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%. It also, according to most estimates, holds the fastest deforestation rate in the world. INPE, the Brazilian national institute for space
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Though Brazil is known quite well for its stringent deforestation laws, there is very little existent enforcement of these laws. Many agencies are underfunded and understaffed, and some are even involved in timber laundering, where trees are illegally harvested and given clean documentation to facilitate their sale. The new found protection of forests by indigenous tribes had been met with controversial reactions. One indigenous group, the Guardians, “have tied up loggers, torched their trucks and tractors, and kicked them off the reserves” (Phillips). This, of course, has led to the decreased logging in the area, but some people are fearful of the radical methods in the already dangerous area. Indigenous groups play an important role in preserving Brazil’s Amazon rain forest as their reserves make up roughly one-fifth of its area, and they face a growing threat to their livelihoods as many trespass into their territories illegally. If “loss of land and loss of language are connected,” that means loss of land can also lead to the loss of culture, and these indigenous groups are fighting nail and tooth to ensure this doesn’t happen (Rymer). For the Awa people, the threat has been even worse as loggers expel the isolated Indians, leeching off their food supply by hunting game and taking fruits and fish. Government agencies …show more content…
It is a need and a necessity yet it is also detrimental. Indigenous people and activists are killed in trying to defend their land and it’s beautiful ecology, in trying to maintain and restore a land that has been raped and massacred and ridden of its beauty. There are many factors hampering the preservation of the amazon, and these, in turn, can often hurt Brazil. So how can we protect the forest, and in turn, the people? There are plenty of options, but whether they will work or not is the true question. One of them is direct regulation, which would place restrictions on road expansion and establish protected areas. The government should also try to work with cattle ranchers and ways to increase efficiency and decrease waste. As Brazil is looking to hydroelectric dams as a new form of energy, there should also be scientific research done before their inauguration, to find dam locations that will cause the least harm to the environment. Brazil should also put more into practice PES contracts, payment for ecosystem services, as studies of programs in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Brazil has shown it can halve deforestation rates. Though deforestation seems a big issue to tackle, there are many solutions to tackling it; it’s just our job to figure out which solutions prove efficient and which prove faulty. If we don’t focus on trying to halt
Though Brazil is known quite well for its stringent deforestation laws, there is very little existent enforcement of these laws. Many agencies are underfunded and understaffed, and some are even involved in timber laundering, where trees are illegally harvested and given clean documentation to facilitate their sale. The new found protection of forests by indigenous tribes had been met with controversial reactions. One indigenous group, the Guardians, “have tied up loggers, torched their trucks and tractors, and kicked them off the reserves” (Phillips). This, of course, has led to the decreased logging in the area, but some people are fearful of the radical methods in the already dangerous area. Indigenous groups play an important role in preserving Brazil’s Amazon rain forest as their reserves make up roughly one-fifth of its area, and they face a growing threat to their livelihoods as many trespass into their territories illegally. If “loss of land and loss of language are connected,” that means loss of land can also lead to the loss of culture, and these indigenous groups are fighting nail and tooth to ensure this doesn’t happen (Rymer). For the Awa people, the threat has been even worse as loggers expel the isolated Indians, leeching off their food supply by hunting game and taking fruits and fish. Government agencies …show more content…
It is a need and a necessity yet it is also detrimental. Indigenous people and activists are killed in trying to defend their land and it’s beautiful ecology, in trying to maintain and restore a land that has been raped and massacred and ridden of its beauty. There are many factors hampering the preservation of the amazon, and these, in turn, can often hurt Brazil. So how can we protect the forest, and in turn, the people? There are plenty of options, but whether they will work or not is the true question. One of them is direct regulation, which would place restrictions on road expansion and establish protected areas. The government should also try to work with cattle ranchers and ways to increase efficiency and decrease waste. As Brazil is looking to hydroelectric dams as a new form of energy, there should also be scientific research done before their inauguration, to find dam locations that will cause the least harm to the environment. Brazil should also put more into practice PES contracts, payment for ecosystem services, as studies of programs in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Brazil has shown it can halve deforestation rates. Though deforestation seems a big issue to tackle, there are many solutions to tackling it; it’s just our job to figure out which solutions prove efficient and which prove faulty. If we don’t focus on trying to halt