of scientists predicted what the rainforest would look like in forty years by creating four scenarios under different levels of government forest regulation, ranging from "business as usual" (meaning there is no change in policies), little regulations, some regulations, and strong regulations (which would reduce deforestation by 80% by 2020). Under the most likely scenario, some regulation, an average of 19 endemic species would become extinct. In the worst-case scenario, no regulation, almost all local species would disappear. Furthermore, Brazil's president, Dilma Rouseff, recently implemented a new Forest Code that allows expansion for the agriculture industry into the rainforest and partially pardons past forest criminals, making the future for the Amazon look rather grim. Global warming is also negatively affecting the Amazon Rainforest; as temperatures rise and precipitation varies, plants and animals are having difficulty adapting and some species populations are drastically reducing in number.
However, the amount of protected areas in the Amazon is growing. Approximately two million square kilometers (44%) of the Amazon is under protection. Even with the vast amounts of protected areas, the Amazon rainforest still suffers from illegal logging and poor management. Between 1998 and 2009, more than 12,000 square kilometers of these protected areas were deforested. Despite this, Brazil has experienced a major decline in deforestation since the 1970s. Although this decline is significant, it is important to realize deforestation is still happening and hurting the rainforest, and cannot be stopped without human interference.

http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0420-protected_amazon.html

What is Being Done

In response to President Rouseff's approval of the environmentally harmful Forest Code, Brazil citizens have began the Zero Deforestation initiative. 600,000 people have already signed this petition and if 1.4 million people sign it, the Zero Deforestation initiative could become law. With public support, the passing of this law would have greatly reduce deforestation rates of the Amazon Rainforest. However, these laws will do nothing if they are not enforced. The most important improvement that could be made to preserve the Amazon Rainforest involves the enforcement of laws and better management of already protected areas. Stricter enforcement and punishment will reduce encroachment on these areas. In addition, educating local citizens about why the Amazon is important and what can be done to protect it is crucial. Groups like the Amazon Conservation Team are educating indigenous people in hopes of them being able to monitor, manage, and protect their forests. Also, organizations such as Green Peace are constantly fundraising money to purchase more land to keep it under their protection.

It is unrealistic to expect humans to drop their economic goals and completely stop deforesting, however, there are improvements that can be made to benefit the economy while using the rainforest more sustainably. Increased involvement from local communities and central governments can help enforce existing regulations that encourage more sustainable practices. Additionally, limiting and diversifying exports alleviates stress put on the Amazon rainforest. Finally, introduction and growth in the Palm oil industry puts further use to old, depleted pasture land, creates jobs, stimulates the economy, and reduces the need of cattle ranching. This industry not only reduces deforestation, but creates more vegetation.
Furthermore, it is a renewable resource and can develop on previously used land.

picture: http://www.celsias.com/media/uploads/admin/palmoilplantation.JPG

To see more about the Amazon Conservation Team, watch this video we found interesting: http://www.kikim.com/xml/projects.php?projectId=93

References

http://www.amazonteam.org/

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/in_brazil_palm_oil_plantations_could_help_preserve_amazon/2415/

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/last-of-amazon/#page=4

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/brazil-votes-but-future-of-the-amazon/blog/42654/