Causes of Deforestation in the AmazonDeforestation is the permanent destruction, of any types of forests in order to make the land available for other and as a result we lose 18 million acres of land every year. The Amazon Rainforest contributes largely to this, due to the rapid land clearing for a variety of reasons. Until recently, deforestation was critically high, and wasn't taken seriously. There is even a Brazilian Legislation stating that it is considered an "effective use" of land, to clear land for crops or fields and is the beginning towards land ownership.
The main causes of deforestation are:
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“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”
- Mahatma Gandhi |
Since the early 1970s, Cattle Ranching has and still is the leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest. Cattle Pastures uses a calculated 91% of deforested land of the Amazon Rainforest since 1970. Furthermore, Cattle Ranching causes about 70% of deforestation at this present time. Since the 1970s, the cattle industry has boomed to high levels, providing Brazil with the largest commercial cattle herd in the world. In 2003, Brazil topped the worlds export chart, with the government planning to double its current exportation of cattle in the market by 2018.
Cattle, provides countries around the Amazon, such as Brazil, a high income, and there isn’t any high maintenance costs. The only problem is the need for vast areas of land. This leads onto farmers, expanding further north, and transforming hectares of lands from forest to cattle pastures. Most of the cattle are exported for Meat, and leather as well as Dairy Products. The prices of Cattle are continuously increasing worldwide making them one of the highest paying goods for Brazil followed by Soy. The Amazon Rainforests provides cheap pasture from clearing and seeding to farmers. However, after a few years, the planted pasture becomes overrun with native grass, which is unsuitable for cattle’s. Most farmers choose the cheaper option and knockdown adjacent forests and move on. This process leads onto the deforestation of the Amazon in large scales, leaving behind a stream of land. When thought through carefully, cattle pastures can be re-used by rotating cattle from pastures and given the land time to re-fertilise. However most farmers, continue into the forest, destroying the Amazon Rainforest. Furthermore, cattle’s are both a highly attractive investment as well as highly liquid capital asset with low marginal costs. Cattles are able to be used to establish land claims, or otherwise known as “unoccupied rainforest land” ad can be used as a hedge against inflation. Colonists and developers are able to gain titles to lands, for example in countries such as Latin America and Brazil, by using cattle. It states in Brazil’s legislation that clearing land for crops or field is considered an “effective use” of land and it is the beginning towards land ownership. These cleared lands, first used for pasture, gives the owner from 5 to 10 times the profit. |
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This graph shows the cattle ranching is the key cause of deforestation in the Amazonian Rainforest Article By Nasa Outlining Key Causes of deforestation
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ "The single biggest direct cause of tropical deforestation is conversion to cropland and pasture, mostly for subsistence, which is growing crops or raising livestock to meet daily needs. In the Amazon, industrial-scale cattle ranching and soybean production for world markets are increasingly important causes of deforestation," |
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Click To enlarge Image This graph highlights the key causes of deforestation ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Click to enlarge Image This picture, highlights the vast area of land that is transformed, for the use of agriculture, and mainly soy production ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Click to Enlarge image This graph shows the impact of agriculture in the rainforest through the study of the relationship between the expansion of soy and the increase in deforestation between 1990 and 2005 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
AgricultureAfter cattle, soy has emerged as one of the most important contributors to the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest from the early 1990s up and to the present. Profits from soy beans, as a result of biofuels, are really high providing a remarkable growth in soybean production in Brazil, creating a pathway to overtake the US in leading soy production and become No.1 Soybean producer. Farms are the cause of about 20% of total Amazon Rainforest deforestation, which is currently increasing due to the increase in food prices, as well as 20% of total CO2 emissions.
Soy production, is one of the largest agricultural productions in Brazil and other countries surrounding the Amazon Rainforest. Soy production both indirectly and directly leads to the destruction of Amazon. Deforestation is caused directly, when soy farmers convert forest land into soy farms for further production. When a forest is converted directly for soy fields, the impacts on such crops is much larger, as it provides the need for new high ways, which increases land values and encourages land speculation, whilst also forcing ranchers and other smaller farmers deeper north into the Amazon Rainforest, leading onto further deforestation. The same process occurs in other commercial agriculture such as rice and sugar cane, which also contribute to deforestation, but much less in comparison to soy production. Finally, poverty is at large in Brazil, and the government, in an attempt to resolve such issue, help such people to create new small farms. Farmers, to clear forests, use fire instead of machinery, as it is much cheaper. This means that a much larger area of the forest is destroyed as well as also releasing a high amount of CO2. If such fires are not controlled properly, the fire is able to spread quickly deeper into the Amazon, destroying the eco system dramatically. |
InfrastructureInfrastructure building is another main cause for the total deforestation in the Amazonian Rainforest. It counts to about 3% of total deforestation, and is playing a key role in an increase in deforestation through other sectors. State policies encourage economic development, such as road and railway expansion projects which have an unintentional, but significant impact in the Amazon. Since the 1970’s over 9000 miles of road have been built throughout the amazon rainforest, which not only endangers the environment, but also the lives of the native Amazonian tribes. The key problem, behind infrastructure building in the Amazon, is the lack of management, good planning and protection. The lack of such key elements is seen in the construction and result of the infamous Trans-Amazonian Highway. Though it was mainly built to connect far places of the land, it also opened up new areas for farming, as well as exploiting quality wood. Transportation and access to isolated lands is much easier, allowing illegal loggers and farmers, to carry out production further into the rainforest. After the highway was completed, deforestation took an unprecedented level, with more forest areas becoming available to clearance.
Furthermore, agricultural subsidies, and tax breaks encourage forest clearing. Global economic factors such as foreign debt and the expanding market for forest timber and fuel encourage deforestation over a much more sustainable land use. Finally, both the access to advanced technology as well as the lack of technology is diminishing the rainforest. Industrial scale agriculture spurs rapid forest clearing while inefficient technology increases damages caused by logging. |
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This is a map of the Trans - Amazonian Highway. As you follow the road throughout the amazon, it becomes visible that the road allows deforestation further into the rainforest, which increases illegal activity. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Click to enlarge both images These images highlight the chaotic result of deforestation towards the forest ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Commercial LoggingLogging is often thought to be a major cause of deforestation, whilst in reality logging only accounts for about 3-4% of total deforestation. Government assessment revel that between 80 – 90% of all forest clearing is illegal.
Tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon are an excellent source for a variety of high quality and expensive wood, providing a reason for many people to turn to illegal logging for a highly profitable business. Trees such as the Samuama, or the Queen of the Forest are being exploited to provide cheap plywood for construction industries. The Amazon is also targeted due to the depletion of forests in the South East Asia and Central Africa, by transnational and domestic corporations. Loggers use false permits, and ignore limitations of legal permits, cut species protect by law, and steal form indigenous land and protected areas. The main reasons that these small/medium scale operations due to the remoteness of the locations and the weak presence of federal environmental agency’s – such as IBAMA and due to the increased highways into the Amazon Rainforest. Corporations use legally approved forest operations in the Amazon, as cover for illegal logging. Loggers, frequently cut logs up the river, away from approved operations, and then floated downstream. The logs are then legalised through forged documents, and claimed to be cut on the property of the forestry operation. Though logging has only about 3-4% of total deforestation, overall it still counts for a large amount, and is still creating a variety of problems. |
OtherThe rest 1% of total deforestation occurs due to a variety of smaller problems. This includes hydroelectric dams as well as Mining operations. To build hydroelectric dams, small areas of the forest, near the river is cleared. The dams, not only cause deforestation, but problems towards the local wildlife. Mining operations started with the Gold Rush in Brazil in the late 1980's. Small areas of land are being converted for the pursuit of gold.
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