Citations

1. Barreto, Paulo, Janice Wiles, Glaucia Barreto, and Tatiana Verı́ssimo. Human Pressure in the Brazilian Amazon. Belém, PA, Brasil: IMAZON, Instituto Do Homem

E Meio Ambiente Da Amazônia, 2006. Print.

2. Berenguer, Erika. A Large-scale Field Assessment of Carbon Stocks in Human-modified Tropical Forests. Publication. 12th ed. Vol. 20. Lancaster: John Wiley &

Sons, 2014. Print.

3. "Brazilian Indians." Survival International. Survival International, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.

4. Butler, Rhett A. "Tropical Rainforest Conservation." Mongabay.com. San Francisco. CURRENT DATE .

5. Butler, Rhett A. N.d. MongaBay. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.

6. Harris, Roger, and Peter Hutchison. Bradt Travel Guide the Amazon: The Bradt Travel Guide. Chalfont St. Peter: Bradt, 2007. Print.

7. Heinrichs, Ann. The Amazon Rain Forest. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2010. Print.

8. Holzman, Barbara A. Tropical Forest Biomes. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2008. Print.

9. Leonard, Thomas M. Encyclopedia of the Developing World. Vol. 3. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2006. Print.

10. N.d. JOD. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jod.uk.com/media/291591/amazon-rainforest-hero.jpg?width=1280>.

11. N.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2014 <http://www.rainforestcruises.com/storage/about/amazon.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1376316757911>

12. N. d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014 <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4hgwBXR7-lkqImqQgTVVlJ_Ha2MBz5dRpiSPF-4KKRarw9vTJgz80bL6LS2K-qkyyzBsSkQ80TXtZSiF6wtW31DQcDPyhRsMvpLLQ44bBWvAAzKCr_uKb28qv4YoCGyLbDYTO9vau0Y/?imgmax=800>

13. Place, Susan E. Tropical Rainforests: Latin American Nature and Society in Transition. Wilmington, DE: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001. Print.

14. "Pteronura Brasiliensis (Giant Brazilian Otter, Giant Otter)." Giant Otter. International Union for Conservation of Nature, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.

15. Selgado, Sebastio. Standing Tall. N.d. Vanity Fair. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/12/awa-indians-endangered-amazon-tribe>.

16. Stork, N. E., and Stephen M. Turton. Living in a Dynamic Tropical Forest Landscape. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print.

17. Veríssimo, A., Rolla, A., Vedoveto, M. & de Furtada, S.M. Áreas Protegidas na Amazônia Brasileira: avanços e desafios [PDF]. Imazon/ISA. (2011)

18. Yale. Greenpeace. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://e360.yale.edu/images/digest/greenpeace-amazon-large.jpg>.

The Awa Indians: An Endangered Tribe

Selgado, Sebastio. Standing Tall. N.d. Vanity Fair. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/12/awa-indians-endangered-amazon-tribe>.

The Giant Otter: An Endangered Species Native to the Amazon

Giant Otter. The International Otter Survival Fund. Web. 2 Dec. 2014 <http://www.otter.org/otterSpecies.aspx>.

Future Prospects




One of the biggest threats that will affect the Amazon rainforest in the future is global warming. Most scientists and a majority of the public are aware that the climate change will cause the sea level to raise in much of the eastern half of the Amazon Basin (Harris & Hutchinson, 2007). This rise in seal level can lead to inundation in devastating areas of the Amazon. Due to global warming, we can also expect the flora and fauna to be affected, which can lead to increase in temperature and lower rainfall (Harris & Hutchinson, 2007). These circumstances can result in rivers and lakes to dry up, which was the case in the Brazilian state of the Amazonas in 2005. Another future prospect for the Amazon rainforest is the decline in Brazilian Indian populations due to deforestation and ineffective policy-making. Today, the Brazilian Indian populations declined from about eight million to less than two hundred thousand (Place, 2001). As well as during this century, eighty-seven Indian groups have gone extinct in Brazil alone (Place, 2001). One main effect in future prospects for the Amazon rainforest is the impact on its biodiversity. Projections suggest that there will be a decrease in upland rainforest habitat and its biodiversity, as well as an increase in species extinction that is irreversible (Stork & Turton, 2009).









N.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4hgwBXR7-lkqImqQgTVVlJ_Ha2MBz5dRpiSPF-4KKRarw9vTJgz80bL6LS2K-qkyyzBsSkQ80TXtZSiF6wtW31DQcDPyhRsMvpLLQ44bBWvAAzKCr_uKb28qv4YoCGyLbDYTO9vau0Y/?imgmax=800>.

What can be done?

Solutions for Amazon Rainforest

There are many ways to improve human impacts on The Amazon Rainforest. One of these ways include alternatives to destructive logging such as rubber tapping. Rubber tapping is a way of extracting latex from the tree without the need of cutting it down. Another way to improve human impacts is through Ecotourism. This method can secure minimal environmental impacts on The Amazon Rainforest. The income produced by ecotourism can also benefit the local communities. Community Based Fisheries operated in a sustainable and ecological way can also help improve human impacts. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification ensures that customers know if the products they buy are a result of forest destruction or not. Pricing carbon emissions created by agricultural production can also create funds that can in turn be used to conserve more ecosystems. Another solution could be to have deforestation charges to prevent mass deforestation. The expansion of protected areas and the increase of surveillance and patrols in these protected areas is another way to improve human impacts on The Amazon Rain Forest.

In addition potential improvements of the Amazon Rainforest include improving agriculture methods and productivity. This can be done by proper irrigation in the rainforest which in turn would establish sustainable agriculture. With the right selection of crops, erosion can be avoided and with the right irrigation system there can be an increase in production efficiency. Also with modern technology a piece of land can produce a lot more yield than it is producing now. Another solution to improve agriculture methods is to place research stations in The Amazon Rainforest to aid farmers and to give them information on sustainable agriculture. All of these ideas are vital for making The Amazon Rainforest sustainable. 

Idesam, and Ceclima. Rubber Tapping. 2011. Amazon Rainforest, Brazil. Amazonas, Brazil. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.   

The Current Impacts on Amazon Rainforest

Butler, Rhett A. "Tropical Rainforest Conservation." Mongabay.com. San Francisco. CURRENT DATE.

Current Human Impacts

The Amazon rainforest has long been a source of ecological services not only for local communities, but also for the rest of the world population. It is one of the largest and oldest rainforests in the world, and the richest in diversity. However, market forces, population pressures, and infrastructure expansions are continuing to threaten the rainforest, especially in relation to globalization and the development of countries that which the Amazon encompasses in South America. Industries such as mining, agriculture, and logging have only fueled deforestation rates.


Source: Butler, Rhett A. N.d. MongaBay. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.


Over the past few decades, the drastic human impact of deforestation has left little opportunity in exploring the diversity it offers, as it continues to gradually undo the fragile processes that have been refining it over millions of years. Recent studies have claimed that the human impact on the Amazonian rainforests have in fact been grossly underestimated (Berenguer 3716). Selective logging and surface wildfires amount to an annual loss of 54 billion tons of carbon from the Brazilian Amazon, which is equivalent to 40% of the yearly carbon loss from deforestation. In consequence, the forest has lost up to 20% in cover since 1970, which has not only cumulated to a great loss in wildlife diversity, but also remains a great threat to the impending extinction of many species. For instance, the number of Brazilian bare-faced tamarins has been reduced by half in 18 years as agriculture and cattle farming have raised demand for forest clearing (Berenguer 3718). Additionally, the giant otter, native to the Amazon, faces the threat of water pollution from mining operations and agricultural runoff, and has remained a high risk on the endangered species list since 1999; the IUCN predicts that its numbers may halve in the next 20 years if present conditions continue (IUCN)

In addition to the loss of biodiversity, habitat degradation, and a modified global climate, the effects of deforestation on the Amazon rainforest also leads to loss of water cycling. Water vapor that emanates from the Amazon travels by wind to its Central-South region, where most of the agriculture is grown in Brazil. With deforestation comes a reduction in water cycling and thus less rainfall or even droughts, an integral factor of crop yields. Brazil’s annual harvest is valued at around $65 billion, and its heavy dependence on rainfall from the Amazon could lead to a significant effect on the Brazilian economy (Barreto et al). However, perhaps most substantial are the social impacts on the Amazon. Local tribes and communities are less able to benefit from the natural resources provided by the Amazon, which in turn not only increases poverty but also reduces cultural diversity. Only an estimated 900,000 people, about 0.4% of the population, live in the 240 tribes across the Brazilian Amazon today (Survival International)