Deforestation In Brazil's Amozon Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest is an ecosystem that holds an extremely diverse array of plants and animals. It is located in the northern and central portion of South America, mainly in Brazil. It took thousands of years for it to become the way it is, and it stood peacefully up until last century. People began cutting it down for the economical advancement of their country, many people are still unaware of the impact this will cause. Some of the reasons deforestation occurs are population growth and logging. These reasons benefit Brazil’s economy, unfortunately they are in turn devastating the earth’s environment. We must stop deforestation; the rainforest is home to millions of creatures and it acts like a filter for the entire planet.

The biggest issue concerning deforestation in Brazil and the Amazon is an economic one. When an economically struggling country has a choice between logging a forest to sell timber for high profits and leaving the forest intact without monetary compensation, the nation usually chooses the profitable alternative. This is because immediate economic gains are more important than future environmental costs (Miller, 1987, 59). Brazilians believe tha

In addition to that there is the biodiversity issue. Researcher Howard Facklam states, "It was estimated at one point in the 1980s that such forest lands were being cleared at the rate of 50 acres a minute; another estimate put the rate at more than 200,000 sq km (more than 78,000 sq mi) a year. In 1993, satellite data provided the rate of deforestation could result in the extinction of as many as 750,000 species, which would mean the loss of a multiplicity of products: food, fibers, medical drugs, dyes, gums, and resins" (Facklam, 1990, 53). So what kind of condition will the forests be in the year 2050? If this rate of deforestation continues, there will be no tropical rain forest in the year 2050. Therefore, preservation needs to occur now in order stop the terrible loss of the rain forests and all that it can provide. Some help can come from proper harvesting methods, Instead of clear-cutting (removal of all trees), selection cutting (removal of selected mature trees) could be done, and reforestation, either naturally from seed trees or artificially by planting, would help. The rate and frequency of any cutting should aim for sustained production over an indefinite period. Another principle of conservation is complete use of all trees harvested. Technological advances, such as particleboard and gluing, have created such uses for branches, defective logs, trees too small to be milled into boards, and so-called inferior trees (Cappon, 1990, 89).

Some governments have started to make an effort in preservation of the rain forests. For example, in June 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, commonly known as the Earth Summit, convened for 12 days on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Earth Summit developed and legitimized a broad agenda for environmental, economic and political change. The purposes of the conference were to identify long-term environmental reforms and to initiate processes for their international implementation and supervision. Conventions were held to discuss and adopt documents on the environment. The major topics covered by these conventions included climate change, biodiversity, forest protections, Agenda 21 (a 900-page blueprint for environmental development), and the Rio Declaration (a six-page statement that called for integrating the environment with economic development). The Earth Summit was a historic event of great significance. Not only did it make the environment a priority on the world's agenda, but delegates from 179 countries attended, making it the largest conference ever held (Microsoft Encarta, "Environment"). However, despite great interest in the environment, environmental education still needs more focus. According to conservationist Raymond Dasmann: To reduce environmental degradation and for humanity to save its habitat, societies must recognize that the environment is finite. Environmentalists believe that, as populations and their demands increase, the idea of continuous growth must give way to a more rational use of the environment, but that this can be accomplished only by a dram

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