rainforest case study

• Where is the Peruvian Amazon? (3)

  Located on the east of Peru

  Found along most of the border with Equator, all of the border with Columbia and Brazil and some of the northerly part of the border with Bolivia.

  It covers nearly 2/3 of the country.

  
• What are the characteristics of the Peruvian Amazon? (3) (statistics)


  The tropical rainforest biome in Peru is one of the most diverse in the world.

  About 44% of all bird species and 63% of all mammals live in the Peruvian rainforest.

  It is, however, a surprisingly fragile ecosystem that involves complex interrelationships and considerable interdependence between abiotic (non-living) factors such as climate, soils and water and biotic (living) factors such as plants, animals and humans
• Interdependence


  relationship between organisms, where each affects the other's survival ( mutual dependance)
• Interdependence in the rainforest (4)

  Climate

  Wildlife

  Nutrients

  People and Threats
• Climate (5)


  Hot and wet climate is ideal for the rapid and luxuriant growth of vegetation.

  Average temperature: 28°C

  Annual rainfall: 2600mm

  Amount the many tropical hardwood trees in the Peruvian Amazon is the rare and highly valuable big-leafed mahogany - prized for its timber for furniture and construction
• Wildlife (2)


  Home to some of the world's most spectacular wildlife - e.g. jaguar, happy eagle, scarlet mace, giant river otter and black spider monkey.

  They thrive in the rainforest where there is plenty to eat and many sustainable places to live (habitats)
• Nutrients (3)


  Few nutrients in the soil - most are stored within the trees and plants - because fungi and bacteria thrive in warm and humid conditions.

  Cause rapid decomposition of dead organic matter (e.g. leaves)

  Newly released nutrients are rapidly absorbed by the plants and trees.
• People and Threats (3)

  Many people live and depend on the Peruvian Amazon.

  If people cut down and remove trees → valuable rainforest nutrients taken away → ecosystem will suffer

  Illegal logging is a major threat to the environment and the people that live there
• Describe how there is interdependence (support eachother) between different components of the area of rainforest you have studied (8)


  The Peruvian rainforest which covers 23 of Peru has many examples of interdependence, On the one hand, the trees, such as the big leaf mahogany rely on a very hot, humid climate, located within the tropics, with an average temperature of 28°C and annual rainfall of 2600mm/yr. However, the water cycle in the tropical rainforest very much depends on evapotranspiration, with 75% of rainfall being returned to the atmosphere in this way keeping the area humid.

  
  

  The Peruvian rainforest contains many animals, such as howler monkey and scarlet macaws, which rely on trees and plants for shelter, both from the sun and rain, and water. Omnivore animals also rely on plants and trees for food (nutrients). Plants and trees rely on the animals decomposed bodies and faeces for nutrients and spreading their seeds.
• Biodiversity (statstics)


  Peru has some 2937 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles; 16% exist in no other country.
• How is the Peruvian Amazon valuable to humans? (5)

  Timber

  Minerals

  Archaeology

  Indigenous tribes

  Medicinal plants
• How is the Peruvian Amazon valuable to the planet?

  Biodiversity
• Timber


  There are many highly valued hardwood trees in Peru and logging is widespread.
• Minerals


  There are valuable minerals including oil, natural gas and gold. The exploitation of these resources poses a considerable threat to the rainforest and its people.
• Archeology


  There are many archaeological remains of buildings constructed by ancient civilisations, such as the Chachapoya, the so-called 'Cloud Forest People
• Indigenous tribes


  Many traditional tribes live in the Peruvian Amazon, some of which have never been contacted. They live a simple but sustainable life, deep in the jungle. Unfortunately, their land is being destroyed by others and their future is threatened.
• Medicinal plants


  The Peruvian Amazon has been described as a 'pharmacy' because of all the medical plants that exist. Scientists believe that some rainforest plants can help cure diseases such as cancer, aid digestion and even help cure addiction, and the possibility of more plants as yet to be discovered.
• How is the Peruvian Amazon valuable to humans and the planet? (3)

  Hydro-electricity

  Water cycle

  Carbon cycle
• Hydro-electricity


  There are plans to construct fifteen large dams in the Peruvian Amazon, primarily to export electricity to supply Brazil's giant aluminium and extractive industries.
• Water cycle


  Rainforests give off water from their leaves during the process of transpiration. This increases humidity in the atmosphere and increase rainfall. When rainforests are cut down the climate becomes drier.
• Carbon cycle


  Rainforests take in carbon dioxide from the air as they grow and photosynthesize. With their large leaves, photosynthesis is very effective and trees store a lot of carbon. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which is partly responsible for climate change and global warming. Rainforests have an important role to play in storing carbon and reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. If the trees are burned, then the carbon is released back into the atmosphere enhancing the greenhouse effect.
• Main threats to biodiversity (5)

  Timber

  Energy

  Gold mining

  Highways

  Agriculture
• Timber (statistic)


  The many valuable hardwood trees in the rainforest, in particular the mahogany tree, has resulted in extensive logging. Up to 95% is thought to be unregulated and illegal. Profits are so high that trees are even being felled in protected areas such as National Parks. Deforestation is a brutal operation that often takes out great swathes of forest, severely affecting biodiversity.
• Energy (statistic)


  There are valuable reserves of oil and natural gas in the Peruvian Amazon. China has invested in oil exploitation in Madre de Dios region, an area that is home to more than 10% of the world's bird species and a popular destination for eco-tourists. The extraction of oil can lead to oil leaks and serious pollution of water courses
• Gold mining (statistic)


  Gold is found in alluvial (river) deposits in the Peruvian Amazon. This is exploited by huge machines and often involves the blasting of river banks and the removal of rainforest to provide access to remote areas. Mercury is used in the operation and this is highly toxic, causing considerable harm to aquatic ecosystems and poisoning local tribes who depend upon rivers for food and water (see Figure 10). An area where this had been happening is Madre de Dios. In 2018, 870 square miles of rainforest was destroyed for illegal mining.
• Highways


  One of the most significant threats to Peru's rainforests in the southeastern part of the country is the Trans-oceanic Highway, a road project that will connect Pacific ports to a major highway in Brazil. Environmentalists and local indigenous groups are concerned that the improved road will lead to deforestation and will worsen illegal logging in the region's protected areas. In 2015, plans were announced to extend Peru's 'jungle highway' through Manu National Park, described by UNESCO as a place where biodiversity 'exceeds that of any other place on earth'.
• Agriculture


  Increasingly lowland areas are being deforested to create land for farming, particularly for growing soybeans and for rearing cattle. Fires used to clear land can sometimes burn out of control, wiping out valuable habitats and killing animals.
• Managing Peru's rainforest (4)

  Since 2000, management plans are required for all forest-related harvesting activities. (With so much illegal logging and such a vast area to police, implementation of this law faces huge problems.)

  In areas like Madre de Dios were declared a state of emergency in 2019 and established 7 army bases to tackle illegal mining. The army has powers to arrest miners and destroy their platforms and camps. This aggressive policy has reduced rates of deforestation in this area substantially. - the lure of gold mining and the fact that areas cab be more easily accessed by the Ocenic Highways has caused much illegal logging that can be hard to stop as people can make 10-100 time more in a day from gold that they make in a month from farming.

  Indigenous community reserves have been established, giving local communities land ownership and rights over the extraction of materials from their land. These communities have their own sustainable management plans.

  National Parks and National Reserves have been established to protect certain areas of high biodiversity.
• The Purus-Manu Conservation Corridor


  In the Madre de Dios region in southeast Peru close to the border with Brazil.

  It is made up of the Alto Purus and Manu National Parks together with several territorial reserves for indigenous communities.

  The Purus-Manu Conservation Corridor project supports long term biodiversity conservation in

  benefiting the native communities living in the Corridor. Comprising an area of over 10 million hectares, this is the largest preserved area in the Peruvian Amazon. It is recognised as being one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.

  The 60 or so local communities depend on the rainforest for water, food, medicine, clothing and housing. Some of these communities are among the most isolated in the rainforest and wish to remain so. Elsewhere, they have been driven out by illegal logging, ranching and highway construction. It is the largest area of responsibly managed forest in Peru and functions as a refuge for threatened species, such as river dolphins, red howler monkeys, spectacled bears and mahogany.

  Management strategies to control developments and protect indigenous communities were put in place in 2015, to enable the Corridor to be managed in a sustainable way for the future.