deforestation Flashcards
what is the definition of deforestation
the large scale permanent removal of forests or stand of trees through means such as cutting or burning for a non-forest or commercial use such as farming, ranching or urban use such as housing
what are the causes of deforestation
cattle ranching
subsistence agriculture
large-scale/commercial agriculture: soy
logging
transport infrastructure development
hydroelectric power dam construction
mining oil and gas development
government
note: memorise in groups :
farming : subsistence, commercial
building stuff : transport infrastructure, hydroelectric power dam
others: cattle ranching, logging, mining
the weird one : government
what is the leading cause of deforestation
cattle ranching
why do we have cattle ranches tho 0-0
to generate revenue - brazil is the world’s largest exporter of cow products
♡ beef patties are sold in grocery stores across brazil
♡ processed beef is sent to the US and europe
♡ leather products are sent to china, vietnam, italy, hong kong
what is subsistence agriculture
when the products obtained by farming are only for the farmer and the farmer’s family, leaving little to none of it for trading and selling
where do poor farmers go to farm
government land policies say that these farmer are to settle on forest lands
they use fire to clear the land, then plant crops like bananas, palms, maize, rice, etc
sometimes, ranchers pay poor migrants to occupy the forest land given to them by the government so they can use it for their own cattle businesses
what are the effects of clearing forests for agriculture
after 1-2 years, soil productivity declines and farmers need to clear more land for their short-term agriculture :(
why do we need the farmers tho :O
- brazil’s food security depends on farmers’ work on their land (produce food for more than 190 million brazilians → increased food production)
- helps to create revenue and employment (small-scale farming contribute 38% of national revenue)
- alleviates unemployment rate which is over 15% by employing about 12 million people
why is there large-scale/commercial agriculture for soy
- brazil is the world’s leading exporter of soybeans
- covers more than 8 million hectares of land in the amazonian states due to the expansion rates of 14.1% per year
- generates revenue for rising demands in uses of increase in soybean cultivation - 25.72 billion dollars in 2017
what are the uses for soybeans
vegetable oils
industrial uses
biodiesel production
why is harvesting timber a problem
timber can only be harvested in designated areas in the amazon, but there is illegal logging in brazil
why do we still need to do logging tho :/
generates revenue from the export value of primary timber products - total export value was 243.2 million US$ in 2015
timber industry creates employment by recruiting about 204000 people through direct and indirect jobs
what is an example of transport infrastructure development
brazil’s trans-amazonian highway - 2000 miles
how does that highway help farmers, loggers, and miners
- opens the land to
♡ settlement by poor farmers from crowded,
drought-plagued north
♡ development of timber and mineral resources - improves accessibility to logging and mining sites
- opens forest frontier land for poor landless farmers
what is an example of hydroelectric power dam construction
tucurui dam - the first large-scale hydroelectric project in the brazilian amazon rainforest
what was the effect of the dam on the forest
1750km2 of forest was flooded during the construction D:
what is the purpose of the dam
mainly to generate electricity through hydroelectric power production and improve navigation
the dams are the main source of energy in brazil - generates about 67% of the country’s power
tucurui dam provides power for 13 million people
also helps to boost industrial development and create employment
what do miners clear forests for
building material
fuelwood collection
but what are they really hoping they’d find
gold! in 1980, there was a large gold deposit in the state of para - this attracted a crowd
exploring remote parts of amazon for oil is mainly used to search for gold
why is mining for gold bad?
mercury is used to separate the soil/sand from the gold, then it gets washed into nearby water bodies >:(
what other less rare thing could they be looking for? (and why)
iron ore! this is the mineral of greatest value to brazil’s mining industry - makes up 78% of total mining exports
this is done to generate revenue from the sales and export of ores
what has the government done to the amazon forests >:0
- created the amazonian highway
- reduced budgets for law enforcement
- removed fines for illegal deforestation
- rolled back laws restricting forest clearing
summary: cause rapid deforestation >:(
what are the aspects that are affected by deforestation
- economic
- social and socio-cultural
what are the aspects that are affected by deforestation
- economic
- social and socio-cultural
- physical/environmental
what are some positive effects in the economic aspect
- more revenue earned
- brazil’s foreign debt is reduced through producing and exporting certain resources
- provides employment for people in labour-extensive economic activities
what are some negative effects in the economic aspect
- forest resources like timber get depleted faster than the rate of replenishment
- non-renewable resources like oil and iron will be depleted - approx 50 years
- industries close so less employment so no future revenue gained
what are some positive effects in the social and socio-cultural aspect
subsistence and landless farmers have more land
more food for locals, alleviate hunger and starvation
intensive cultivation brings increased yield, so higher population density can be supported
what are some negative effects in the social and socio-cultural aspect
♡ tribal people’s lifestyles are threatened - face difficulties in resettlement
- don’t have skills for town-jobs
- might encounter new diseases that their immunities cannot defend against
♡ land rights of tribal people are taken away
♡ new agricultural methods lead to loss of traditional culture and knowledge of the forest
what are some positive effects in the physical/environmental aspect?
none.
what are some negative effects in the physical/environmental aspect?
- soil erosion as there is lack of interception and tree roots to bind soil particles
- frequent landslides as there is rapid runoff (leads to loss of lives)
- eroded soil pollutes rivers (leads to less food and water for those dependent on rivers) (loss of lives due to more flooding too
- soil fertility decreases as there is no decomposition
- species go extinct due to destruction of flora and fauna
- loss of valuable resources like plants with medicinal value
- lower rainfall, more carbon dioxide (global warming)
- haze due to burning of forests (health problems in throat and lungs)
