Strategies to manage the tropical rainforest Flashcards
What are the three categories of modern strategies to manage the Amazon rainforest sustainably?
- Protection through legislation of large expanses of primary forest unaffected by commercial developments. 2. Projects to reforest areas degraded or destroyed by subsistence farming, cattle ranching, logging, and mining. 3. Improving agricultural techniques to enable permanent cultivation.
What is the current coverage of forest conservation areas in the Brazilian Amazon?
By 2015, 44 percent of the Brazilian Amazon comprised national parks, wildlife reserves, and indigenous reserves where farming is banned. These areas, known as Amazon Regional Protected Areas, now cover an area twenty times the size of Belgium.
Provide an example of a reforestation project in the Amazon.
The Parica project in Rondônia in the western Amazon aims to develop a 1000 km² commercial timber plantation on government-owned, deforested land. The project plans to plant 20 million fast-growing, tropical hardwood seedlings on 4000 smallholdings, with the goal of maturing over 25 years. Financial assistance is provided to smallholders for land preparation, planting, and plot maintenance. The timber produced will be exported along the Amazon and its tributaries through Manaus or Port Velho.
What are the environmental benefits of the Parica project?
While the Parica project is a monoculture and cannot replicate the biodiversity of the primary rainforest, it is sustainable. The project sequesters carbon in the trees and soil, reduces CO₂ emissions from deforestation, re-establishes water and carbon cycles, and reduces run-off and the loss of plant nutrients and carbon from the soil.
Describe the sustainable initiatives of the indigenous Suruí people in Rondônia.
The Suruí people participate in a scheme to protect primary rainforest on tribal lands from illegal logging and reforest areas degraded by deforestation. They plant seedlings bred in local nurseries in deforested areas around their villages, selecting native species that provide timber for construction, food crops, and a sustainable source of income through logging. In 2009, the Suruí joined the UN’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) scheme, which grants them carbon credits for protecting the rainforest and abandoning logging.
What is the purpose of the UN’s REDD+ scheme?
The UN’s REDD+ scheme aims to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries. It provides financial incentives for countries and communities to protect their forests, offering carbon credits that can be purchased by international companies to offset their carbon emissions.
Where can you find more information about the UN’s REDD+ scheme?
More information about the UN’s REDD+ scheme can be found at the websites www.un-redd.org and www.carbonplanet.com.
What has been the main cause of deforestation in Amazonia?
Farming, specifically smallholder farming, has been the main cause of deforestation in Amazonia.
Why has permanent cultivation in Amazonia proved unsustainable?
The low fertility of soils in Amazonia has made permanent cultivation unsustainable. After a few years, smallholders abandoned their plots due to declining productivity, which were then converted to low-quality grassland.
How can agricultural diversification help slow rates of deforestation?
Agricultural diversification can help slow rates of deforestation by maintaining soil fertility through rotational cropping and combining livestock and arable operations. Integrating crops and livestock can increase ranching productivity up to fivefold, reducing the need for further expansion into forested areas.
What are human-engineered soils in the Amazon rainforest?
Human-engineered soils, also known as dark soils, are soils created through the intentional input of charcoal, waste, and human manure in the Amazon rainforest.
What is the significance of charcoal in human-engineered soils?
Charcoal present in human-engineered soils attracts micro-organisms and fungi, enhancing soil fertility and allowing for long-term retention of nutrients.
What is the current focus of scientists regarding dark soils in the Amazon?
Scientists are currently conducting research to investigate the possibility of successfully recreating dark soils.
What would be the impact of successfully recreating human-engineered soils in the Amazon?
If successfully recreated, human-engineered soils could support intensive and permanent cultivation in the Amazon region. This would lead to a significant reduction in deforestation and carbon emissions.
What were the observations made by European explorers regarding the Amazon rainforest’s potential for settled, permanent cultivation?
European explorers observed that the Amazon rainforest, as late as the sixteenth century, supported high population densities and many large urban centers. This contradicts the belief that natural resources for farming in the region are too poor to support permanent cultivation.
