Forest Management
Both the local people of Amazonian and the government of that area play a part in managing the forest. In the late 1970’s, IBAMA- Brazil’s Environment Agency was set up to try and prevent the burning of the rainforest. Millions of acres were being burnt; in 1987 alone 20 million acres. Local farmers were paid to start fires, to provide new land for expansion. This may have seemed a good approach at first, as more capital may be brought in from the land regained through cattle ranches etc. Although ‘Our Nature’ programme intervened, it is an organisation through which the government tried to prevent the fires, as the consequences of these slash and burn techniques used, are devastating! The land burnt cannot be regained, and methane is released when the trees are burnt which contributes to Global Warming. The local people though don’t have many alternatives they burn the forests to feed themselves and expand their cattle ranches. In the short term the landowners made money, but the f . . .
Although with the disparaging management decisions, and the ongoing conflict between destroying the rainforest to pay of debts and make more money, it is apparent that positive management decisions need to be enforced soon. Once again the lack of education and the greed of the business owners intervened in this type forest management. Also once Tin Ore was discovered in the area, there was even more reason to burn the forest and let the mining companies move in. Government subsidies encouraged the growth of the mills, so effective management has failed to overcome people’s main goal-to make more money. Everyday mills process about 5000 trees, which consist of types such as, teak, rosewood, ebony and mahogany. 15 years ago, northern Amazonia was a devastated area, but now 500 000 acres effectively supports 120 families, through sustainable farming. So it is possible to say that due to the state that the Amazonian region (still classified as a developing region) is in i. This leaching leads to the elimination of silica, and causes the soil to collect iron at the surface, so eventually a hard crust will form called a laterite, this prevents any re-afforestation or cultivation, due to its hardness. in severe debt, that it was not possible to stop them using their resources to help overcome the debt they owed to other countries. The mines and Hydro Electric Dams helped to pay the $18 billion debt that Brazil owed. The tropical ecosystem, has important functions in controlling the earth’s climate, it’s enormous gene pool provides a great prospective to be used for medicine and other medical sciences. Also the higher amounts of precipitation and decreased levels of evapotranspiration, cause downwards movement of water through the soil. Instead they manage it effectively and live of its produce, without causing damage to its fragile system.
Common topics in this essay:
World Debt, Forest Management, Timber Organisation, Environment Agency, Electric Dams, Global Warming, , Tin Ore, forest management, cattle ranches, sustainable farming, local people, management decisions, |