How do rainforests get destroyed

Central Africa ranks third, with most of the destruction centered around the Congo River basin, due to traditional and commercial farming as well as logging. Forests that were defined in the report as degraded had either been partially destroyed, or destroyed and since replaced by secondary forest growth, Rainforest Foundation Norway said. A forest spanning square km can fully sustain its ecosystem, he said. Environment Updated. We can stop using tropical timber and urge others to do the same. As long as there is a market for tropical timbers, trees will continue to be cut down.

Labelling schemes, aimed at helping consumers to chose environmental friendly timbers, are currently being discussed in many countries. Note: The Rainforest Information Centre provides information to consumers wishing to avoid tropical and other environmentally damaging timbers.

These are the landless peasants who have followed roads into already damaged rainforest areas. The additional damage they are causing is extensive. The reason these people are referred to as 'shifted' cultivators is that most of them people have been forced off their own land. For example, in Guatemala, rainforest land was cleared for coffee and sugar plantations.

The indigenous people had their land stolen by government and corporations. Large-scale agriculture, logging, hydroelectric dams, mining, and industrial development are all responsible for the dispossession of poor farmers. Landless peasants make up half of Brazil's population WRM. Once displaced, the 'shifted cultivators' move into forest areas, often with the encouragement of their government. In Brazil, a slogan was developed to help persuade the people to move into the forests. It read "Land without men for men without land" WRM.

After a time, these farmers encounter the same problems as the cash crop growers. The soil does not remain fertile for long. They are forced to move on, to shift again, going further into the rainforest and destroying more and more of it. It is evident that the shifted cultivators "have become the agents for destruction but not the cause" Westoby Colchester.

Shifted cultivators do not move into pristine areas of undisturbed rainforests. They follow roads made principally for logging operations. Solutions: Land reform is essential if this problem is to be addressed. Much of this produce is exported to rich industrialised countries and in many cases, crops are grown for export while the local populace goes hungry. Due to the delicate nature of rainforest soil and the destructive nature of present day agricultural practices, the productivity of cash crops grown on rainforest soils declines rapidly after a few years.

Monoculture plantations - those that produce only one species of tree or one type of food - on rainforest soil are examples of non-sustainable agriculture.

They are referred to as cash crops because the main reason for their planting is to make money quickly, with little concern about the environmental damage that they are causing. Modern machinery, fertilisers and pesticides are used to maximise profits. The land is farmed intensively. In many cases, cattle damage the land to such an extent that it is of no use to cattle ranchers any more, and they move on, destroying more and more rainforest.

Not only have the forests been destroyed but the land is exploited, stripped of nutrients and left barren, sustaining no-one. Solutions:"Reducing the demand for Southern-produced agribusiness crops and alleviating the pressure from externally-financed development projects and assistance is the essential first step" Colchester and Lohmann.

This problem is worst in drier regions of the tropics. Solutions will probably involve a return to local peoples' control of the forests they depend on. In India and South America, hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests have been destroyed by the building of hydro-electric dams.

It was the dominant view that new dams had to be built or otherwise these countries would suffer an energy crisis. However, a recent study by the World Bank in Brazil has shown that 'sufficient generating capacity already exists to satisfy the expected rise in demand for power over the medium term, provided that the energy is used more efficiently' WRM.

The construction of dams not only destroys the forest but often uproots tens of thousands of people, destroying both their land and their culture. The rates of waterborne diseases increase rapidly.

Downstream ecosystems are damaged by dams which trap silt, holding back valuable nutrients. Reduced silt leads to coastal erosion. The sheer weight of water in dams has in Chile, Zimbabwe, and Greece led to earthquakes. The irrigation and industrial projects powered by dams lead to further environmental damage.

Irrigation leads to salination of soils and industry leads to pollution. Solutions: Aid organisations like the World Bank have traditionally favoured spectacular large-scale irrigation and hydro-electric projects.

In all cases when such projects are proposed, there has been massive opposition from local people. Reform of the World Bank and other such organisations, and support for campaigns against large-scale dams is needed.

Mining and industrial development lead to direct forest loss due to the clearing of land to establish projects. Indigenous people are displaced. Roads are constructed through previously inaccessible land, opening up the rainforest.

Severe water, air and land pollution occurs from mining and industry. The Amazon hosts an estimated 50, plant species — although more recent estimates cite a slightly lower number.

Once species are lost, they are lost forever, and this would ultimately be the most harmful consequence of cutting down the Amazon.

It would possibly be worse than the loss of its role as a massive redistributor and storage of water and carbon. Last but certainly not least, there are about 30 million people living in and near the Amazon rainforest. The consequences of losing the forest as a provider of the ecosystem services mentioned above and as a source of food and habitat are unfathomable.

The repercussions would reach far into global politics, the global economy, and societal issues. Festival of Social Science — Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom.