The Amazon Flashcards
How did the Amazon region form?
ecosystem prob formed by the rise of the Andes mountains starting 35-65 million years ago
- increased rainfall by blocking humid Atlantic air
- prevented water from draining to Pacific; formed wetlands
How diverse is life on amazon?
Very, home to 1/10 of all species on Earth
What regional and global benefits does the amazon provide?
- produces oxygen, stores carbon
- regulates water cycle ‘creates’ rain
- cycles nutrients, forms soil
- provides useful products (nuts, rubber..)
- provides cultural value
Humans have lived in the Amazon for ____ years
13,000
What were the different Indigenous livelihoods over time in the Amazon?
- Foraging (hunter-gatherer)
- Foraging combined with settled fishing
- Cultivation (swidden/shifting; orchards)
- Some large settlements
How did pre-colonial people influence the Amazon environment?
Changed the composition of the forest:
- cultivated useful trees and plants
- built earthworks
- kept homes safe from flooding; created ponds
Built raised fields and channels in wetlands:
- reduced shade; raised water temps
Changed composition of soils
- Garbage piles formed rich black soil, helped plant growth
What were some contemporary threats to the Amazon?
Deforestation:
- agricultural expansion (cattle ranching, crops)
- timber harvesting
Hydroelectric dams
oil and mining
What was a driver of deforestation?
Agriculture
- govt incentives encouraged people to clear forest and settle in Amazon
What occupied the majority of cleared forest land in the Amazon?
Cattle ranching
Considered less risky than other ventures during the settlement boom in 1960s:
- can walk itself to market; hardier than crops
- still an important way for farmers to hedge against risk
- quickly depletes soil
What was soy farming used for in the Amazon?
Used for livestock feed, edible oil, biodiesel, food products
- a “flex crop”
Soybean production has increased very rapidly: more than ____ globally since 1994
doubled
What percent of soy is used to feed livestock?
70%
How does soy contribute to deforestation?
Soy plantations displace pastures
- large monoculture plantations
What are the key points about hydroelectric dams for the Amazon?
- many new dams planned for the Amazon
- Goal: low-carbon energy, economic development
-Impacts: flooding, relocation, cultural erosion, ecological changes
What was the Belo Monte dam?
Hydroelectric dam
- world’s fourth-largest dam
- project approved after 20 years of opposition by Indigenous ppl and environmental groups
- changes in water flow have dramatically affected biodiversity and livelihoods
What two impacts does mining have on the Amazon region?
- deforestation
- pollution
What aimed to boost gold mining in the Amazon?
Two presidential decrees
Regions designated for oil and gas projects covered over ___ of the Amazon
2/3
What are the impacts on oil and gas on the Amazon?
- water pollution
- road building
- seismic testing
- spills
What are the treats to the Amazon?
- deforestation
- hydro dams
- oil and gas
- mining
What are some strategies to protect the Amazon?
- international cooperation
- policies
- market measures
- land defenders
What is the bad news for the Amazon?
renewed threats and political choices
What are two examples of international cooperation?
- ACTO: Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization
- CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
What are the Brazilian national policies to curb deforestation?
- Action Plan to reduce deforestation in the Amazon
- Soy moratorium
What was Brazil’s Soy Moratorium?
- Voluntary agreement pushed by NGOs and retailers
What was the goal of Brazil’s Soy Moratorium?
To reduce deforestation for growing soy
large soybean traders agreed not to buy soy grown on Amazon land cleared after 2006
What was the outcome of Brazil’s Soy Moratorium?
It reduced soy grown on newly deforested land in the Brazilian Amazon
What are the challenges associated with Brazil’s Soy Moratorium?
- Soy production continues to expand elsewhere, potentially displacing it to unprotected areas (referred to as “leakage”)
- deforestation for farming persists
What are some market approaches to the Amazon?
Payments for ecosystem services (PES)
e.g. Yasuni-ITT Initiative
What does payments for ecosystem services do?
financially rewards people for providing nature’s benefits instead of depleting them
ex. protecting watersheds, preventing soil erosion
What are the key features of Payments for Ecosystem Services?
Voluntary, negotiated transactions (not imposed regulations)
Makes low-impact livelihood activities more financially attractive than high-impact ones
What was the goals of the Ecuador’s Tasuni-ITT initiative?
govt of Ecuador sought payments to not develop an oil reserve under a national park
Goals:
- protect biodiversity
- protect indigenous ppl living in voluntary isolation
- address climate change
- move ecuador away from fossil fuel use
What was the purpose of the Ecuador’s Yasuni-ITT initiative launched in 2007?
- sought $3.6B (ahlf the value of oil) to avoid drilling
- promised to repay the money if drilling proceeded
What events followed Ecuador’s Yasuni-ITT initiative and its cancellation?
- 2013: Over $300 million pledged; only $13 million delivered.
- Ecuador cancelled the plan, awarded drilling concessions, and refunded money already paid.
- 2023: A national referendum required the state oil company to stop operating in parts of Yasuni.
Who are land defenders?
What is their significance in forest conservation?
- Long history of community resistance to forest destruction.
- Example: Rubber tappers in Brazil, led by Chico Mendes (1944-1988).
Famous quote: “At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity.”
- Assassinated by a rancher, but his colleagues continued advocating for change.
- Marina Silva, a colleague of Mendes, became Environment Minister (2003-2008).
- Rewrote Brazilian forest policy.
How do land defenders and their allies fight environmental destruction?
- Community mobilization and activism
- International alliances
- Transnational social movements
