Tropical rainforests: Brazil

• The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest on Earth, covering 40% of the South American continent and home to almost 20% of species on Earth.
• The Amazon is home to 1000 species of bird and 60,000 species of plants.
• 10 million species of insects live in the Amazon.
• The Amazon is home to 20 million people, who use the wood, cut down trees for farms and for cattle grazing.
• Subsistence and commercial farming are causes of deforestation, where poor farmers occupy plots of the forest to grow food to feed themselves and their families.
• Selective logging is a type of logging where loggers choose only wood that is highly valued, such as mahogany.
• Clear-cutting is a type of logging that takes all types of tree.
• Road building is an essential way for the Brazilian government to allow development of the Amazon rainforest.
• Mineral extraction is a cause of deforestation, as forests are also cleared to make way for huge mines.
• Energy development has focussed mainly on using Hydro Electric Power, and there are 150 new dams planned for the Amazon alone.
• The Belo Monte dam started operating in April 2016 and will generate over 11,000 Mw of power.
• Settlement & population growth are impacts of deforestation, as populations are growing within the Amazon forest and along with them settlements.
• Many people are migrating to the forest looking for work associated with the natural wealth of this environment.
• Brazilian Amazon’s population grew by a massive 23% between 2000 and 2010.
• Deforestation impacts the environment, as lost biodiversity disrupts the nutrient cycle and changes to the water cycle may alter global atmospheric circulation.
• Soil erosion by wind and heavy rainfall occurs after tree coverage is lost.
• Burning the forest releases Carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming, but also prevents absorption making the problem worse.