Geography - The Rainforest
Causes of Deforestation
Locations and Characteristics
Impacts of Deforestation
Plant and Animal Adaptations
The Rainforest is a vast biome that provides most of the Planet Earth's variation in Animals and Plants. It is primarliy Located along the Equator, But Within the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
The Characteristics of this vast, Biodiverse Ecosytems are amplified effects of others, with the sheer amount of adaptation by the trees creating its own rain, leading to a humid atmosphere, It is also very dark for all layers below the Canopy, as the Canopy absorbs most light the Rainforest recieves. It is always a dangerous game of Predator and Prey in the jungle, where every minute or little mistake could lead you or prey into certian Death.
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Succulents are such plants which can store water in their modified stems and leaves.
The spines on cacti also help prevent excess water loss.
Some plants have long, deep roots which can absorb water from the ground.
Other plants grow short to save energy.
The shape of a bird's beak, the color of a mammal's fur, the thickness or thinness of the fur, the shape of the nose or ears are all examples of physical adaptations which help different animals survive. Animals also have behavioral adaptations that have to do with their actions.
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Unchecked Agricultural Expansion
Uncurbed expansion of ranching and unsustainable farming practices clear forests and leaves areas more prone to fires that can quickly become uncontrolled.
Illegal and Unmitigated Gold Mining
Illegal and informal gold mining causes significant ecological and social impacts in the Amazon, including direct deforestation and mercury contamination.
Illegal Logging
Not only does logging outside of designated areas deforests the Amazon, but "selective logging" of high-value tree species weakens the rainforest's interconnected ecosystems.
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Poorly-Planned Infrastructure
Ill-conceived roads increase the speed and scope of the pressure on the Amazon by opening access to remote forests.
Fires
Fire - a latent indicator of deforestation as forests are felled and then burned to make way for ranching and farming - can quickly rage out of control. Just in 2019, over 20 million acres of the Amazon were devastated by fires.
Lack of Sufficient Governance
Lack of appropriate natural resource management and governance, coupled with high demand for the region’s natural resources, has led to poor decision-making on critical issues.
Climate Change
As climate change affects global weather patterns, warmer and dryer periods will bring new stresses and make yearly fire seasons even more devastating. The decreased resilience of these ecosystems accelerates the Amazon’s decline.
Lack of Law Enforcement
The lack of sufficient enforcement to curb illegal activities erodes the Amazon’s precious and finite resource base.
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INCREASED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Forests are carbon sinks and, therefore, help to mitigate the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Tropical forests alone hold more than 228 to 247 gigatons of carbon, which is more than seven times the amount emitted each year by human activities.
But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. These greenhouse gas emissions contribute to rising temperatures, changes in patterns of weather and water, and an increased frequency of extreme weather events. For example, in Sumatra, rainforests on deep peatlands are being cleared, drained and converted to pulp plantations, contributing to Indonesia’s high greenhouse gas emissions. Changes in climate can affect forest-dwelling creatures by altering their habitats and decreasing availability of food and water. Some will be able to adapt by moving to higher elevations or latitudes, but species losses may occur.
DISRUPTION OF WATER CYCLES
Trees play a key role in the local water cycle by helping to keep a balance between the water on land and water in the atmosphere. But when deforestation or degradation occurs, that balance can be thrown off, resulting in changes in precipitation and river flow.
INCREASED SOIL EROSION
Soil erosion in Central African Republic
Soil erosion in Africa.
Without trees to anchor fertile soil, erosion can occur and sweep the land into rivers. The agricultural plants that often replace the trees cannot hold onto the soil. Many of these plants—such as coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean and wheat—can actually exacerbate soil erosion. Scientists have estimated that a third of the world’s arable land has been lost through soil erosion and other types of degradation since 1960. And as fertile soil washes away, agricultural producers move on, clearing more forest and continuing the cycle of soil loss.
DISRUPTED LIVELIHOODS
1.25 billion people around the world rely on forests for shelter, livelihoods, water, fuel, and food security. And 750 million people (approximately one-fifth of total rural population) live in forests. This includes 60 million indigenous people. But deforestation disrupts the lives of these people, sometimes with devastating consequences. In the Greater Mekong in Southeast Asia, where land tenure systems are weak, deforestation has contributed to social conflict and migration. In Brazil, poor people have been lured from their villages to remote soy plantations where they may be abused and forced, at gunpoint, to work under inhumane conditions.