What is the historical state of this ecosystem?
Before the
Industrial Revolution, the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil enjoyed a limited
relationship with those who wished to exploit it. While members of western civilization came and went, the Amazon was mostly home to native tribes like the Tupis and Tapuias. However, with the dawn of advances in new
machinery and technology, loggers, rubber harvesters, and those who otherwise
wished to extract resources from this ecosystem could more easily do so. Issues of tribal displacement and loss of
species diversity—related to massive deforestation—abounded.
---Malhi, Yadvinder. Tropical Forests & Global Atmospheric Change. Oxford: Oxford Univ., 2005. Print.
What are the current human impacts?
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| <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section2group3/results_and_discussion> |
In the past century, humans have had a
previously unmatched negative impact on Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest. In this area, deforestation now happens at a
rate of one hectare (2.47 acres) per second, primarily to accommodate cattle
farming, commercial and subsistence agriculture, infrastructure improvements, and logging. The most immediate effect of this dramatic
loss is the destruction of innumerable plant and animal species native to the
area—even some that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. In fact, an average of three to four species
go extinct in the Brazilian Amazon every year as a result of the human impact. Shown below is the projected amount of bird species that will remain in Brazil in the future if habitat loss continues to happen like it does today.
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| <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section2group3/results_and_discussion> |
The cruel
irony of the deforestation of this area is that although it seems that man is
making sacrifices to the environment in the name of self-preservation (eg.
stimulating the economy and making enough money to live comfortably), the
demolition of this ecosystem has grave and direct consequences that will come
back to haunt him. In addition to
species loss, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has resulted in loss of soil
fertility (which makes it more difficult for commercial and subsistence agriculture to be
sustainable here), an increasing “greenhouse effect,” and the erosion of soil (leading
to the pollution of surrounding bodies of water). Such effects will multiply unless something
is done!
Likely future prospects for this ecosystem?
Assuming that humans continue to ravage this ecosystem in
the way we do now, the future of the Amazon in Brazil looks bleak. Giant clearings of trees thin the canopy
(allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor) and suck moisture from the
surrounding forest. This dries leaf
litter and causes trees to die, which in turn promotes recurring fires. As a result of these fires, smoke clouds the
air, and inhibits cloud formation, drying out and destroying the forest as it
exists today.
Additionally, the "greenhouse" effect that takes place, in part because of deforestation, may take a horrifying toll on the Amazon. A 4 °C rise in global temperatures by 2100 would
kill 85% of the Amazon rainforest while a temperature rise of only 3 °C would kill
75% of it. Whether these come to pass or not, global climate change is having a decidedly negative effect on this ecosystem.
---<http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0801-amazon.html>
How can we improve the human impact on this ecosystem?
In order to save the Amazon Rainforest, we must take drastic action and make a full 180 degree turn from the irresponsible way we exploit Mother Nature today. The demand for space to farm cattle, soybeans, and other crops is a huge reason for deforestation. Therefore, we must restrict either a) how much of each of these products may be farmed or b) where these products may be farmed. With reduced deforestation, countless plant and animal species will be given a chance to thrive that may not have otherwise, the "greenhouse effect" will be kept to a minimum, and unnecessary soil erosion will cease.
