what has happened in brazil

• the brazillian rainforest occupies the huge lowland basin drained by the amazon and its tributaries
• the clearance of brazil has been to the south of the amazon because it is most accessible from brazils main cities, such as rio de janeiro, sao paulo and brasilia
• for centuries the rainforest has been lived in and used by indigenous tribes who have:

  • harvested fruit and nuts
  • cut wood for fuel
  • used timber to build their dwellings
  • discovered cures for various illnesses
  • cleared small areas by slash and burn
• the human use of the rainforest does not always lead to deforestation, but in many cases it leads to forest degradation where the ecosystem is changed in a negative way and its supply of resources declines