You are on page 1of 11

Deforestation 1

Selman Ahmed Vanessa Aguiree Christopher Cisneros Stephanie Hernandez Ellen Harris Jared Sewak Cecily Rowley ENGL 1010 4/30/14 Deforestation in Brazil Do you know what deforestation is, or what it does to our environment? Deforestation is the clearing of forests on a massive scale. It is also the destruction of trees without them being restored at the same rate. This action adjusts the hydrologic cycle which changes the amount of groundwater and vapor in the atmosphere. Deforestation is able to ruin soil, change to desertification, contaminate the waterways, and reduce the variety of life in habitats. A few of the main environmental problems connected with deforestation are biodiversity, insufficiency of soil that passed down to be watery, growth in temperature limits, smaller recycling of water, global warming, desertification, and soil consumption. Forests are the foundation of biodiversity, accommodating large amounts of wildlife. This is a large problem and will having a large impact on the Earth if not dealt with properly. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land, but swaths the size of Panama are lost each and every year (National Geographic, n.d.). People often forget the significance of trees. We need them for survival. Trees are a crucial part of the Carbon Cycle, a global process in which carbon dioxide constantly circulates through the atmosphere into organism and back again (Naseem, 2011). Trees are commonly used in items such as paper, musical instruments and furniture. Trees are a main source of materials in lots of products that are made and used today.

Deforestation 2

Drought has become a big issue with deforestation. Without the proper amount of water fed to the trees they begin to die out. The more trees that die out, the less water that is able to be produced... ...during the dry season, trees regulate and anchor the dirt b y releasing water. Deforestation areas, however, are liable to chronic droughts that obstruct river navigation, disrupt industrial operations and kill crop production altogether. Furthermore, trees add humidity into the air through transpiration---but the lack of trees results in the lack of moisture in the air (Naseem, 2011). If we don't have rain or any trees the land becomes dry and cannot be used to grow crops anymore. These are just some of the many reasons why we should leave our forests alone. Whether or not we live close or near forests it affects us every time we breathe in the air around us or when we eat fruits or vegetables. Deforestation is a serious issue that is getting out of hand.

Agriculture Agriculture is as old as civilization itself. There will always be a need for it as long as people are expanding and growing. Farming is an essential to all life on Earth. Without the ability to farm, a vast amount of life on Earth would not be in existence. One particular type of agriculture, Slash and burn, is deadly to farmers and forests. It is something that should not be taken lightly. Slash and burn is where the forest that is around the area is forcefully and brutally removed. The people removing forests will cut down the trees in the area, leave it on the ground, and then burn it. They do this for few reasons: one reason is they need to remove the trees and vegetation is for space. The other reason for the removal of the trees is to clear room for farming.

Deforestation 3

Using the Slash and Burn process enables the local population to restore nutrients to the infertile soil, allowing it to be used for crop production in the future. Forests do not have that fertile of ground soil because all of the present vegetation has pulled most of the nutrients out of the ground. The process of burning it down is to return the nutrients to the soil, but this is one of the most ineffective ways to do so. Today, around 7% of the population uses these techniques. And have been using them around 12,000 years. (Stief, n.d.) The main problem with the slash and burn technique is the loss of the forest. This is because it can be detrimental to the area being purged. Deforestation causes huge fluxes in biodiversity and in some cases extinction of plants and animals, which also adds to the loss of the species habitat and will push them into even more archaic situations. Land erosion is another major concern. This causes landslides, nutrient loss, and in some cases the earths surface cannot recover for thousands, due to years of agriculture. To some people, this is a way of life. There is always going to be a need for cultivation, especially when these deep forests are surrounding some of the poorest people in the world. Underdeveloped countries or societies really need to rely on these types of cultivation techniques just to survive.

Desertification Desertification is not the expansion of already existing deserts, but the creations of new desert areas. In these areas the agriculture was once healthy, but has been destroyed. Results show that 38% of the world is made up of regions that are in risk of desertification. (Vzquez, 2010) That is about one third of the world. It affects the

Deforestation 4

production of Brazil, the economy, human poverty and starvation. Deforestation causes desertification to occur. Brazil is a large country with the population about 201 million and increasing. (CIA Library, 2014) With the population increasing, the poverty and starvation rates are going up as well. This is due to the fact that desertification is occurring. With the land not having healthy soil, it will not be possible to grow successful crops in these areas. The farmers do not let the land replenish itself, so it becomes unable to be used. Brazil is one of the major exporters in the world. They produce a variety of different products such as bananas, soybeans, wheat, rice, sugarcane, citrus and are also a big producer of coffee. Farmers are not able to sell crops because of the lack of growth on the poisoned soil. This hurts Brazils economy because they export about 242 billion dollars of products. (Statista, 2014) With the percentages of crops going down they will not be able to invest that money, and if the money is not invested it cannot be cycled through which will end up taking money out of their economy. People who live in these affected areas are living in poverty. They go through flooding, have poor water quality, dust storms, and pollution. The people also die of starvation and are losing their jobs. This makes them unable to supply themselves with all of the things they to either replenish a farm or survive. This is all because desertification is occurring, and the soil is becoming unable to use.

Plant and Animals Typically in a rainforest there are different kinds of plants and animals that rely on their surroundings for survival. For example, an orangutan will feed off of leaves and fruit provided by the trees in the rainforest. There are hundreds of animals, insects, and plants

Deforestation 5

that are heading towards extinction and many of them are caused by Destruction of ecosystems, hunting, and fishing, and population being concentrated (Jyotsna, 2012). The wildlife heading towards extinction ranges from beetles to euglossine bees, gray mice to jaguars and gorillas, to manatees. Brazils rainforest is home to approximately 1,700 bird species, 650 reptile species, and almost 600 mammal species (Williams, 2012) All animals feed off their surroundings and on other animals. Its the circle of life. With the destruction of the forest that they live off of it means that they will have to relocate. And if they cannot adapt to their new location they die off. ...there are only close to 15,000 jaguars that are alive in conservation as well as the wild. (Jyotsna, 2012) A lot of the animals are either killed for their fur or tusks. Another reason why the animals of the Amazon are be depleting is because their habitats are being destroyed by deforestation. If we keep cutting down the trees we are also killing plants that are essential to the animals and even us.

The Economy The deforestation in Brazil not only impacts wildlife and people, it impacts the economy of Brazil. When the amazon is cut down the local economy suffers greatly. About 300 communities in the amazon suffer through what is called a boom and bust (Brahic, 2009). A reason why the deforestation of the Amazon continues is because of a large portion of people living under the poverty line. Farmers and other people will make desperate attempts to make money so they begin to chop down the rainforest for income. The boom and bust is where the economy does extremely well for a short period of time and then fails. It reverts back to how it was before the deforestation began or making the conditions worse. Desperate farmers in the area are willing to cut down the rainforest to make way for more crops. Once the trees are cut down they can use them to make money

Deforestation 6

off of their parts. During the process of deforestation the local areas around the amazon become more populated due to the easy and quick way to make money. Money starts pouring into the city creating better roads and other items. This is what is considered the boom. Once the areas are filled with people chopping down the amazon the forests begin to deteriorate. Once farmers have settled into the new area where the trees were cut down a new problem develops. After a short time the soil in the areas where the farmers have planted their crops becomes unsustainable. The soil becomes useless and drives the farmers to abandon their farms. When people start leaving the area, the money that was once pouring into the community stops. People then leave the area and move onto new places where they can find work, leaving the place that they were in bad a condition. This is considered the bust. The boom and bust problem is the biggest problem economically with the communities surrounding the amazon. This problem continues everyday. It keeps the people in the area in poverty and doesnt actually help the economy in the areas. It may skyrocket for a small amount of time, but after a while it will go back down to what it was a leave the city the way it was found. This problem contributes a lot as to why the amazon is being chopped down.

Poverty When considering all possible causes of deforestation we must consider poverty as well. Poverty, especially in developing countries, is possibly the largest cause of deforestation. Many things work injunction to keep a society stable. A few major causes for

Deforestation 7

poverty are: lack of infrastructure, resources for trade and export, the overall economics of the country, and a governments stability. (The Free Dictionary, 2010) Developing countries often have one thing in common, high birth rates. This is because in developing countries the mortality rate is also high. Families need to produce lots of children to offset infant mortality. Having many children insures success in having few survive. Families are looked at in a practical way. The more children you have the more hands you have for farming and labor. It is also expected of the children to take care of the adults when they become sick or old and unable to work. This is cause for concern because it can contribute to overpopulation which is due to lack of medical facilities or access thereof. In Brazil, the major resource is their land for crops, and trees for wood. When living poorly, people turn to agriculture to survive. Becoming self-sufficient in these environments is important to their way of life. Farming provided a stable way to meet the needs of the society and families in the area, providing food, shelter, and business. The dilemma we see here with agriculture is the clearing of land. In the Brazilian Amazon, the most common means of clearing land is fire. This provides all sorts of complications. Endangering the people, fires can quickly become uncontrollable. This also damages the environment as well as their creature inhabitants. While fire is a natural thing and can be good for the earths fertility, it can also bring much destruction. A governments stability is another important factor to consider. If combined with taxes, trade and export with other countries, a government can flourish and provide services for its citizens. A few benefits from government are laws, medical facilities, sanitation facilities, programs for agricultural development, and resource management. These are great examples from our country the United States.

Deforestation 8

Solution A short term solution that can be taken into affect to stop deforestation would be to recycle more. If everyone began to recycle more often this could have a positive effect on the deforestation in Brazil. Fewer trees would have to be cut down in order to produce certain goods. Once fewer trees are being used we could begin to replenish the Amazon rainforests. Some of our countrys great programs for resource and land management are the Division of Wildlife Resources, and Bureau of Land Management. Each of our states has these two programs, they work in junction with our government to help protect our resources. DNR is mostly in charge or wildlife preservation, they allow fishing and hunting in controlled circumstances. They study an area, the animal population and allow hunting permits for a way to control animal population. They take into account disease, predator count, and natural instances to help determine population growth. Hunters Safety also teaches against poaching practices, wildlife safety, and environmental protection. The Bureau of Land Management works similarly to DNR. With great programs like these, through the government, a society can protect its assets and prevent poverty from the exploitation of limited resources. If you over exploit a resource without protecting it or replacing it, you can destroy your future as a country. These are great wildlife preservation programs that can be mimicked by South America. If Brazil was given a boost to get these programs going, the economy may see some great changes. This can be a great long term solution to part of the Amazons deforestation problem. There is a way around this problem and the disaster that it is doing to the planet, but the road is going to be long and not as easy as just stopping all the deforestation or even one of these problems. This is because if you just push one of these issues like nutrient

Deforestation 9

loss, the rest such as land erosion, deforestation, and other will follow. People need to eat and people need to expand, it is essential. We all need to make sure that the message is clear, and that this is absolutely bad for the community and the planet.

Deforestation 10

Works Cited
Barbier, E. B. (1998, November 18). DEFORESTATION, LAND DEGRADATION AND RURAL POVERTY IN LATIN AMERICA: EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE. Retrieved April 2014, from http://www.ipea.gov.br/: http://www.ipea.gov.br/ppp/index.php/PPP/article/view/102 Brahic, C. (2009, Jjune 11). Amazon Deforestation Leads to Economic Boom and Bust. Retrieved April 2014, from New Scientist: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17298-amazondeforestation-leads-to-economic-boom-and-bust.html#.U16PY-3nYdU CIA Library, G. (2014, March 27). The World Factbook - Brazil. Retrieved April 2014, from Central Intelligence Agency [US]: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/br.html http://www.unesco.org/. (n.d). How does desertification occur? Retrieved April 2014, from http://www.unesco.org/: http://www.unesco.org/mab/doc/ekocd/chapter3.html Jyotsna. (2012, February 24). Most Endangered Species in Amazon Rainforest. Retrieved April 2014, from Green Buzz: http://greenbuzzz.com/nature/most-endangered-species-in-amazon-rainforest/ Merchant, B. (2010, February 10). 38% of World's Land in Danger of Turning into Desert. Retrieved April 2014, from http://www.treehugger.com/: http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/38-ofworlds-land-in-danger-of-turning-into-desert.html Naseem, S. (2011, April 12). Retrieved April 2014, from Nature.com: http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/our-science/no_trees_no_humans National Geographic. (n.d.). Deforestation Facts, Deforestation Information, Effects of Deforestation. Retrieved April 2014, from National Geograpgic: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestationoverview/ Statista. (2014). Brazil: Export of goods from 2002 to 2012 (in billion U.S. dollars). Retrieved April 2014, from Statista: http://www.statista.com/statistics/263660/export-of-goods-from-brazil/ Stief, C. (n.d.). How Slash and Burn Agriculture Affects Geography. Retrieved April 2014, from About.com Geography: http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/slashburn.htm Szalay, J. (2013, March). Deforestation Facts, Causes and Effects. Retrieved April 2014, from Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html The Free Dictionary. (2010). Infrastructure. Retrieved April 2014, from TheFreeDictionary.com: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/infrastructure tripod.com. (n.d.). Causes and Effects of Desertification. Retrieved April 2014, from http://desertificationb.tripod.com/: http://desertificationb.tripod.com/id3.html

Deforestation 11 U.S. Bureau of Land Management. (2014, April). National Conservation Lands. Retrieved April 2014, from U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html U.S. Library of Congress. (n.d.). The Environment. Retrieved April 2014, from Country Studies Brazil: http://countrystudies.us/brazil/25.htm Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. (2014, n.d.). About Us. Retrieved April 2014, from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources: http://wildlife.utah.gov/about-us.html Vzquez, N. (2010, February 10). Thirty-eight percent of world's surface in danger of desertification. Retrieved April 2014, from ScienceDaily.com: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209183133.htm Wikipedia. (2013, March). Deforesation in Brazil. Retrieved April 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_in_Brazil Williams, A. (2012, February 24). ANIMALS IN BRAZIL'S RAINFOREST. Retrieved April 2014, from PawNation: http://animals.pawnation.com/animals-brazils-rainforest-5380.html

You might also like