... time high in the Brazilian Amazon in 1995 (29,000square kilometers - an area of about the size of Belgium). The government estimates that 80% of the timber in the region is harvested illegally. As for Brazil's industry, commercial logging is one big cause of deforestation and the demand for ... the world's food crops are based on a mere 9 species of plants, but in the future, any of the thousands of species in the tropics may prove invaluable. The diversity of animal life between the Amazon and its tributaries is equally abundant. Most of it is concentrated in the treetops about 150 feet...

• Word Count: 2087
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate