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Deforestation

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Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon 1988-2009

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Deforestation in the Amazon
DEFORESTATION IN BRAZIL: 60-70 percent of deforestation in the Amazon results from cattle ranches while the rest mostly results from small-scale subsistence agriculture. Despite the widespread press attention, large-scale farming (i.e. soybeans) currently contributes relatively little to total deforestation in the Amazon. Most soybean cultivation takes place outside the rainforest in the neighboring cerrado grassland ecosystem and in areas that have already been cleared. Logging results in forest degradation but rarely direct deforestation. However, studies have showed a close correlation between logging and future clearing for settlement and farming

Causes of Deforestation in the Amazon

Causes of deforestation in the Amazon
Cattle ranches 65-70%

Small-scale, subsistence agriculture 20-25%

Large-scale, commercial agriculture 5-10%

Logging, legal and illegal 2-3%

Fires, mining, urbanization, road construction, dams 1-2%

Selective logging and fires that burn under the forest canopy commonly result in forest degradation, not deforestation. Therefore these factor less in overall deforestation figures.
Causes of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Causes of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

The pie chart above shows the percentages of the causes of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between the years of 2000 and 2005.
Causes of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
Causes of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
The pie chart above shows the percentages of the causes of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between the years of 2000 and 2005.

Deforestation in the Amazon By Rhett A Butler

http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html

Saving the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil

http://www.mongabay.com/saving_brazils_forests.html
Between May 2002 and May 2003, Brazil [Map] lost more than 24,000 square kilometers of forest - an area larger than Israel and since 1978, over 500,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed. Why is Brazil losing so much forest? What can be done to slow deforestation?

Follow the link to learn more about what can be done to save the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.
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Impacts of Tropical Deforestation

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Impacts of Tropical Deforestation

Impacts of Deforestation: Biodiversity Impacts

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/

Impacts of Deforestation: Biodiversity

Although tropical forests cover only about 7 percent of the Earths dry land, they probably harbor about half of all species on Earth. Many species are so specialized to microhabitats within the forest that they can only be found in small areas. Their specialization makes them vulnerable to extinction. Cascading changes in the types of trees, plants, and insects that can survive in the fragments rapidly reduces biodiversity in the forest that remains. First, global markets consume rainforest products that depend on sustainable harvesting: latex, cork, fruit, nuts, timber, fibers, spices, natural oils and resins, and medicines. Finally, genetic diversity in the planetary gene pool is crucial for the resilience of all life on Earth to rare but catastrophic environmental events, such as meteor impacts or massive, sustained volcanism.
Endemic Species in the Planets 14 biomes

Endemic Species

The graph shows the number of endemic species in the 14 different Biomes on the Planet. It emphasises the number of species in the tropical and sub-tropical zones.
Endemic Species in the Planets 14 biomes
Endemic Species
The graph shows the number of endemic species in the 14 different Biomes on the Planet. It emphasises the number of species in the tropical and sub-tropical zones.
Impacts of Deforestation: Soil Impacts
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/
With all the lushness and productivity that exist in tropical forests, it can be surprising to learn that tropical soils are actually very thin and poor in nutrients. The underlying parent rock weathers rapidly in the tropics’ high temperatures and heavy rains, and over time, most of the minerals have washed from the soil. Nearly all the nutrient content of a tropical forest is in the living plants and the decomposing litter on the forest floor. When an area is completely deforested for farming, the farmer typically burns the trees and vegetation to create a fertilizing layer of ash. After this slash-and-burn deforestation, the nutrient reservoir is lost, flooding and erosion rates are high, and soils often become unable to support crops in just a few years. If the area is then turned into cattle pasture, the ground may become compacted as well, slowing down or preventing forest recovery.
Impacts of Deforestation: Soil Impacts
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/
With all the lushness and productivity that exist in tropical forests, it can be surprising to learn that tropical soils are actually very thin and poor in nutrients. The underlying parent rock weathers rapidly in the tropics’ high temperatures and heavy rains, and over time, most of the minerals have washed from the soil. Nearly all the nutrient content of a tropical forest is in the living plants and the decomposing litter on the forest floor. When an area is completely deforested for farming, the farmer typically burns the trees and vegetation to create a fertilizing layer of ash. After this slash-and-burn deforestation, the nutrient reservoir is lost, flooding and erosion rates are high, and soils often become unable to support crops in just a few years. If the area is then turned into cattle pasture, the ground may become compacted as well, slowing down or preventing forest recovery.

Impacts of Deforestation: Climate Impacts: Rainfall and Temperature

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/deforestation_update2.php
Up to thirty percent of the rain that falls in tropical forests is water that the rainforest has recycled into the atmosphere. Water evaporates from the soil and vegetation, condenses into clouds, and falls again as rain in a perpetual self-watering cycle. In addition to maintaining tropical rainfall, the evaporation cools the Earths surface. In many computer models of future climate, replacing tropical forests with a landscape of pasture and crops creates a drier, hotter climate in the tropics. Some models also predict that tropical deforestation will disrupt rainfall pattern far outside the tropics, including China, northern Mexico, and the south-central United States.
Impacts of Deforestation: The Carbon Cycle and Global Warming
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/deforestation_update2.php
In the Amazon alone, scientists estimate that the trees contain more carbon than 10 years worth of human-produced greenhouse gases. When people clear the forests, usually with fire, carbon stored in the wood returns to the atmosphere, enhancing the greenhouse effect and global warming. Once the forest is cleared for crop or grazing land, the soils can become a large source of carbon emissions, depending on how farmers and ranchers manage the land. In places such as Indonesia, the soils of swampy lowland forests are rich in partially decayed organic matter, known as peat. During extended droughts, such as during El Nio events, the forests and the peat become flammable, especially if they have been degraded by logging or accidental fire. When they burn, they release huge volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Impacts of Deforestation: The Carbon Cycle and Global Warming
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/deforestation_update2.php
In the Amazon alone, scientists estimate that the trees contain more carbon than 10 years worth of human-produced greenhouse gases. When people clear the forests, usually with fire, carbon stored in the wood returns to the atmosphere, enhancing the greenhouse effect and global warming. Once the forest is cleared for crop or grazing land, the soils can become a large source of carbon emissions, depending on how farmers and ranchers manage the land. In places such as Indonesia, the soils of swampy lowland forests are rich in partially decayed organic matter, known as peat. During extended droughts, such as during El Nio events, the forests and the peat become flammable, especially if they have been degraded by logging or accidental fire. When they burn, they release huge volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Section

Deforestation

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500 trucks of illegal log seized

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/500-trucks--of-illegal.3810470.jp
Brazil to pay Amazon residents for 'eco-services'
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhsx8MBbBewQVtc_HeZgu2RsLuoQ
Brazil to pay Amazon residents for 'eco-services'
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhsx8MBbBewQVtc_HeZgu2RsLuoQ
Metals: Big Business in the Amazon
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/mar2008/db20080311_536141.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives
Link between mining and deforestation in a good way!!
Metals: Big Business in the Amazon
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/mar2008/db20080311_536141.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives
Link between mining and deforestation in a good way!!
Brazil fails to implement deforestation plan - Amazon destruction jumps
http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0306-amazon.html
Brazil fails to implement deforestation plan - Amazon destruction jumps
http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0306-amazon.html

Human impacts on primate conservation in central Amazonia

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0303-tcs_boyle.html
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Pros (Good things) about Deforestation

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New study: Farmers protecting and growing significant amount of world's trees

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-08/bc-nsf081909.php

Benefits of Deforestation

http://ezinearticles.com/?Benefits-of-Deforestation&id=504455

Benefits of Deforestation

http://edu.udym.com/benefits-of-deforestation/

Reducing deforestation rates 10% could generate $13B in carbon trading

http://www.climos.com/news/articles/reducingdeforestationrates.htm
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