9.6 Case Studies

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Objective 1: Causes and Impacts of Deforestation — The Amazon Rainforest (Brazil)

What is Deforestation?

Deforestation means the permanent removal of trees from a forested area, so the land is no longer used as a forest. It is one of the biggest environmental problems in the world today.

The Amazon Rainforest in South America — mostly located in Brazil — is the world's largest tropical rainforest. It covers over 5.5 million km² and is home to around 10% of all species on Earth. Unfortunately, large areas of it have been and continue to be destroyed.

Causes of Deforestation in the Amazon

1. Agriculture — Cattle Ranching

• Large areas of forest are cleared to create grassland (called pasture) for cattle to graze on.
• Brazil is one of the world's biggest exporters of beef, so there is strong economic pressure to create more cattle farms.
• This is the single biggest cause of deforestation in the Amazon.

2. Agriculture — Soya Bean Farming

• Vast areas of cleared land are used to grow soya beans, a crop used to feed livestock around the world and for human food products.
• Global demand for soya beans has increased greatly, encouraging more forest clearing.

3. Logging

• Trees in the Amazon are cut down for their valuable timber (wood), which is sold locally and internationally.
• Sometimes logging is legal (permitted by the government), but a lot is illegal (done without permission).
• Roads built by logging companies open up previously untouched forest to further human activity.

4. Road Building and Infrastructure

• New roads are cut through the forest, making remote areas accessible.
• Once roads exist, settlers, farmers, and miners follow, leading to even more deforestation.

5. Mining

• The Amazon has large deposits of gold, iron ore, and other minerals.
• Mining requires clearing forest and can cause serious pollution of rivers with chemicals like mercury.

6. Hydroelectric Power (HEP) Dams

• Large dams are built on Amazon rivers to generate electricity.
• The reservoirs (artificial lakes) created by these dams flood huge areas of forest, permanently destroying them.

7. Urban Expansion and Settlement

• Growing populations need housing, so towns and cities expand into forested land.
• The Brazilian government has sometimes encouraged poor families to settle in the Amazon, offering them plots of land.