Deforestation In The Rainforest Flashcards
How much deforestation as a whole is blamed on farmers
94%
What do this farming include
Cattle farms 60%
Fodder crops to feed cattle 1%
Palm oil and cocoa
What type of farming is most destructive in different parts of the world
Borneo: 6million hectares replaced for palm oil
Brazil: cattle ranches to sell meat internationally or domestically to pay off debt
Slash and burn farmers ( subsistence farmers )
What other factors are to blame
TNCs exploitation of the rainforest from commercial business for profit by TNCs ( transnational Corporations ) or governments
Iron ore mines eg the Carajas complex largest iron ore mine in world, cut down rainforest to make space
Making space for residence with population growth
Logging timber ( legal or illegal )
Why are the farmer doing this
Overpopulation and poverty in rainforest countries
Farmers need to feed families and provide necessities
No choice but to do this to earn a living
148 people are added to the worlds population each minute
95% of this growth is in developing countries
These countries have 95% of the worlds’ tropical rainforest
Many rainforest countries are in debt
Industrial development as more products are needed globally
Why are cattle farms so bad
Cows produce methane and that is 21x more damaging to the ozone layer than co2, removing co2 absorbers with something than is 21x more damaging
How much land is estimated to be taken up by palm oil plantations
10million hectares
What is palm oil known for and why is it bad
It is known as cash cropping because you are making space for one crop to make money, it removes biodiversity from the rainforest and that could make some animals go extinct eg orangutang
What is slash and burn farming
Farmers cut down and burn vegetation making fertile ground to use for about 5yrs and then they move on, this could be sustainable bit it is being done at a massive scale
