How can we make the rainforest sustainable?
The rainforest is at the centre of a major conflict. One side is that of those who wish to protect the forest, and to leave it as it is naturally, and the other side is that of people who wish to use the rainforest to make a quick profit. The habitants of the rainforest are stuck in the middle of it all. The forest is their home so, obviously, they wish to protect and preserve it but they also wish to improve their style of living and to use its resources to find work. The solution to this is to manage the rainforest in a way that uses the resources carefully. Trees are thought of as a renewable source but they are only renewable when used and managed properly. At present nobody takes responsibility for the rainforest so the forest is not managed and is left open to illegal logging and conversion to other land uses. This is of no benefit to anybody.
There are many causes of deforestation; one cause is logging and using the trees for furniture. People just pick random trees, cut them down and then drag the felled tree through the rest of the forest, knocking down and destroying many other plants on the way. When they sell the wood they get a lot of money but when they clear areas of trees the land becomes infertile and therefore is no good for anything. Another cause is cattle ranching. They clear large areas of land so they can breed cattle and produce a lot of beef. Sometimes they clear large areas so poor landless Brazilians can have a farm; they can then grow food and provide for other hungry Brazilians. Mining gives Brazil the chance for cheap electricity so they mine iron ore, bauxite and gold. Native Indians also clear small areas of land for their crops. They use ‘slash and burn agriculture’. They also clear space for roads to go through the rainforests.
