amazon rainforest (case study)

Question 1

how far does it cover and how much as been cut down

Answer 1

8 million km (squared)
between 2001 and 2012 an average of 1.4 million hectares were lost each year

Question 2

why is the amazon being cut down

Answer 2

• commercial farming - cleared to make space for cattle grazing or huge plantations - cattle ranching is the main cause of deforestation in the amazon
  250,000 km(squared) is used for soy production
• commercial logging - full of valuable hardwood trees such as mahogany
• subsistence farming - indigenopus people are substinance farmers - it is small scale farming, they grow food for themselevs and family to live

Question 3

environmental impacts

Answer 3

soil erosion - brazil is losing up to 100 tones of topsoil per hectare each year cuz of soil erosion, this may lead to flooding and landslides
climate change - trees remove co2 - amazon holds around 140 billion tonnes of carbon, deforestation releases some of this co2 which causes global warming

Question 4

economic

Answer 4

economic development, farming in particular has brought wealth to many Amazonian countries e.g. in march brazil exported almost 600mil dollars in beef and brazil is the second largets exporter of soya beans.
mining industry creates jobs for lot of people
logging contributes to brazils economy but reduces tourism due to a decrease in attractivness of the area