The Destruction of the Amazon Rain Forest
There are many elements that have an effect on the Amazon rain forest. They are roads, cattle ranching,
settlement, logging, gold rushes, large mining operations, and hydroelectric dams.
Roads
Brazil has a large extensive system of highways running through the Amazon rain forest. This system
was funded by loans from World Bank. These roads were put in place to open up the interior, and the
government hopes that this will encourage settlement. Scientists and environmentalists believe that this
system of roads have cause deforestation of the rain forest. These roads have opened up the interior, but
to people that want to own large tracks for farming, ranching, logging, and mining. This is what
happened in Acre. A section of highway was going to be paved and the environmentalists protested but
the road was paved anyway. The surrounding rain forest was deforested. Environmentalists convinced
World Bank to re-evaluate the deal and stop further road construction. The deal was that the Brazilian
had to take some action to protect the forest. After that was done the bank would continue payments.
Cattle Ranching
Cattle ranching has been responsible for nearly eighty percent of destruction to the rain forests. The
Brazilian government wanted to encourage development so they sold many areas of the rain forest for
twenty five cents a hectare. Large companies, wealthy business people and wealthy farmers were able to
buy vast areas for their ranches. They had problems growing food on the unfertile soil and trying to
maintain pasture land. For the first year the pasture is good, but as the years go on the grasses become
thinner. In less than six years most of the cleared rain forests is useless as cattle pastures.
Settlement
In 1973, most of the rain forests areas were undisturbed. Since the completion of the paving of the
BR364 highway, hundreds of thousands of people have settled in the rain forest. Farming in the rain
forest has proved of be more difficult than many people have expected. The soils of the rain forest are
very low in nutrients. After the areas are cleared, the soil is exposed to the heat of the sun and the heavy
rain. After three to four years, there are no nutrients in the soil. Many of the settlers give up. They either
sell their land to cattle ranchers or just leave.
Logging
Now the new highways stretch into the rain forest make it easier for logging companies to reach them.
Before the 1960's, most of the rain forest could not be logged. These logging operations have usually
had a disastrous effect on the rain forest. Loggers are often looking for a few valuable species of trees
such as Brazilian Mahogamy. They often have to clear large areas of rain forest to secure a supply of
any one tree. Logging roads also contribute to the destruction of the rain forest. These roads are now
used by ranchers as well.
Gold Rush
Cattle have not always been what has attracted people to come to the Amazon rain forest. Gold has
attracted thousands of people to Brazil. It all started in the 1980's, when several large gold discoveries
were made in the rain forests. The thousands of gold miners that came looking for gold were called
garimpeiros. They came to isolated gold mines in Mato Grosso, Roraima, Rondonia, Amazonas, and
Acre. These gold rushes were similar to those in British Columbia and California in the 1800's.
The gold rushes have had a large impact on the rain forest. Areas have been known to be cleared and
burned to make room for airfields, towns, and mining camps. Many of the gold mining operations use
mercury to extract gold flakes from the earth. This has lead to the pollution of the rivers and streams.
The mercury is deadly to insects, birds, and fish. Humans also drink the water from the streams and
rivers and eat the fish for food. High concentrations of mercury have been found in small rivers and
streams in the rain forest. The heavy concentration of earth flowing into the streams can easily damage
stream beds. This causes extreme flooding during the rainy season.
Large Mining Operations
The Amazon Rain forest has a wealth of mineral resources like gold, tin, copper, silver, manganese, iron
ore, and bauxite. In recent years, mining companies have established operations throughout the rain
forest. One example of a mining mega project would be the iron ore development at Carajas. It contains
the largest iron ore deposit in the world. There are also other minerals such as manganese, copper,
nickel, gold, and bauxite. The government plans to develop 20 iron ore smelters. With all of these new
developments, thousands of hectares will be destroyed. One mining mega project would require the
cutting of millions of hardwood trees. They are needed to produce the charcoal fuel in the smelting and
refining process.
The mining development is expanding. So is the destruction of the surrounding rain forests.
Hydro-Electric Dams
Since 1960, the Brazilian government has built several hydro-electric dams. They have destroyed
several thousand hectares of rain forest. The dams have also led to the flooding of certain Indian
reserves. Brazil has plans to build several more hydro-electric dams in the future. International
environmental protection groups, wildlife organizations, and Brazilian Indians have combined to make a
strong opposition. They want to convince the World Bank, who supplies the Brazilian government with
funds, to vote against the loan that would allow the government to build the new dams.
Development Loans
Since the early 1960's, the Brazilian government has borrowed billions of dollars. They have received
these loans from banks such as World Bank and banks from North America, Japan, and Europe. These
banks have been under pressure from environmentalist groups all around the world. The World Bank
and other banks have responded to these protests. They will make the Brazilian government to include
plans to avoid or minimize damage to the rain forest and Indian communities.
Source: http://www.ei.educ.ab.ca/sch/sht/Destruction-Rain-Forest.html