BENEFITS: The contributions of the Amazon

The Amazon rainforest provides us with our most abundant source of oxygen. It has been described as "lungs of our planet"¹   because it enables our planet's natural sequestration of carbon dioxide, which is the process of containing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide for long periods.² Sadly, the high rates of burning and clear-cutting large portions of the rainforest has unnaturally released carbon and thus is contributing to global warming.² As well as providing us with life's necessity, oxygen, the Amazon rainforest provides the future of medicine and cures. As of today, it provides us 25% of all our medicines.² Also, 70% of the plants found in the Amazon rainforest have anticancer properties not found anywhere else.² Furthermore the Amazon rainforest is one of the world's most beautiful and diverse natural phenomenon left on the planet. Preserving it would mean supporting the largest collection of living plant and animal species in the world.¹

1) "Rainforest Facts." Rainforest Facts. Raintree Nutrition Inc., 11 May 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. <http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm>.

2) "Rainforest Benefits." Protect Amazon Rainforest. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. <http://www.protectamazonrainforest.com/benefits.html>.

http://junglemagazine.com/cradle-of-the-myriad-species-of-life-the-amazon-rainforest/

Red passion vine flower

http://www.protectamazonrainforest.com/benefits.html

IMPACTS: The tragic human impacts on the ecosystem

                           People have been living in the Amazon for at least 11,200 years.¹ In recent years, the rate of change in the Amazon rainforest has increased because of the growing human population, mechanized agriculture, and the inclusion of the Amazon region into the global economy.² Governments in rainforest regions believe that forests are economic resources that should be used to help in the development of their countries.³ The amazon rainforest in now producing a number of products such as cattle beef and leather, timber, soy, oil and gas, and minerals. These products are exported around the globe to countries like China, Europe, and the United States.² Historically, the indigenous people of the region made little impact on the environment. However, after the introduction of commerce and economics, the impact of humans has been greatly increased. Since 1970, 1.4 million hectares of forest have been cleared.² One of the main reasons is due to conversion for cattle grazing, which is the largest single catalyst of deforestation.

Additionally, due to the increased industrial agricultural production, forests have been cut down in order to make more farms.²  The clearance of the forest results in a loss of vegetation, a protective cover for the soil. Additionally, it causes increased surface runoff which in turn causes soil erosion and soil leaching.⁴ This process causes the soil to become increasingly infertile over time.⁴ Deforestation also causes the destruction of plant life and animal habitats. Consequently, plants and animals have gone extinct and many more are susceptible to extinction.⁴ A lot of the indigenous people of the Amazon Basin, American Indians, have also been displaced due to deforestation.³ They rely on the forest for food and shelter as they are hunter and gatherers and shifting cultivators.³ Their habitat has not only been destroyed but their traditions and culture are also effected by the fact that they must move out of the rainforest and adapt to life outside the rainforest.³

Subsistence Farming is another destructor of rainforest.² The present attitude to cultivation in the rainforest provides for short term gain. Less than 10% of the soils in the Amazon is suitable for sustained conventional agriculture.³ Furthermore, the Amazon's climate is changing as a result of global warming. There are higher temperatures in the tropics and less rainfall across the Amazon.² This increases the possibility of fires and causes draughts.² Also, with more trees chopped down, humans contribute to the heightened global carbon dioxide level in the greenhouse effect. Trees remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. By cutting down a great number, we are preventing this process from happening.⁴

http://www.mongabay.com/general_tables.htm

Cattle pasture in the Amazon.

http://travel.mongabay.com/brazil/images/brazil_0523.html

New cleared section in the Amazon.

http://travel.mongabay.com/brazil/images/brazil_0545.html

Clearing of the Amazon for soy farming.

http://travel.mongabay.com/brazil/images/brasil_128.html

¹⁾ "Cradle Of The Myriad Species Of Life- The Amazon Rainforest." Jungle Magazine RSS. N.p., 17 May 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://junglemagazine.com/cradle-of-the-myriad-species-of-life-the-amazon-rainforest/>.

²⁾ Butler, Rhett A. "The Amazon: The World's Largest Rainforest." The Amazon Rainforest. N.p., 2010. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/>.

³⁾ "Rainforest Facts." Rainforest Facts. Raintree Nutrition, Inc, 11 May 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm>.
4)"Destruction of the Rainforest." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://library.thinkquest.org/26993/consequences.htm>.

HISTORY: The birth of the Amazon rainforest

          In the Paleozoic era, millions of years ago, all the land was part the Pangaea, a single continent.¹ Towards the end of the Paleozoic, the Amazon River basin was incorporated into the continent.¹  A great transformation took place in the Cenozoic period, which transformed the land.¹ South America and Africa divided and that created the Atlantic Ocean.¹ After geological processes that resulted in the appearance of the Andes, the flow of the Amazon River basin changed from flowing towards the western direction to an eastern flow.¹ The climate became warmer and more wet. These changes are responsible for today’s Amazon Rainforest.¹

          About 11,200 years ago, humans started living in the Amazon Rainforest.² Their main source of food hunted game. The plentiful resources and food allowed for millions of people to thrive in the Amazon river basin throughout history. As a result, vibrant, sophisticated societies and cultures were fostered.  The cultural practices spread throughout the region until the era of colonization. The  The impact of colonization in the Amazon rainforest was low. However, in the second half of the 20^th century, impacts were more profound because governments were creating huge settlements there.¹ Primarily in Brazil, the government created roads, cities and facilitating further migration from across the Atlantic.¹ This highlights the origin of the problems for the Amazon rainforest. From a history of millions of years, the problem escalated just in the last 50 years. Sadly in the last half century, 15% of the Amazon rainforest was destroyed.¹

Natural pictures of the Amazon rainforest BEFORE human impacts:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/01/historic-move-rainforests

http://travel.mongabay.com/peru/images/peru_aerial_1658.html

AFTER human impacts:

http://travel.mongabay.com/brazil/images/brazil_0322.html

http://travel.mongabay.com/colombia/images/colombia_0066.html

1) "Amazon Rainforest History." Amazon Rainforest History. N.p., 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.amazon-rainforest.org/amazon-history.html>.

2)   "Cradle Of The Myriad Species Of Life- The Amazon Rainforest." Jungle Magazine RSS. N.p., 17 May 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://junglemagazine.com/cradle-of-the-myriad-species-of-life-the-amazon-rainforest/>.