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).









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