Brazil, the largest Portuguese speaking country in the world, has a very ancient history, dating back to around 6000BC. It has a vast and beautiful landscape with canyons and waterfalls and of course, the mighty Amazon River.
Brazil has suffered great deforestation rates in recent years, particularly of the Amazon Rainforest, and regularly tops lists by amount of trees cut down. This deforestation has bought nought but bad things for the world's climate and health. |
The StatisticsDeforestation in brazil peaked in 1995, with just under 30,000 sqkm deforested. From, and before that point deforestation has been in a zig zag pattern, peaking then falling again. However it has seen a relative decline in recent years and we can only hope that it stays this way or drops further.
What isn't so positive is the fact that even at current rates, the Amazon Rainforest is set to drop by another 40% by 2030. In 2012, the Amazon rainforests' size was only 87% of its original maximum size. |
The Causes.Deforestation in Brazil has many different causes, however the main one is by far the clearing of land to grow crops and cattle. Under Brazilian legislation, the clearing of land for agricultural purposes is deemed a useful purpose and therefore legal.
As international demand for beef and other meat exports grew, so too did the Brazilian population and jobs were needed. Many turned to cattle ranching as a relatively reliable source of income, with the logged wood being sold to cover costs. An example of a crop that forced forests to be cleared is the production of coffee beans. Brazil is currently the largest producer of coffee beans universally, and as demand continues to grow, will probably clear more forests in already hard hit states of Sao Paulo, Minas Parais and Parana. Another cause of deforestation in Brazil is logging, which is money motivated. Only a few of the many species of wood found in Brazil have any monetary worth and forests are often selectively logged leaving half of forests left. |
The EffectsFirst in first off, burning, one of the most common ways Brazilians remove large forests quickly, has many detrimental effects on the environment. For starters, the fire is often hard to control and can lead to more forest being burnt than intended. Secondly, this incomplete combustion releases a lot of Carbon Monoxide and other toxic gases into the air, and with less trees to suck it all up, we can just imagine how bad it must be for the atmosphere.
Cattle ranching, one of the main reasons these forests are cleared, also releases a lot of Ammonia, as cattle do, a few tonnes every year, per cow. Lastly, gold mines, which take the place of the deforested forests, have increased the levels of mercury poisoning in the last few years as well as polluting many rivers and streams. Of course, in this case there aren't just bad effects. Cattle, Soybean and Coffee Bean exports are worth billions of dollars to the Brazilian Economy. Without these crucial exports, the Brazilian economy may crash, starting off a chain reaction in South America. |