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All the details and
information about Deforestation In South America
and lots more!
South America is home
to some of the world's largest and lushest
rainforests. Fully one fifth of the different
species of flora and fauna on the planet can be
found in these forests, and quite a number of them
are indigenous to this region alone. Despite the
sheer size of the rain forests, they are rapidly
being diminished by deforestation in South
America.
The reasons for the
deforestation in South America generally run the
usual gauntlet that has plagued other countries;
first and foremost on the list are man's need for
more arable farm land, and the need for lumber.
These two needs are difficult to avoid, as the
world's increasing population makes subsequent
changes in the demand for food as well as lumber
for construction.
The other two reasons
for south american deforestation are the conversion
of forest area into urbanized areas, and the
location of valuable iron ore and petroleum
deposits deep in the rain forests. These other two
reasons have been the target of some public
scrutiny, as they usually lead to the destruction
of sections of rainforest without using the lumber
for any useful purpose.
More often than not,
the trees are either thrown away and left to rot,
or the forest sections to be cleared are actually
razed by fire. In either event, the forest is
treated more as an obstruction to progress and
civilization instead of the valuable commodity that
it is. However, the four reasons given above are
common factors of deforestation the world over. But
in South America, there are other, stranger reasons
for deforestation that seem to be specific to this
continent alone.
In Brazil, the leading
reasons for deforestation are cattle ranching and
soybean farming. Brazil itself is home to large
sections of the amazon rainforest, which itself
actually stretches althroughout most of south
america. Aside from the amazon, brazil holds one
third of the world's number of rain forests.
Despite this large percentage, almost a quarter of
the forests in Brazil have already been lost. The
practice of cattle ranching and the destruction of
forest for grazing land has long been a heavy
contributor to deforestation in south america, and
these numbers have increased steadily as European
countries have turned to Brazil for 75% of their
meat imports.
 Soybean
farming is a fairly recent developement in Brazil,
yet has already climbed up the ranks to be the
second highest cause of deforestation in South
America. The creation of new breeds of soy bean in
Brazil has already allowed it to compete neck in
neck with the United States as the world's leading
soy bean exporter, and the subsequent increase in
demands for comercially arable land has led to the
destruction of vast tracts of forest
region.
Another reason for
deforestation in south america that is different
from the usual is the presence of gold and diamond
mines in Venezuela. Venezuela's rain forests
originally were divided by the Orinoco river that
runs through the country, with 20% of the forests
growing north of the river and the remaining 80%
growing south. The usual reasons of logging and the
need for farming and urban land have already more
or less decimated the upper 20% since most of the
inhabitants of Venezuela live north of the Orinoco.
However, the discovery of rich gold and diamond
deposits in the rainforests south of the river have
sparked numerous mines, which are currently the
leading reason for deforestation in
Venezuela.
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