The Loss Of Tropical Rainforests: Solutions and ideas Case study: Brazil

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The Loss Of Tropical Rainforests: Solutions and ideas

Case study: Brazil

Introduction

Deforestation is defined as the removal of forest by cutting and/or burning to provide land for agricultural purposes, residential or industrial building sites, roads, etc., or by harvesting the trees for building materials or fuel.(1) This map, (2) shows the major areas of tropical deforestation in the world right now; as you can see, all these areas occur in the tropics, and are all found in less developed-, or developing- countries. It's easy for us to think we can remain unaffected by this, and yet it is a fact that nearly half of this world's plant and animal species and microorganisms will become extinct, or become threatened by human action (3), notably by deforestation, of both tropical rainforests and dry forests. In Brazil, one fifth of the Amazon Rainforest's land has been cleared since 1980, when the government started handing out plots to anyone who wanted them. (4)

Major Causes of Deforestation

        Obviously, the causes and reasons for deforestation are both too complicated and many to be touched on by a single report, so instead, I will include some that, in my time researching the field, seemed to be the biggest threats. Firstly I shall turn to the FAO, who, in an annual report, stated that 90% of deforestation is caused by unsustainable farming (5); but why, we must ask ourselves, does this occur? A sad fact is that when some LEDCs with such precious resources try to stop conflict between landowners with large areas of forest, it sometimes results in brutal murders: or more occasionally, power fights and confrontations. The governments then put smallholders from other areas into rainforests to farm and act as a 'safety valve' to stop large uprisings. (6) This can also mean the forests are 'opened up' by building roads, which then can lead to more commercial activities, such as mining or large scale logging. This is clearly a nightmare for such a fragile ecosystem in the hands of a government with not enough money to fully explore sustainable options, or survey correctly the rainforests, before accepting money from TNCs or tied aid schemes (7); coupled with a poorly paid, thinly spread, unscrupulous police force, who will easily take money from the richer landowners to turn their heads to illegal activities, is a recipe for disaster.

        Ecuador is another South American country that is driving migration into the forest, for a number of social and economic reasons. Farmers from the Andes and poor coastal regions, faced with degrading land quality, poverty and unemployment, and with the prospect of up to 50 hectares of land (some of which encroached on natives land rights), and a campaign of propaganda by the government (7) migrated into the rainforest; sadly, however, deforestation was almost mandatory as farmers would lose their land titles if the land was not turned into agricultural land. Land rights of the indigenous people also is a cause of deforestation, people have been living, farming and working in rainforests for centuries with no ill effects, as the natives have learned how to respect the forest and replant what they have felled, only using the minimal requirements; however much of this land has now been lost or sold at low prices. Unfortunately, the best and most fertile lands derived from the rainforest often end up in a small number of peoples hands, causing the poorer farmers to be driven inwards, causing large and widely unregulated deforestation, a movement currently gathering momentum in Brazil is the MST, or the Movement Of Landless Rural workers (8) who are attempting to redress the balance by using direct action.

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        Even though in 2005, Brazil halted government sponsored migration programs, last October, the then- reelected president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that he wished to bring about a 5% growth in Brazil's economy, annually, following with the statement that environmental obstacles and the Indians in the forests; his opponent, Geraldo Alckmin counteracted with the statement that he was being 'irresponsible' and attempting to 'privatize the Amazon.' And now the Amazon, who's forest is decreasing at a current rate of 8,500 square miles a year (not inc. selective logging, see below), is being used, showed by Silva's statement of January ...

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