hass extended response about landforms

amazon rainforest amazon rainforest amazon rainforest

Where is the Amazon rainforest located?

Brazil, but partially in Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana

How was the Amazon rainforest formed?

1. The land masses of the earth were once fused together as Gondwana, but a large and intense period of volcanic activity began about 184 million years ago which it apart into different continents
2. 2 of the earth's tectonic plates collided, causing the rise of the Andes mountains around 25 million years ago
3. 15 million years ago, a massive freshwater lake was where the current Amazon basin is.
4. During the various ice ages, the water flowed eastward from the Andes, the sea level fell, and the water from the lake drained out into the ocean, causing the amazon river to be born
5. The water flowing from the Andes brought sediments to the basin, which made the soil very fertile, this caused dense vegetation and a more complex ecosystem due to the available resource

What are the main processes for erosion and weathering?

water and wind

What regulates weathering and erosion?

plants and vegetation

What significantly contributes to the erosion and weathering of the basin?

The Amazon river and the system of rivers extending from it.

What worsens soil degradation (physical, chemical, biological decline in soil quality)?

Deforestation, as it removes vegetation that plays a key role in preventing major erosion and weathering. As it increases, it is easier for weathering and erosion to occur, which then worsens soil quality.

This can also cause floods.

What is another issue that can be caused by flooding caused by deforestation?

Flooding can carry large amounts of sediments which further contribute to weathering, and can lead to problems such as blocked dams, destroyed buildings and infrastructure, as well as further damage to vegetation and art.

What are some ways to reduce the impacts of weathering and erosion in the Amazon rainforest?

building set streams or areas for water to go into while being regulated, as well as revegetation and prevention of deforestation

How is the Amazon rainforest affected by tectonic processes?

It is not affected by tectonic processes as it is in the middle of a plate and far away from any plate boundaries, where most tectonic processes occur.

What is the spiritual value of the Amazon rainforest to the local communities?

has a critical connection and value to local religions, as it involves parts of it being involved in the religion, being places of worship, and containing resources that are used in the religious practises

What is the cultural value of the Amazon rainforest?

- to Indigenous communities - a source of food, water, shelter and medicine, as well as a critical connection to religion and culture
- to non - indigenous people - a symbol of pride for the country and national identity

What are some social issues that occur within the Amazon rainforest?

- illegal mining occurs within the amazon rainforest, within indigenous communities on indigenous land
- mercury poisoning, pollution, destruction of environments, inability for local tribes to eat their traditional diets, and bringing diseases such as malaria to communities
- mining has left large pits of water which are breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which contribute to malaria epidemics
- sexual abuse of women and girls has become prominent by the miners, and the younger generations of indigenous people have been exposed to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco which have caused major health issues

What is a solution to the social issues?

key problem here is the intrusion of non-indigenous people, communities and practises onto Indigenous land
○ Empower Indigenous voices within political environments so that they have a larger representation and power within the government of their land
○ Strictly prohibit non indigenous people going onto indigenous land without permission and regulate it,
○ Strictly prohibit mining, logging, and other industrial practises within indigenous lands and areas that may affect indigenous lands
○ Start reforestation programs and cleaning programs to remove toxic chemicals and leftover waste from the environment, as well as programs to plant shrubs and smaller plants in areas that forestation was done
○ Establish additional tax on illegally logged or gathered resources from indigenous lands, but only apply to illegally collected
○ Raise money for the regulation if indigenous areas through the newly established tax laws, and keep on doing so until they are no longer necessary (all wood is logged sustainably and legally)

What is the economic value of the Amazon rainforest?

· 410 USD/ha/year is the estimated value of the amazon rainforest in regard to provision of habitat for species, carbon sequestration, water regulation, recreation and ecotourism to local populations

What is the connection of the Amazon rainforest to the Brazilian economy?

Contributes $8.2 billion a year to Brazil's economy
· Trees are harvested to make palm oil or paper or used for construction purposes
○ A study by 'The International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) found that more than 90% of tropical rainforests are managed poorly or not at all
○ With no enforcement loggers don't treat the environment sustainably because there is no financial benefit
○ Illegal logging makes $10 - 15 billion annually for organised crime but costs the government money

What is the impact of large scale farming on the sustainability Amazon rainforest?

- number one culprit for deforestation
- 340 million tonnes of carbon are released into the atmosphere each year due to cattle farming
- Cattle pastures increase the risk of fires
- Degrades riparian and aquatic landscapes
- Causes the erosion of soil, river siltation (the process of clogging a body of water with sediment), and contamination with organic matter
- Nutrients from the soil are depleted when feeding the animals
- Constant movement of animals across the land also compacts the soil decreasing root penetration, water filtration and gas exchange; making it harder for larger plants to grow and leaving room for shrub encroachment

What is the impact of agricultural practises on the sustainability of the Amazon rainforest?

Slash and burn agriculture used for farming in Brazil near the amazon rainforest is unsustainable
It involves clearing an area of rainforest and then burning existing plants to fertilize the soil and planting the desired crop
The method supports 2-3 years of production, then the farmers move on to other plots of land.
Originally they would come back to the land 25-30 years later and burn the new shrubs that had grown to fertilise the soil again.
Now that time has been cut down, meaning that the crops produced are worse and forcing farmers to cut down more of the forest to make a profit

What is the impact of infrastructure and urban development on the sustainability of the Amazon rainforest?

New roads means uncontrolled migration to otherwise inaccessible areas - means deforestation, land grabbing (quickly getting property, usually by fraud or force), and extractive activities that are unsustainable
Usually when a road is built other roads are built around it increasing deforestation
Major roads increase deforestation by making cattle herding more profitable, meaning that more land is cleared for agricultural purposes
Roads lead to the viability of human settlements in more remote areas - leading to more deforestation
Criminal organisations can use these roads to expand their activities - leads to further environmental degradation

What is the impact of logging on the sustainability of the Amazon rainforest?

- There are laws that allow some areas of the rainforest for logging but most logging in the rainforest is illegal - 80% in the late 1990s
- Some illegal logging practices are: using forged permits, cutting commercially valuable trees that are protected by law, cutting more than authorised quotas, cutting outside concession, stealing from protected areas and indigenous lands
- Legal and sustainable logging can be a source of income for people but most logging in the amazon is illegal and leads to financial losses and habitat fragmentation (when a large habitat gets broken up into lots of smaller chunks that are unconnected, this means that whilst there is some liveable habitat some species wont be able to survive there because they need the bigger space)
- Concessions (the right to exploit timber services in an area for a period of time) don't last very long, meaning that companies don't think about the long-term harvesting of wood and instead rush to make a profit
- Leads to biodiversity loss and overhunting meaning that the land is often used for agricultural purposes afterwards rather than being regrown
- Other trees surrounding the valuable ones are often damaged and erosion following logging removes nutrients from the soil, also negatively affects streams and rivers

What is the impact of mining on the sustainability of the Amazon rainforest?

Mining affects water drainage and pollutes water, impacting the food supply of the indigenous people living there
Wood around mining sites is cut down for charcoal to power plants - means a lot of deforestation
Pollutants such used in mining can affect food sources for local populations
Mercury, a pollutant used in gold extraction is dangerous for the nervous system and foetuses. This was found in 90% of fish caught by rural villages south of gold mining areas in the Tapajos river in Brazil
Miners can encroach on indigenous people's land, causing clashes

What is the Amazon rainforest's connection to climate change?

Changes in climate and logging can cause semi-arid vegetation to occur more, replacing rainforest that has died
This has negative effects on people and the biodiversity of the region

What is a solution for solving environmental sustainability problems?

○ Sustainable urban development such as homes that can house more people in a comfortable environment within cities
○ Stop building new roads into forests as well as only use sustainable transport
○ Reduce cattle farming by replacing the resource by another one
○ No longer clear land for cattle ranches within the rainforest, and only use existing ones
○ Farm animals on land for a certain amount of time, allowing their waste to fertilize the area. Then swap cattle areas out with crop pastures and fertilize those. This means that even with a shorter time to allow land to regenerate it can have the necessary nutrients to produce good crops, not forcing farmers further into the forest.
○ Tighten laws around logging and raise money for the government to enforce them until the tax they make off the now legal logging is enough to pay for the regulation
○ Make sure to hold companies accountable for their use of land during commission, otherwise they have to pay a hefty fine
○ Minimise demand for tropical wood and reduce the amount logged
○ Regulate mining more and make any refinement processes illegal to do within the rainforest itself. Use sustainable methods of transport such as electric vehicles to transport extracted rock away so that we do not make the carbon footprint of the amazon rainforest higher