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#REDIRECT[[Amazon Rainforest#Deforestation]]
==Deforestation==
[[Deforestation]] is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas. The main sources of deforestation in the Amazon are human settlement and development of the land.<ref>Bierregaard Jr, R. O., Gascon, C., Lovejoy, T. E., & Mesquita, R. C. (2001). Lessons From Amazonia: the Ecology and Conservation of a Fragmented Forest. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Yale University.</ref> Between 1991 and 2000, the total area of forest lost in the Amazon rose from 415,000 to 587,000 km², an area twice the size of [[Portugal]], with most of the lost forest becoming pasture for cattle.<ref name=CIFOR2004>Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) (2004)</ref>

===History of deforestation in the Amazon===
[[Image:Urarina shaman B Dean.jpg|thumb|right|Urarina [[shaman]], 1988.]]

Prior to the early 1960’s, access to the Amazon was incredibly restricted and aside from partial clearing along rivers the forest remained basically intact<ref>Kirby, K. R., Laurance, W. F., Albernaz, A. K., Schroth, G., Fearnside, P. M., Bergen, S., Venticinque, E. M., & De Costa, C. (2006). The future of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Futures of Bioregions, 38, 432-453. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Science Direct database.</ref>, the poor soil also made plantation based agriculture unprofitable. The key point in deforestation of the Amazon was when the colonists established farms within the forest during the 1960s. Their farming system was based on crop cultivation and the [[slash and burn]] method. The colonists were unable to successfully manage their fields and the crops due to the loss of [[soil fertility]] and weed invasion<ref>Watkins and Griffiths, J. (2000). Forest Destruction and Sustainable Agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon: a Literature Review (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Reading, 2000). Dissertation Abstracts International, 15-17</ref>.
The soils in the Amazon are productive for just a short period of time, and the farmers are therefore constantly moving and clearing more and more land<ref>Watkins and Griffiths, J. (2000). Forest Destruction and Sustainable Agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon: a Literature Review (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Reading, 2000). Dissertation Abstracts International, 15-17.</ref>.
Amazonian colonization was ruled by cattle raising because ranching required little labor, generated decent profits, awarded social status in the community and grass can grow in the poor amazon soil. However the results of the farming lead to extensive deforestation and caused extensive environmental damage<ref> Williams, M. (2006). Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.</ref>.
An estimated 30% of the deforestation is due to small farmers and the intensity within the area that they inhabit is greater than the area occupied by the medium and large ranchers who possess 89% of the Legal Amazon’s private land. This emphasizes the importance of using previously cleared land for agricultural use, rather the typical easiest political path of distributing still-forested areas<ref>Fernside, P. M. (2005). Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia: History, Rates, and Consequences. Conservation Biology, 19, 680-688.</ref>.
In the Brazilian Amazon, the amount of small farmers versus large landholders changes frequently with economic and demographic pressures.<ref>Fernside, P. M. (2005). Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia: History, Rates, and Consequences. Conservation Biology, 19, 680-688.</ref><br />

===Causes of deforestation in the Amazon===
The annual rate of deforestation in the Amazon region has continued to increase from 1990 to 2003 because of factors at local, national, and international levels.<ref>Kirby, K. R., Laurance, W. F., Albernaz, A. K., Schroth, G., Fearnside, P. M., Bergen, S., Venticinque, E. M., & De Costa, C. (2006). The future of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Futures of Bioregions, 38, 432-453. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Science Direct database.</ref> 70% of formerly forested land in the Amazon, and 91% of land deforested since 1970, is used for livestock [[ranch|pasture]].<ref>[http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/A0701E00.htm H. Steinfeld, P. Gerber, T. Wassenaar, V. Castel, M. Rosales, C. de Haan. Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. 2006.]</ref><ref>[http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2004/02/02/000090341_20040202130625/Rendered/PDF/277150PAPER0wbwp0no1022.pdf Sergio Marglis. Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon. World Bank Working Paper No. 22. The World Bank. 2004.]</ref> In addition, [[Brazil]] is currently the second-largest global producer of [[soybeans]] after the United States, mostly for livestock feed, and as prices for soybeans rise, the soy farmers are pushing northwards into forested areas of the Amazon. As stated in Brazilian legislation, clearing land for crops or fields is considered an ‘effective use’ of land and is the beginning towards land ownership.<ref>Kirby, K. R., Laurance, W. F., Albernaz, A. K., Schroth, G., Fearnside, P. M., Bergen, S., Venticinque, E. M., & De Costa, C. (2006). The future of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Futures of Bioregions, 38, 432-453. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Science Direct database.</ref> Cleared property is also valued 5&ndash;10 times more than forested land and for that reason valuable to the owner whose ultimate objective is resale. As stated by [[Michael Williams]]<!-- WHICH Michael Williams??? -->,“The people of Brazil have always thought of the Amazon as a communal possession which they felt free to hack, burn, and abandon at will.”<ref>Williams, M. (2006). Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.</ref> The soy industry is the principal source of [[foreign currency]] for Brazil; therefore, the needs of soy farmers have been used to validate many of the controversial transportation projects that are currently developing in the Amazon.<ref>Kirby, K. R., Laurance, W. F., Albernaz, A. K., Schroth, G., Fearnside, P. M., Bergen, S., Venticinque, E. M., & De Costa, C. (2006). The future of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Futures of Bioregions, 38, 432-453. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Science Direct database.</ref> The first two highways: the [[Belém-Brasília]] (1958) and the [[Cuiaba-Porto Velho]] (1968) were the only federal highways in the [[Legal Amazon]] to be paved and passable year-round before the late 1990’s. These two highways are said to be “at the heart of the ‘arc of deforestation’,” which at present is the focal point area of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The Belém-Brasilia highway attracted nearly two million settlers in the first twenty years. The success of the Belém-Brasilia highway in opening up the forest was re-enacted as paved roads continued to be developed unleashing the irrepressible spread of settlement. The completions of the roads were followed by a wave of resettlement and the settlers had a significant effect on the forest.<ref>Williams, M. (2006). Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.</ref><br />

Scientists using [[NASA]] satellite data have found that clearing for mechanized cropland has recently become a significant force in Brazilian Amazon deforestation. This change in land use may alter the region's climate and the land's ability to absorb [[carbon dioxide]]. Researchers found that in 2003, the peak year of deforestation, more than 20 percent of the [[Mato Grosso]] state’s forests were converted to cropland. This finding suggests that the recent [[cropland]] expansion in the region is contributing to further deforestation. In 2005, [[soybean]] prices fell by more than 25 percent and some areas of Mato Grosso showed a decrease in large deforestation events, although the central agricultural zone continued to clear forests. But, deforestation rates could return to the high levels seen in 2003 as soybean and other crop prices begin to rebound in international markets. [[Brazil]] has become a leading worldwide producer of [[grains]] including [[soybean]], accounting for more than one-third of the country's gross national product. This new driver of forest loss suggests that the rise and fall of prices for other [[crops]], [[beef]] and [[timber]] may also have a significant impact on future land use in the region, according to the study.[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2006/2006091923131.html]

===Measured rates of deforestation in the Amazon===
In 1996, the Amazon was reported to have shown a 34% increase in deforestation since 1992<ref>[http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/docs/_ref/publications/newsonline/36/beef_exports.htm ''Beef exports fuel loss of Amazonian Forest'']. ''CIFOR News Online'', Number 36</ref>. The mean annual deforestation rate from 2000 to 2005 (22,392 km² per year) was 18% higher than in the previous five years (19,018 km² per year) <ref>Barreto, P.; Souza Jr. C.; Noguerón, R.; Anderson, A. & Salomão, R. 2006. [http://www.imazon.org.br/publicacoes/publicacao.asp?id=357 ''Human Pressure on the Brazilian Amazon Forests'']. [http://www.imazon.org.br/ Imazon]. Retrieved [[September 28]], [[2006]]. (The [http://www.imazon.org.br/ Imazon] web site contains many resources relating to the Brazilian Amazonia.)</ref>. In Brazil, the [[INPE - Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais|Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais]] (INPE, or National Institute of Space Research) produces deforestation figures annually. Their deforestation estimates are derived from 100 to 220 images taken during the dry season in the Amazon by the [[Landsat]] satellite, also may only consider the loss of the Amazon rainforest biome – not the loss of natural fields or savannah within the rainforest. According to INPE, the original Amazon rainforest biome in Brazil of 4,100,000 km² was reduced to 3,403,000 km² by 2005 – representing a loss of 17.1% <ref name = “INPE 2005”> . National Institute for Space Research (INPE) (2005). The INPE deforestation figures for Brazil were cited on the [http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/latin_america_and_caribbean/where/amazon/problems/amazon_deforestation/index.cfm WWF Website]in April 2006.</ref>.
<br>

<div align="center">
{| class="wikitable"
!Period||Estimated Remaining Forest Cover<br />in the Brazilian Amazon (sq. km)||Annual forest<br />loss (sq. km)||Percent of 1970<br />cover remaining||Total forest loss<br />since 1970 (sq. km)
|-
|pre-1970 || 4,100,000 || ||
|-
|1977 || 3,955,870 || 21,130 || 96.50% || 144,130
|-
|1978-1987 || 3,744,570 || 21,130 || 91.30% || 355,430
|-
|1988 || 3,723,520 || 21,050 || 90.80% || 376,480
|-
|1989 || 3,705,750 || 17,770 || 90.40% || 394,250
|-
|1990 || 3,692,020 || 13,730 || 90.00% || 407,980
|-
|1991 || 3,680,990 || 11,030 || 89.80% || 419,010
|-
|1992 || 3,667,204 || 13,786 || 89.40% || 432,796
|-
|1993 || 3,652,308 || 14,896 || 89.10% || 447,692
|-
|1994 || 3,637,412 || 14,896 || 88.70% || 462,588
|-
|1995 || 3,608,353 || 29,059 || 88.00% || 491,647
|-
|1996 || 3,590,192 || 18,161 || 87.60% || 509,808
|-
|1997 || 3,576,965 || 13,227 || 87.20% || 523,035
|-
|1998 || 3,559,582 || 17,383 || 86.80% || 540,418
|-
|1999 || 3,542,323 || 17,259 || 86.40% || 557,677
|-
|2000 || 3,524,097 || 18,226 || 86.00% || 575,903
|-
|2001 || 3,505,932 || 18,165 || 85.50% || 594,068
|-
|2002 || 3,484,727 || 21,205 || 85.00% || 615,273
|-
|2003 || 3,459,576 || 25,151 || 84.40% || 640,424
|-
|2004 || 3,432,147 || 27,429 || 83.70% || 667,853
|-
|2005 || 3,413,354 || 18,793 || 83.30% || 686,646
|-
|2006 || 3,400,254 || 13,100 || 82.90% || 699,746
|} <ref>From article by [http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/deforestation_calculations.html Rhett A. Butler], which is taken from INPE and FAO figures.</ref>
</div>
<br />

===Future of deforestation===
At the current rate, in two decades the Amazon Rainforest will be reduced by 40%. <ref>(National Geographic, January 2007)</ref> The 2005-2006 year had a 41% drop in deforestation, this was the lowest figure since 1991.

==References==
{{reflist}}

Revision as of 17:41, 27 November 2007

Deforestation

Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas. The main sources of deforestation in the Amazon are human settlement and development of the land.[1] Between 1991 and 2000, the total area of forest lost in the Amazon rose from 415,000 to 587,000 km², an area twice the size of Portugal, with most of the lost forest becoming pasture for cattle.[2]

History of deforestation in the Amazon

Urarina shaman, 1988.

Prior to the early 1960’s, access to the Amazon was incredibly restricted and aside from partial clearing along rivers the forest remained basically intact[3], the poor soil also made plantation based agriculture unprofitable. The key point in deforestation of the Amazon was when the colonists established farms within the forest during the 1960s. Their farming system was based on crop cultivation and the slash and burn method. The colonists were unable to successfully manage their fields and the crops due to the loss of soil fertility and weed invasion[4]. The soils in the Amazon are productive for just a short period of time, and the farmers are therefore constantly moving and clearing more and more land[5]. Amazonian colonization was ruled by cattle raising because ranching required little labor, generated decent profits, awarded social status in the community and grass can grow in the poor amazon soil. However the results of the farming lead to extensive deforestation and caused extensive environmental damage[6]. An estimated 30% of the deforestation is due to small farmers and the intensity within the area that they inhabit is greater than the area occupied by the medium and large ranchers who possess 89% of the Legal Amazon’s private land. This emphasizes the importance of using previously cleared land for agricultural use, rather the typical easiest political path of distributing still-forested areas[7]. In the Brazilian Amazon, the amount of small farmers versus large landholders changes frequently with economic and demographic pressures.[8]

Causes of deforestation in the Amazon

The annual rate of deforestation in the Amazon region has continued to increase from 1990 to 2003 because of factors at local, national, and international levels.[9] 70% of formerly forested land in the Amazon, and 91% of land deforested since 1970, is used for livestock pasture.[10][11] In addition, Brazil is currently the second-largest global producer of soybeans after the United States, mostly for livestock feed, and as prices for soybeans rise, the soy farmers are pushing northwards into forested areas of the Amazon. As stated in Brazilian legislation, clearing land for crops or fields is considered an ‘effective use’ of land and is the beginning towards land ownership.[12] Cleared property is also valued 5–10 times more than forested land and for that reason valuable to the owner whose ultimate objective is resale. As stated by Michael Williams,“The people of Brazil have always thought of the Amazon as a communal possession which they felt free to hack, burn, and abandon at will.”[13] The soy industry is the principal source of foreign currency for Brazil; therefore, the needs of soy farmers have been used to validate many of the controversial transportation projects that are currently developing in the Amazon.[14] The first two highways: the Belém-Brasília (1958) and the Cuiaba-Porto Velho (1968) were the only federal highways in the Legal Amazon to be paved and passable year-round before the late 1990’s. These two highways are said to be “at the heart of the ‘arc of deforestation’,” which at present is the focal point area of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The Belém-Brasilia highway attracted nearly two million settlers in the first twenty years. The success of the Belém-Brasilia highway in opening up the forest was re-enacted as paved roads continued to be developed unleashing the irrepressible spread of settlement. The completions of the roads were followed by a wave of resettlement and the settlers had a significant effect on the forest.[15]

Scientists using NASA satellite data have found that clearing for mechanized cropland has recently become a significant force in Brazilian Amazon deforestation. This change in land use may alter the region's climate and the land's ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Researchers found that in 2003, the peak year of deforestation, more than 20 percent of the Mato Grosso state’s forests were converted to cropland. This finding suggests that the recent cropland expansion in the region is contributing to further deforestation. In 2005, soybean prices fell by more than 25 percent and some areas of Mato Grosso showed a decrease in large deforestation events, although the central agricultural zone continued to clear forests. But, deforestation rates could return to the high levels seen in 2003 as soybean and other crop prices begin to rebound in international markets. Brazil has become a leading worldwide producer of grains including soybean, accounting for more than one-third of the country's gross national product. This new driver of forest loss suggests that the rise and fall of prices for other crops, beef and timber may also have a significant impact on future land use in the region, according to the study.[1]

Measured rates of deforestation in the Amazon

In 1996, the Amazon was reported to have shown a 34% increase in deforestation since 1992[16]. The mean annual deforestation rate from 2000 to 2005 (22,392 km² per year) was 18% higher than in the previous five years (19,018 km² per year) [17]. In Brazil, the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE, or National Institute of Space Research) produces deforestation figures annually. Their deforestation estimates are derived from 100 to 220 images taken during the dry season in the Amazon by the Landsat satellite, also may only consider the loss of the Amazon rainforest biome – not the loss of natural fields or savannah within the rainforest. According to INPE, the original Amazon rainforest biome in Brazil of 4,100,000 km² was reduced to 3,403,000 km² by 2005 – representing a loss of 17.1% [18].

Period Estimated Remaining Forest Cover
in the Brazilian Amazon (sq. km)		 Annual forest
loss (sq. km)		 Percent of 1970
cover remaining		 Total forest loss
since 1970 (sq. km)
pre-1970 4,100,000
1977 3,955,870 21,130 96.50% 144,130
1978-1987 3,744,570 21,130 91.30% 355,430
1988 3,723,520 21,050 90.80% 376,480
1989 3,705,750 17,770 90.40% 394,250
1990 3,692,020 13,730 90.00% 407,980
1991 3,680,990 11,030 89.80% 419,010
1992 3,667,204 13,786 89.40% 432,796
1993 3,652,308 14,896 89.10% 447,692
1994 3,637,412 14,896 88.70% 462,588
1995 3,608,353 29,059 88.00% 491,647
1996 3,590,192 18,161 87.60% 509,808
1997 3,576,965 13,227 87.20% 523,035
1998 3,559,582 17,383 86.80% 540,418
1999 3,542,323 17,259 86.40% 557,677
2000 3,524,097 18,226 86.00% 575,903
2001 3,505,932 18,165 85.50% 594,068
2002 3,484,727 21,205 85.00% 615,273
2003 3,459,576 25,151 84.40% 640,424
2004 3,432,147 27,429 83.70% 667,853
2005 3,413,354 18,793 83.30% 686,646
2006 3,400,254 13,100 82.90% 699,746
[19]


Future of deforestation

At the current rate, in two decades the Amazon Rainforest will be reduced by 40%. [20] The 2005-2006 year had a 41% drop in deforestation, this was the lowest figure since 1991.

References

  1. ^ Bierregaard Jr, R. O., Gascon, C., Lovejoy, T. E., & Mesquita, R. C. (2001). Lessons From Amazonia: the Ecology and Conservation of a Fragmented Forest. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Yale University.
  2. ^ Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) (2004)
  3. ^ Kirby, K. R., Laurance, W. F., Albernaz, A. K., Schroth, G., Fearnside, P. M., Bergen, S., Venticinque, E. M., & De Costa, C. (2006). The future of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Futures of Bioregions, 38, 432-453. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Science Direct database.
  4. ^ Watkins and Griffiths, J. (2000). Forest Destruction and Sustainable Agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon: a Literature Review (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Reading, 2000). Dissertation Abstracts International, 15-17
  5. ^ Watkins and Griffiths, J. (2000). Forest Destruction and Sustainable Agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon: a Literature Review (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Reading, 2000). Dissertation Abstracts International, 15-17.
  6. ^ Williams, M. (2006). Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
  7. ^ Fernside, P. M. (2005). Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia: History, Rates, and Consequences. Conservation Biology, 19, 680-688.
  8. ^ Fernside, P. M. (2005). Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia: History, Rates, and Consequences. Conservation Biology, 19, 680-688.
  9. ^ Kirby, K. R., Laurance, W. F., Albernaz, A. K., Schroth, G., Fearnside, P. M., Bergen, S., Venticinque, E. M., & De Costa, C. (2006). The future of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Futures of Bioregions, 38, 432-453. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Science Direct database.
  10. ^ H. Steinfeld, P. Gerber, T. Wassenaar, V. Castel, M. Rosales, C. de Haan. Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. 2006.
  11. ^ Sergio Marglis. Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon. World Bank Working Paper No. 22. The World Bank. 2004.
  12. ^ Kirby, K. R., Laurance, W. F., Albernaz, A. K., Schroth, G., Fearnside, P. M., Bergen, S., Venticinque, E. M., & De Costa, C. (2006). The future of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Futures of Bioregions, 38, 432-453. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Science Direct database.
  13. ^ Williams, M. (2006). Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
  14. ^ Kirby, K. R., Laurance, W. F., Albernaz, A. K., Schroth, G., Fearnside, P. M., Bergen, S., Venticinque, E. M., & De Costa, C. (2006). The future of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Futures of Bioregions, 38, 432-453. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Science Direct database.
  15. ^ Williams, M. (2006). Deforesting the Earth: From Prehistory to Global Crisis. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
  16. ^ Beef exports fuel loss of Amazonian Forest. CIFOR News Online, Number 36
  17. ^ Barreto, P.; Souza Jr. C.; Noguerón, R.; Anderson, A. & Salomão, R. 2006. Human Pressure on the Brazilian Amazon Forests. Imazon. Retrieved September 28, 2006. (The Imazon web site contains many resources relating to the Brazilian Amazonia.)
  18. ^ . National Institute for Space Research (INPE) (2005). The INPE deforestation figures for Brazil were cited on the WWF Websitein April 2006.
  19. ^ From article by Rhett A. Butler, which is taken from INPE and FAO figures.
  20. ^ (National Geographic, January 2007)
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