DEFROESTATION IN THE AMAZON

G1-OC Class

Yisel & Maggie

May,2010

Quiz• Which country has the biggest portion of the

Amazon rainforest?

- Brazil• What amount of the world’s fresh water is in the

Amazon River basin?

- 20%• How many countries have part of the Amazon

within their borders?

- nine• Which is the only river in the world longer than

the Amazon.

- Nile in Africa

Agenda

• Background

• History

• Causes

• Effects

• Solutions

• Conclusion

• References

What is deforestation?

• By logging and burning

Where is the Amazon?

Lungs of our planet

• The ninth largest if it were a country

• Recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen

• More than 20% of Earth’s oxygen

• 10 million species : plants, animals, and insects

• One-fifth of the world’s fresh water

History

1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Europeans

1888 1912

Rubber production

1967 1988

Government policies

1994

Environmental movement

1995

new government incentives

2003

Brazilian cattle exports outpaceDomestic markets

Breakdown of Causes

Government policies

• Land grants for deforesting and colonizing

• Credit and tax incentives for cattle ranching

• Roads built through the Amazon that increase access

Other causes

• Historic Factors : war, industrialization, colonization, etc.

• Population Growth : more people → more inhabited land → more deforestation

• Urbanization : city area increases → forest recede

South America has highly urban populations. Urbanization levels are expected to reach 85 per cent by the year 2025

Other causes• Climate change : climate change → local vegetation

recede → deforestation

• Green house effect

• CO, Emission increase

cause : the clearing of land for cattle, the need for land in increased soybean production, illegal logging.

Effects

Rondônia, Brazil. Top:June 1985Bottom: August 1992

Effects

• Loss of biodiversity : no trees → no shelter → no animals

• Soil erosion : no trees → no beneficial soil

• Ground water table : no soil or less soil → retain no or less water → the ground water levels

reduced

• Floods : no trees → no (major) obstruction to flowing water →no chance to percolate into the ground→ cause

flood

• Drought : water gone by flood / evaporation → drought

• Less carbon conversion : contributing to global warming

Solutions

• Reforestation• Legislation

• Wildlife sanctuaries• Cities

• Incentive to Corporate• Commercial Forest Plantations

• Water Management

What can be done? • Avoid beef products

from Brazil!• Recycling : more recycle →

less disposable products → decrease deforestation

• Gas fireplaces : Use gas → less wood → deforestation decrease

• International Workshop on Solutions to Deforestation for Cattle Expansion is on Facebook

Conclusion

• Background

• History

• Causes

• Effects

• Solutions

References• http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html• news.mongabay.com/2005/0827-brazil.html• http://www.earthportal.org/?p=143• http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm• www.unep.org/geo2000/ov-e/ioe9.htm• www.realtruth.org/080207-001-weather.html• www.france24.com/en/node/4934720• www.all-creatures.org/hope/gw/02_bio-fuels.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Rainforest• http://www.buzzle.com/articles/deforestation-solutions.html• http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Workshop-on-

Solutions-to-Deforestation-for-Cattle-Expansion/117348320487