amazon rainforest case study

• • consists of one third of the planet’s remaining tropical rainforest
  • provides resources locally & worldwide inc food, water, timber & med
  • home to 40,000 plants @ q,300 birds
• | sustainable management

  • LAWS: national forests manage tropical rainforests by protecting biodiversity through government policy
  • EDUCATION: helps people understand, protect & use rainforest in a more sustainable way
  • reduced impact logging (RIL): more profitable than large clearance & more sustainable; aka SELECTIVE LOGGING
• RIL benefits:

  • mature trees are cut
  • ‘seed’ trees are left to help quicker regrowth
  • direction of tree falling calculated to reduce damage to other trees
• | limitations of sustainability

  • profits from ecotourism can be small income compared to deforestation
  • even RIL can cause disruption & open access for illegal loggers
  • remote areas make it hard to monitor & enforce sustainable practices; corruption can be an issue