Deforestation of the Amazon: Economics and Biodiversity
The Conflict
The Brazilian government, Brazilian companies, and multinational organizations are developing the Amazon rainforest for its timber and other resources, which results in deforestation of the Amazon. In addition to the environmental consequences, the indigenous people are dying out and the long-term viability of the Amazonian rainforest's economy is in question. Small farmers, indigenous people, and environmentalists around the world are trying to limit development of the Amazon.
Economic
- Aggressive development hurts the long-term value of the rainforest and limits the economic viability of small farmers.
- Money for development is required for Brazilians now.
Environmental
• Destruction of the rainforest harms the overall well being of the planet and may destroy future resources, including plants that can provide medicine.
The Amazon Rainforest, which stretches across northern Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Guyana, and Colombia, is the single largest tropical rainforest, accounting for thirty percent of all the tropical rainforests left in the world. It is estimated that the Amazon is home to one tenth of the world's plant and animal species. The deforestation of this region is perhaps the single greatest environmental risk facing the planet.
Although deforestation in the Amazon has been taking place for decades, the rate of that deforestation reached unprecedented levels in the mid-1990s.
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