lesson 20- the Amazon Rainforest

Question 1

what are the short term benefits of clearing rainforests?

Answer 1

-land for agriculture, houses and roads
-jobs in construction, logging, mining
-income from raw materials
-scientific investigation, as food and medicine is made from the plants

Question 2

what are the problems of clearing rainforests?

Answer 2

-commercial logging
-roads divide the ecosystems- barrier
-loss of biodiversity
-profits go back to TNCs and MEDCs (more economically developed countries)

Question 3

who was Chico Mendez and what did he do?

Answer 3

he tried to fight the clearance of the Amazon rainforest as a local, but got shot as he was a threat to large logging companies
-murderer not found

Question 4

what strategies can be used to prevent rainforest damage?

Answer 4

Agro farming-growing trees and crops at the same time, allows farmers to use tree canopy shelter, prevents soil erosion and crops benefit from nutrients from trees

Selected logging- trees are only felled when they reach a certain height, so young trees can grow

Afforestation- replanting trees that are chopped down

Forest reserves- protected areas of forest

Monitoring- using satellites and photography to check all activities are sustainable and legal

Question 4

why does Brazil still need to clear the Amazon

Answer 4

it needs to exploit its resources in order to develop

Question 4

how many trees did the 2005 drought kill in the Amazon

Answer 4

half a million

Question 4

how much of evapotranspiration has deforestation taken away

Answer 4

40%

Question 4

how much carbon does the Amazon take in/ act as a sink for?

Answer 4

2 billion tons of CO2 yearly