Tropical Rainforest- Felling

• There has been widespread deforestation in tropical rainforests all over the world in the last number of years
• The mining industry isvery important to Brazil’s expanding economy
• Gold, copper, diamonds and other precious metals and gemstones are found in rainforests all over the world
• Extracting precious resources is frequently a destructive activity that damages the rainforest ecosystem and causes problems for people lining nearby and downstream of the mining operations
• In the Amazon rainforest most mining revolves around alluvial gold deposits
• The Brazilian Gold Rush began in the 1980’s when gold was discovered in the Pala state
• Gold is found on the river bed and on the floodplain of the river
• These deposits are actively mined by large scale operators and informal small scale miners. Both rely heavily on hydraulic mining techniques, blasting away at river banks, clearing floodplain forests and using heavy machinery to expose potential gold yielding gravel deposits.
• These felling methods can lead to mercury entering the river which can be toxic to plants and animals
• Large areas of the rainforest are cleared to allow heavy machinery to access the rainforest
• Roads such as the Trans Amazonian Highway cut through the rainforests
• These roads often divide the forest into unviable sections and much of the wildlife of the bioe’s habitats is destroyed
• Open pit mining of iron and copper also occurs in the Amazon and this caused much destruction of the rainforest
• These mining operations not only have a negative impact on wildlife but also on native populations
• One example of conflict with native colonies is between the Yanomani Indians of Northern Brazil and Venezuela and garimpeiros - illegal Brazilian miners
• The population of the Yanomami has fallen significantly since the first incursion of miners in the 1980’s
• As this region is largely inaccessible by road the transport of goods out of the rainforest was largely through the Amazon River
• An inland port was developed at Manaus, nearly 15000 km from the mouth of the Amazon.
• Manaus is now the state capital of the Amazon with a population of 2 million people and the city is rapidly expanding into the rainforest
• The city of Manaus is still only accessible by boat or plane but migrants are attracted to Manaus by job opportunities as the population is continuing to grow leading to further deforestation
• In the 1960s Manaus was designated a Free Economic Zone - there is no corporation tax on company profits by the Brazilian government and this has caused the city to grow rapidly
• The increased air and water pollution from industrialisation has caused much destruction to the rainforest
• Deforestation is responsible for altering the climate of this biome
• The removal of trees means there are fewer plants to transpire moisture
• As a result, a vital part ot the water cycle has been removed and there is less moisture released into the atmosphere. If deforestation continues at its present rate, this biome could
• As a result, a vital part ot the water cycle has been removed and there is less moisture released into the atmosphere. If deforestation continues at its present rate, this biome could