Summary: The Amazon Rainforestation

Improved Essays
The Amazon Rainforest is currently transforming from a wonderful forest with multiple species and habitats, into the next lifeless desert, due to deforestation. Deforestation is the process of clearing trees from a large area. This process is not only ruining the world, but for humans and animals too. Nearly half of the world's forests have been destroyed, and even more are being cut down at greater rates each year. The rapid deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest over the past 50 years is a serious issue for both the planet and humans alike.
Humans believe they are superior, and that they have the right to destroy natural habitats for personal needs. Without the knowledge of predicting the future, humans put themselves before the environment. Cattle ranching is the main factor in 70% of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest. In the 21st century, more than “three quarters of forest clearing in the Amazon was for cattle-ranching” (Butler, Amazon Destruction).
…show more content…
Farmers cut down immense amounts of trees in order to create room for their livestock. Then, they use the wood from the trees and sell them to make a profit. The Amazon Rainforests’ trees provide goods for everyday needs. A small portion of the Amazon’s timber is used in order to process paper, furniture, and homes. This process is considered to be illegal logging in most circumstances. The most common illegalities is “taking wood from protected areas, [and] harvesting more than is permitted” (Deforestation). Unfortunately, illegal logging is cheaper for the logger, causing it to reoccur. The illegal removing of wood from forests “is thought to be for use as fuelwood” (Deforestation). Fuel is an important source for cooking and heating homes, which is why this mechanism is popular. Humans consider themselves to be more important than the environment, causing their actions to be unthoughtful, which intime will destroy all forests.
Natural causes of deforestation can be just as deadly as human causes. A main concern is that they are unpredictable, and could occur anywhere in the forest, ruining not only habitats, but homes as well. Forest fires are the most frequent type of natural destruction in the Amazon Rainforest. Each year, millions of acres of forests are damaged due to fires. It is the same amount “lost to logging and agriculture combined” (Deforestation). Forest fires spread extremely quickly over vast amounts of land. They are harmful to plants and animals, as well as close by residents. Forest fires can be caused by drought. Drought interrupts the proper amount of water the forest should be receiving. Without the right amount of water, main water sources in forests dry up, such as the Amazon Basin. Plants will be unable to retrieve enough water in order to live, along with the moisture in tree trunks. If there is no moisture in the wood, trees will die, causing a loss of habitats. Scientists are worried that climate change could “worsen droughts in the Amazon” (Butler, Natural Threats to Rainforests). With an increase of drought in the Amazon, wildfires will become more common, meaning more loss of habitat in a shorter period of time. An increase in tropical storms and hurricanes will also ruin the rainforest. Strong winds and harsh conditions can cause tree falls. With trees only being less than meters apart from each other, the domino effect occurs, meaning if one tree goes down, hundreds or even thousands follow. Massive storms could cause “substantial damage to rainforest and recovery may take a decade to centuries” (Butler, Natural Threats to Rainforests). Tropical storms and hurricanes may not create permanent destruction in some cases, but it will take a long process for the forest to rebuild itself. Unfortunately, with an increase in storms, the forest may not have the time it needs to rebuild, and will continue to be destroyed. Although natural causes produce a great amount of damage, they are certainly not intentional, but are simply unpredictable. The Amazon Rainforest is the habitat to the most diverse
…show more content…
Whether a cause is natural or human controlled, they both do an intense amount of damage to the Earth. Deforestation has increased the speed of global warming significantly, and will not be 100% restored. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the largest rainforests in the world, and is being destroyed quickly, causing vast changes on the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses. Can you imagine thirty-six football fields being wiped out per minute? This is happening to our forests, between twelve to fifteen million hectares of forest are lost each year. The DRC Congo and Australia have both undergone Deforestation which has led to loss in biodiversity, releases carbon gases into the atmosphere and many more devastating effects. Around half the world’s tropical rainforests have been cleared and both the DRC Congo and Australia are a part of that along with lots of others.…

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Amazon Rainforestation

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Every year, many plants and animal species are killed, or even put to the brink of extinction, due to Amazon Deforestation. “Forests are complex ecosystems that affect almost every species on the planet. When they are degraded, it can set off a devastating chain of events both locally and around the world.” (Bradford) By deforesting the amazon, many animals are losing their homes and food sources.…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Tropical deforestation is an issue that has plagued mankind since the beginning of time. It is an important component of global change and has a large influence on many different environmental issues we have today such as climate change and carbon emissions. Over a twelve year period that ended in 2012, 1.1 million km2 of tropical forest was lost, with the rate of forest loss increasing during this span. One of the largest and most biodiverse tropical forests’ in the world is the Amazon, covering an area of 5.5 million square kilometers and shared by nine countries. Brazil holds the majority of it, over 60%.…

    • 2010 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Deforestation has changed the habitats of many species so profoundly that they are no longer able to thrive, or even survive, in these altered environments. Just consider the alarming reports of the decline in Borneo's orangutans' populations, the result of human interference that is destroying…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (Butler, 2012). Humans affect the rainforest in many inadequate ways, such as deforestation and wildfires. “Deforestation refers to the cutting, clearing, and removal of rainforest or related ecosystems into less bio-diverse ecosystems such as pasture, cropland, or plantations.” (Algee). According to National Geographic, during the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down.…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Amazon Rainforest’s CO2 emissions have dropped more than any other country. Brazil continues trying to reduce its impact on climate change. Image: the effect of human alterations Sustainability strategies: There are many things we can do to sustain and save the Amazon rainforest. One way can be agroforestry which is when trees are left in the area or are replanted afterwards, this is done to maintain a constant amount of trees.…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Deforestation is the destruction of a whole forest to make it available to build or live on the land. This problem is getting worse to the point that and estimate of 7.3 million hectares of forest are being cut down a year. Deforestation is an issue to the earth because it is cutting down the amount of oxygen we have in our atmosphere, this is also bad because with the cut down of trees is the cut down of animals homes. Deforestation has happen since the beginning of time but is getting worse every day with more people having houses built. The reason that the trees have been cut down is because people need wood and paper and room to build houses.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Yamashita illustrates the forest by saying, “...the Amazon Forest was a great decaying hothouse where all sustenance was sucked up immediately by the voracious flora and fauna, leaving nothing for the poor soil” (99). The Amazon Forest, the home to epiphytes, spiders, alligators, birds, monkeys, and millions of other species, is functioning in a cycle of life and death. Native plants and animals feed off of the fatality of others through the recycling of nutrients. Originally thought to be “virgin soil,” the ground of the rainforest has little to offer because of the lack of nutrients stored there. This natural cycle is often interrupted by humans.…

    • 1030 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The environment is a unique unit and incorporates all the living and non-living components such as plants, animals, streams and lakes. Deforestation refers to the long-term loss of tree canopy and the conversion of the land to other purposes. The overuse of resources and the industrialization process are some major causes of this phenomenon. This process goes on without check leading to soil erosion, floods, silting of irrigation canals, all of which degrade the environment. Deforestation in the United States is affected by many factors.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Global warming is an issue that often doesn’t receive enough attention. Deforestation is among the leading causes of global warming. Deforestation is the clearing of trees and forest to make room commercial uses such as shopping malls, houses, and businesses. While this may not seem like an urgent issue in this country, we have to realize that the United States is one of the leading countries when it comes to deforestation only behind countries such as Brazil, Canada, and Russia. It is estimated that in 100 years, there will be no rainforests.…

    • 1360 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In light of the recent news that the Amazon Rainforest was sold to Chinese petrol companies which equates to the deforestation of many trees for oil exploration which subsequently contaminates the land. Brazil was once known for it's forward thinking movements which prevented deforestation and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 75% of the world's average now the deforestation has increased 30% since 2016. Many punishments which were implemented by the former President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff and are now dismissed by a single permit you could obtain within a matter weeks of applying. It's said that many environmental problems are no longer a priority in the Brazilian government, putting these issues on the back burner perhaps till we are living within a large scale environmental crisis. Carbon emissions began to slowly rise throughout the years as deforestation continued, one of our main oxygen creators were being harvested and mostly wasted.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Deforestation, or “the conversion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction of the tree canopy cover” (“Deforestation”) is a global problem. One immediate effect of this phenomenon is the degradation of forests. More specifically, deforestation reduces biodiversity, releases greenhouse gas emissions, disrupts water cycles, increases soil erosion, and disrupts livelihoods (“Deforestation”). Southeast Asia is facing extreme amounts of deforestation. About 3.5 million hectares of forest were lost between the years of 1990 and 2000 in the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea for palm oil plantations (“Palm Oil and Deforestation”).…

    • 1086 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Deforestation Of The Amazon

    • 1774 Words
    • 8 Pages
    • 7 Works Cited

    As the global demand for resources such as soy and beef increases, the Amazon’s rate of destruction also increases. The forest is cleared every day to expand for more land to be used for cattle and crops. The most efficient way for farmers to clear forests is to use fire to burn the trees, but as a result the blaze often spreads to nearby areas and leads to uncontrollable forest fires that can only be stopped by letting it burn out. Even worse, cattle pastures take up about 80 percent of the deforested areas in the Amazon, and because of this innumerable amount of cattle, there is excessive runoff which contaminates the 4,100 miles of river, spreading the corruption throughout the entire…

    • 1774 Words
    • 8 Pages
    • 7 Works Cited
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Biodiversity is Threatened The animals that live in the rainforests and forests are dependant on the many different species that live there. They are also dependant on the trees and plants that grow in their areas. When deforestation happens, it tears away the plants and trees, which in turn, chases away or kills the animals living there. As the habitat is ripped away, the original species living there struggle to live while other species could move in and take over the rest of the land, killing off the remaining animals and plants living there.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Forests produce vital oxygen for people and wildlife. The world’s most vulnerable and endangered life exist in forests and 1.6 billion people rely on the benefits that they offer. Forests have integral part in maintaining the climate, however, man chooses to use this precious resource for his selfish purposes without any regard to the beautiful life it protects and shelters. Deforestation is one of the biggest threats to the planet and if we continue to exploit it at the pace we are going, they will cease to exist in less than a hundred years. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to use the land for other purposes.…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays