U1: Amazon Rainforest

• The Amazon Rainforest is in the NE of South America and covers over 8 countries.
• 25% of all medicines are derived from the TRF
• 20% of all Oxygen comes from the TRF
• 70% of the worlds species come from the TRF
• The Brazilian government protects 51% of its TRF
• CITES is an international organisation that currently protects 35,000 species from illegal trade in the TRF.
• Sustainable management is using the TRF in a sensitive way to ensure the securing of its goods and services for future generations.
• 2/3 of cancer fighting drugs are from the TRF
• Between 1990 and 2015, the world lost 129 million hectares of forest.
• Deforestation is the purposful removal of trees from a large area.
• Today, the rate of deforestation is 1 hectare per second
• Causes of deforestation

  • Farming
  • 80% of deforestation is due to cattle grazing
  • Logging
  • Loss of biodiversity
  • Road building
  • 4000km road, with 10km2 each side
  • Invites illegal loggers
  • Mining
  • In 1999, around 10,000 hectares used for mining
  • Today, around 50,000 hectares
  • Energy development (HEP)
  • Belo Montane Dam - $9.5 billion
  • Floods land
  • Settlement
  • Population growth
• Impacts of deforestation

  • Economic development
  • Soil erosion
  • Climate change