amazon rainforest case study (copy)

where is the amazon rainforest

within the amazon river basin and covers 40% of the South American

is it the largest tropical rainforest

yes

what eight South American countries does it include

Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname

how many species of birds and plants life in the amazon

1000 and 60000

how many species of insects live in the amazon

10 million

how many people live there

20 million who use the wood and cut down trees for farms and cattle

how many square miles of land does it cover

2.1 million

what percentage of species is it home to

20%

how many times would the uk and Ireland fit into the amazon

17 times

when did the amazon catch the publics attention

in the 80s when an area the size of Belgium was being cut down and burnt

in 2005 how much rainforest have they lost

17%

what does the amazon do for emerging country Brazil

it helps it make money

how does the amazon help Brazil to make money

building roads into the forest then sending logging companies to take valuable hard woods then farmers burn the rest to make way for cattle pasture

what percentage of cleared areas are used to help make Brazil money

75%

two examples of valuable hard woods

mahogany and cedar

cause of deforestation - subsistence farming

farmers do this for their families only. clear and burn forever and grow crops until soil is exhausted

cause of deforestation - commercial farming

farmers doing the same as subsistence but on a larger scale and for profit

where was affected by deforestation in the 80s and 90s

Mato Grosso in Brazil

how much of the rainforest has been replaced with grain and cattle

area almost 1/2 size of france

what has grain and cattle allowed Brazil to do

overtake Australia as the largest exporter of beef in the world

what is good about the land

it's flat and easy to farm with high temperatures and lots of rainfall

cause of deforestation - logging

selective is cutting down certain valuable trees and clear cutting is clearing the forest

valuable trees example

timber and pulp

timber uses

furniture

pulp uses

paper and paper products

cause of deforestation - road building

trees are cleared for roads - an essential way for the brazillian government to allow development of the amazon rainforest

why do the roads have robbed paved

or they are unsuitable during the wettest periods

name of an amazon road

the trans Amazonian highway

where does the trans Amazonian highway run from

Cuiaba to Santarem

why are the government going to tarmac the trans Amazonian highway

to make it a superhighway

cause of deforestation - mineral extraction

forests are cleared to make huge mines

what do mines contain

iron, manganese, nickel, tin, bauxite, beryllium, copper, lead, tungsten, zinc, gold

cause of deforestation - energy development

mainly using hydro electric power

how does hydro electric power work

there are 150 dams that create electricity as water is passed through pipes within them where it turns a turbine which helps generate electricity

what is hydro electricity used for

often mining

what is wrong with dams

they displace many people and the reservoirs they create flood large areas which would have been forest. they also alter the hydrological cycle and trap huge quantities of sediment behind them

what happens if the trans Amazonian highway becomes a superhighway

untouched forest is more accessible and under threat

reservoir

large natural or artificial lake used as a water supply

example of a dam

Belo Monte dam

when did the Belo Monte dam start operating

april 2016

how much power does the Belo Monte dam produce

11000Mw

what dam has been held up and why

São Luiz do Tapajós because of concerns over the impacts on the local Munduruku people

cause of deforestation - population and settlement

people are migrating to the first looking for work associated with the natural wealth of the environment

example of a settlement

parauapebas - an iron mining town

what is the impact of parauapebas growing rapidly

it destroys forest and replaced it with shanty towns

how much has parauapebas population grown by

154000 in 2010 to 22000 in 2012

what percentage has the amazon rainforest population grown by between 2000 and 2010

23%, 11% above the national average

impacts of deforestation - climate change

burning the forest releases greenhouse gases which contributes to warming the planet

what does loss of trees have to do with climate change

makes it worse because they're not there to soak up the CO2

impacts of deforestation - economic development

exploiting natural riches

why does Brazil want to develop the forest

they have a lot of debt and lots of poor people. they see developing the forest as a good thing to improve lives

impacts of deforestation - soil erosion

the soils are exhausted after the forest is clear so farmers artificially fertilise the soil

impacts of deforestation - soil erosion - what does lack of forest mean to the soils

they're exposed to the rainfall so they are eroded

sustainable uses of the rainforest

agro-forestry, selective logging, education, afforestation, forest reserves, monitoring

sustainable management strategies - selective logging

only choosing highly valued logs so the forest has time to recover

sustainable management strategies - replanting

replanting trees when others are cut down

drawback to selective logging

other trees can be damaged while felled ones are falling to the ground. also some forest has to be cleared for machinery

felled tree

a tree caused to fall

sustainable management strategies - conservation and education

protection, preservation, management or restoration of tropical forests - managing human use

conservation companies

Amazon Region Protected Areas Program, WWF working with the government to protect areas

what can protected areas be used for

education, research and tourism, conservation projects

sustainable management strategies - ecotourism

environmentally friendly tourism

ecotourism key points

people involved seek to protect the environment, education, profits go to conservation, small scale, low visitor densities, local people are employed and involved

ecotourism company example

The Yachana Ecolodge - next to the napa river

How much rainforest does the yachana ecolodge take up

1200 hectares

sustainable management strategies - international agreement about the use of tropical hardwoods

"promotes the expansion and diversification of international trade in tropical timber from sustainable managed and legally harvested forests and to promote the sustainable management of tropical timber producing forests

how many countries have signed up to the international agreement about the use of tropical rainforests

71 countries - sponsored by the United Nations

sustainable management strategies - debt reduction

richer countries pay off poorer countries debts in exchange for conservation of large parts

who first had the idea of conservation swaps

WWF in 1987

how do conservation swaps affect the world

protecting the atmosphere and hydrosphere

highly valued log example

mahogany