De Blij, Muler, Nijman. Regions. Geography realms, regions and concepts. Chapter. The South American Realm. Page 241-242. Section:Economic Geography. Agriculture Land Use and Deforestation.
Friday, September 27, 2013
How to Help
Although there are no set ways to
end deforestation in the Brazilian amazon, we can take steps to help with the
cause. There are many nonprofit organizations that strive to end the
deforestation process. Some of those organizations include:
1 Conservation
International -- teaches local farmers how to maximize their existing land,
rather than clear new areas
2. The World Wildlife Fund -- works to shape policies and teams with communities to preserve forests
3. Rainforest Action Network -- uses in-your-face advertising campaigns to call attention to the rainforests
4. The Environmental Defense Fund -- champions government bills that provide financial incentive to private landowners (such as farmers) who practice land conservation
5. The Sierra Club -- works to protect and restore U.S. forests
6. Amazon Watch -- defends the rights of indigenous people and communities faced with industrial development
7. The Nature Conservancy -- has developed several initiatives to advance conservation
2. The World Wildlife Fund -- works to shape policies and teams with communities to preserve forests
3. Rainforest Action Network -- uses in-your-face advertising campaigns to call attention to the rainforests
4. The Environmental Defense Fund -- champions government bills that provide financial incentive to private landowners (such as farmers) who practice land conservation
5. The Sierra Club -- works to protect and restore U.S. forests
6. Amazon Watch -- defends the rights of indigenous people and communities faced with industrial development
7. The Nature Conservancy -- has developed several initiatives to advance conservation
Major impacts
All of these diverse forms of
deforestation are having several different impacts on our environment, and our
amazons. These forests that make up our Amazons are each important, to the
carbon amounts and water cycle that contribute to natural life on earth. By
knocking down these trees (Logging), we are having a loss of species. Burning
the trees is causing an increase of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, which
is leading to climate change. Because trees have such an important part in the
water cycle, cutting down the forests is causing the climates to become drier.
Then, lastly, by affecting the water systems deforestation is causing the life
quality in these amazons to decrease rapidly, which contributes to poor health
for the population of these areas.
Location: Amazon territories
Date: 2008
Chapter/ Page Relevance: "The
South American Realm" Chapter,
"Agriculture Land Use and
Deforestation" Section (Pg. 243)
Key terms/ Concepts: Climate
Change, Quality of life, population
Fires
According to the “National Space
Research Institute,” in 1995 burning and logging destroyed more rain forests in
Brazil than in any other previous years. Although most of these fires are set
to abolish the forests, some are simply caused by farmers attempting to burn
their pastures. One of the main issues deforestation by burning brings is the increase
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These trees that are being burned down
each contain twenty percent carbon dioxide, which when burnt down, adds about
six billion tons of the damaging gas to enter the atmosphere each year. This
leads up to concerns, such as Global Warming, that in turn later leads to climate
change.
Location: Amazon Rain forest
Date: 2000-2005
Chapter/ Page Relevance: "The
South American Realm" Chapter,
"Agriculture Land Use and
Deforestation" Section (Pg. 241)
Key terms/ Concepts: Climate (Pg.
15), Climate Change
Logging
Logging is another cause that is
leading to deforestation. Logging is the cutting down of trees for things such
as, products for fuel, or for harvesting lumber for wood, and many other factors.
Like other causes of deforestation, logging has a huge effect on the environment
in several ways. A recent study was done in the Tapajós National Forest in the
Brazilian Amazon, to see how the logged areas would reconstruct after being
torn down. The study showed that after the logging occurs, there is a growth stimulated;
however it only survived a small period of time, and by three years the growth
had stopped. As a result, once the logging is completed, we can never full gain
back these parts of our Amazon.
Location: RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil
Date: February 27, 2008
Chapter/ Page Relevance: "The
South American Realm" Chapter,
"Agriculture Land Use and
Deforestation" Section (Pg. 242)
Key terms/ Concepts: Logging,
Amazon
Small scale and Large Scale Agriculture
Small Scale and Large Scale
Agriculture are also a part of deforestation causes. Small Scale or, Subsistence
agriculture, deals with cutting down trees but mainly for farming families.
This is about twenty to twenty five percent of deforestation causes. While large Scale commercial agriculture, or
more commonly known as Commercial farming, is a type of farming that is performed
on a larger scale. These farmers use machines such as tractors and harvesters
to clear out the areas and begin their farming. In Latin America, Commercial
farming takes up about five to ten percent of the deforestation causes. Studies
show that two thirds of all cut forests are due to this agriculture.
Location: Amazon Basin/Brazil
Date: 2010/February 17th
Chapter/ Page Relevance:
"The South American Realm" Chapter,
"Agriculture Land Use and
Deforestation" Section (Pg. 242)
Key terms/ Concepts:
Subsistence agriculture, Commercial Agriculture
Large Scale, Small Scale
farming
Cattle Ranching
Although there are many causes of
deforestation, today the most common source is Cattle Ranching in the area. Once
government procedures started to change, along with the new roads, cattle ranchers’
began to settle. The beef market in Brazil is one of the highest leading
industries, reasons for that would be the decline of real estate prices, and
the increase of prices on beef products. Also, because the government was so encouraging
for these ranchers to begin their farming, many jumped right in to the process.
This of course caused deforestation by cattle ranching to rise quickly.
However, according to the National Wildlife Federation, many steps have been
taking to change the impact cattle ranching has on our deforestation rates.
Date: 2004
Chapter/ Page Relevance: "The
South American Realm" Chapter,
"Agriculture Land Use and
Deforestation" Section (Pg. 241)
Key terms/ Concepts: Cattle
Ranching, Large Scale Agriculture
Small Scale Agriculture, Logging,
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