About half of the precipitation that falls in the Amazon originates from the Atlantic Ocean, the other half comes from evapotranspiration from the forest itself and associated convectional storms. Rainfall in the lowlands typically ranges from 1,500 to 3,000 millimetres (60 to 120 inches) annually in the central Amazon basin. On the eastern and western margins of the basin, rainfall occurs throughout the year, whereas in the central part of the basin there is a definite drier period, usually from June to November. However this dry season is not sufficiently intense to arrest plant growth.
Since “World War 2” the economic development of the Amazon basin has been high on the agenda of every country of which it is a part of. From the mid 1940’s onward a number of penetration roads have been built into the Amazon Rainforest. These penetration roads have served to facilitate development of major oil discoveries and timber resources. Which bring much needed economic development to the countries of the Amazon region. The penetration roads have also severed to be an escape route for landless peasants.
The opening of the Amazon basin has been pursued most aggressively in Brazil. In the mid 1950’s the decision was taken to refocus the country toward it’s interior by constructing a new inland capital, Brasilia. This was the initiation of a massive road-building program that was aimed at integrating the north with the rest of Brazil while establishing an escape route for the crowded and drought stricken northeast. A 3,400-mile all weather Transamazonian Highway from the Atlantic port of Recife to Cruzerio do sol on the Peruvian border was completed in 1964. The Transamazonian Highway was to provide the frame for a network of nearly 20,000 miles of highways and feeder routes that were to supersede the traditional fluvial transport system.
The government had planned to resettle 100,000 families along the Transamazonian Highway, but this goal was not reached.
Disillusioned by the Transamazonian experience, the government shifted it’s emphasis to encouraging large-scale multinational companies to log trees, develop mining operations, ranches and paper mills. Since this move the Amazon has proved to be a profit heaven for both the Brazilian government and the profit driven multi-national companies of the northern hemisphere.
Brazil sits on one of the world’s largest reserves of iron ore and has ample gold, semiprecious and precious stones, natural gas and oil. These provide much needed money to service the government’s debts.
Logging rainforests is a large economic source, and in many cases the main source of revenues for servicing the national debt of developing countries. Logging profits are real to the countries that must service their debts. Since Deforestation brings huge profits for the multinational companies who mine and log in the Amazon forest, these companies are reluctant to see the preservation of the Amazon Rainforest as this will greatly reduce the profits of their operations in the Amazon or completely end them. The government of Brazil also shares a similar view to that of the multi-national companies, this is because the Amazon is an easy way to solve the problem of over population in the north east of the region and is also a lucrative way of servicing the countries debts.
Though logging the Amazon rainforest is a large economic source for the Brazilian government. Latest statistics from “Raintree,” an environmental organisation opposing the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, show that rainforest land converted to cattle operations yields the land owner $400 per acre and if timber is harvested, the land is worth $400 per acre. However, if these renewable and sustainable resources are harvested, the land will yield the land $2,400 per acre. More importantly this value provides an income not only year after year but also for generations and also provides the local people of the Amazon much needed employment. What this means is that the Brazilian government is cheaply and unnecessarily selling one of, if not the most important resource of the world at an alarming rate.
Despite the greater profit that the Brazilian government could make if it implemented “ Wild-harvesting” in the Amazon Rainforest, the operations that are taking place in the Amazon are causing massive deforestation.
Massive deforestation brings with it many ugly consequences-air and water pollution, soil erosion, the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the eviction and decimation of Indigenous Indian-tribes, and the loss of biodiversity through extinction of plants and animals.
The 1992 United Nations conference, “The Environment and Devolvement Earth Summit,” held in Rio de Janeiro underscored the growing international concern about the ecological consequences of continuing deforestation. International calls for conservation are based on the view that the Amazon basin is a global resource, one that that serves as a control mechanism for the world climate.
Although the forest is an efficient absorber of carbon dioxide, scientists believe that the volume of gas released when substantial parts of the forest are cleared and burned may contribute to global warming through the greenhouse effect. Continued conversion of tropical forest to cropland, pasture, or second-growth forest may reduce evapotranspiration in the region thereby interrupting the hydrological cycle and recycling of soil nutrients, a likely consequence is an increase in the amount of water running off the surface and greater extremes of water levels. The clearance of trees leaves the soil exposed to the elements of the weather. This results in the process of leaching. This is a process by which nutrients are carried downward from the top layer of soil and are redeposited in a lower layer. The rate of leaching increases with the amount of high rainfall, high temperature and the removal of protective vegetation. All three factors that are present in the Amazon once deforestation has taken place. This is why it is not possible to carry out long-term subsistence farming as the soil becomes infertile after a few years.
Even more lands are lost to the pollution caused by mining operations as the constant water runoff in the rainforest carries the waste oil, mercury, and other pollutinates and contaminates used during strip mining. As a result Mercury poisoning of animals and humans is becoming a common problem as the mercury used in strip mining and gold mining operations runs off into the rivers and streams.
Another major concern is the displacement of many indigenous people of the Amazon. Statistics show that an estimated ten million Indians living in the Amazonian Rainforest five centuries ago. Today there are less than 200,000. The decimation of indigenous tribes who have become part of the forest ecosystem due to prolonged integration. This means that we are losing lot knowledge on the rainforest and it’s plant and animal inhabitants.
I am totally opposed to the destruction of the Amazon. This is because the world as a community has much more to gain through the conservation of the rainforest than through its destruction. Only the Brazilian government and the multi-national companies gain from deforestation. Whereas the worlds climate is at risk due to this deforestation.
Here in Britain the effects of global warming, which is caused by the greenhouse effect, are beginning to be felt through the increased amount and intensity of the rainfall which has caused wide spread flooding.
I also believe that the problem and solution to the deforestation of the Amazon are both economic. As long as deforestation remains the only watt for the government to service it’s debts deforestation will never cease until the forest has completely vanished, of which statistics show that this could be in only 50 years if the current rate of deforestation continues.
Though “Wild-harvesting” has been proved to be the best way of both conserving and making an income from the forest. As it has proven to be the most economically viable way of making money from the forest and does not evolve any of the factors that cause destruction to the rainforest. It is not as simple as implementing this new process every night. The people need to be trained and this takes money. This is were the more economically developed countries of the northern hemisphere can help by providing money either in cash or through the cancellation of debts owed, in return for the conservation of the rainforests. This is clearly in the best interests of everyone in the world especially since that Amazon is regarded a global resource. If “Wild-Harvesting,” was implemented in the Amazon I would also like to see some parts of the Amazon left completely untouched by mankind.
Whatever happens to the Amazon, the prospect of completely losing it would be a great loss to the human race and I would sincerely like to see it preserved sooner rather than later, before we lose more of the plant and animals most of which are yet to be discovered by science that are present in the Amazon rainforest.
Once an area of rainforest has been cleared it will never grow back to fully flourish or to its great biodiversity even if it is left alone!!!!
“ONCE THE AMAZON RAINFOREST HAS VANISHED IT CAN NEVER BE REPLACED!!!!”