deforestation Flashcards
What are the main causes of Amazon deforestation?
Logging, mineral extraction, energy development, road building, settlement and population growth , farming( commercial and substinance)
How does logging cause deforestation?
Loggers cut down trees and sell them to foreign markets to get a profit, selective logging of high-value trees, like teak and mahogany can weakenthe rainforest ecosystems
How does mineral extraction cause deforestation?
Miners clear forest area for extracting minerals, such as iron or this can be sold to foreign markets. It is bad for the environment because of the pollution and deteriorates ecosystems. eg. Carajas mine
How does energy development cause deforestation?
Rainforest have ideal conditions for hydroelectric power stations. Building them requires flooding of the rainforest, which leads to trees being submerged in water and dying. One example of a hydroelectric power station in the Amazon rainforest is the Belo Monte dam 
How does roadbuilding cause deforestation?
Roads are needed to access parts of the rainforest. They are also needed to bring in machinery. Building road requires deforestation. It can also increase deforestation because it gives people more access to the rainforest so it is easier to poach, mine and log.  An example of a road in the Amazon rainforest is the trans-Amazon Highway
How does farming affect deforestation?
Farming increases deforestation because a lot of land is cleared. for example, 80% of global deforestation is as a result of agriculture. When areas of land are deforested, nutrients is removed from the nutrient cycle, so it can only sustain animals and plants for a short amount of time until a new part of the rainforest needs to be cleared. Substance, farming and commercial farming are both causes of deforestation, but commercial farming uses up more land 
What is Substinance farming
Substance farming is when farmers grow crops only to provide for their families, and not for profit
What is commercial farming?
Commercial farming is large-scale farming for the purpose of selling to earn profit
