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Deforestation in the Amazon - Coggle Diagram
Deforestation in the Amazon
18 million hectares lost between 2001 and 2012
Estimated that 30% of the Amazon will be deforested by 2030 if the rate isn't reduced
Reasons for
Commercial Farming
cleared to make space for cattle grazing and plantations
Cattle ranching - main cause of deforestation (70%) - 200m cattle on 450,000km^2 of pasture in Brazil
Soy - 250,000km^2 cleared
Commercial logging
Hardwood trees e.g. mahogany, valuable (2-3%)
Mineral extraction - Gold, iron, copper - mined and exported - boosts economy
Population growth - Government offers rainforest land to poor people from cities e.g. Trans-Amazonian Highway
Impact
Climate change
Trees remove CO2 from atmosphere, Amazon stores 140 billion tonnes of carbon, deforestation releases some of this CO2, causes global warming
75% of Brazils CO2 emissions are from deforestation
Soil Erosion
Losing 100 tonnes of topsoil per hectare each yaer - landslides and flooding
Less canopy to block rainfall, more water reaches soil, reduces soil fertility, nutrients washed away.
Economic
March 2018 - Brazil exported $600million of beef, second largest exporter of soy beans
Mining industry - jobs e.g. Buenaventura company employs 8000
Logging - huge amount of Brazils economy, destroys resources, reduces tourism attractiveness
Global rate of deforestation
2007-2017 - 22milion hectares lost each year.
Some countries working to reduce deforestation e.g. 2004-2012, Brazil decreased rates by 80%
Reasons = Paris Agreement - Brazil pledged to reduce its carbon emisions by 36% by 2025
Increased global awareness - reduced demand for products from deforested areas.
Efforts to reduce = protection for 44% of Amazon using World Bank and WWF funding
Satellite imagery to prevent large-scale illegal loggin