Indigenous People Gay (2000) found tropical rainforest to be the home of some 50 million indigenous people, making up more than 1,000 distinct groups (p. 19). Each group has its own unique way of life. Deforestation is the cause of numerous severe impacts to these people. The indigenous people of the rainforest depend on the forest for their survival. Many of these people are hunters and gatherers. Extensive logging has made it more and more difficult for these people to live in traditional ways. According to Gay (2000) only a few hundred are able to live traditionally in the forest of Malaysia (p. 20). Deforestation is not only disrupting the way these people have lived for centuries; it is also killing them as well. “Indigenous people in …show more content…
135). According to Gay (2000), “nearly one-fourth of all pharmaceuticals that Americans use originally derived from tropical plants, which provided the chemicals for processing synthetic drugs” (p. 10). The United States Cancer Institution stated, “The widespread elimination of the tropical moist forests could represent a serious setback to the anticancer campaign” (Newman, 1990, p. 135). Natural Resources The tropical and temperate rainforests are the originating home to almost all of our food. Cornflakes are made from plants originating in South American forests. Sugar comes from Indian forests. Bananas, pineapples, peppers, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, tomato juice, coffee and tea all come from rainforests (Newman, 1990, p. 135). Newman (1990) found that “80 percent of the developed world’s diet derives from resources found in the tropics” (p. 127). The juice from a plant grown in the forests of southern China contains 18 times the amount of vitamin C than orange juice (Newman, p. 136). However, many of these fruit and food producing plants are being destroyed daily due to deforestation. Diverse plants are not the only life being threatened by deforestation. Thousands of species of mammals, birds and insects are in danger of extinction caused by deforestation as well. Gay (2000) reported that according to the World …show more content…
26). One way to assist in the sustainable development is to establish preservation polices such as the one developed by the nation of Guyana which preserved 889,200 acres of its rainforests for conservation and research (Gay, 2000, p. 26). Integration of Technology It seems impossible to stop the behavior of consumerism. Therefore, instead of trying to fight that uphill battle, why don’t we use the technological tools we have now to try to solve some of the world’s climatic problems? For instance, one way, according to Butler (2007), is to help developing countries avoid the dirty phase of industrialism by installing solar power panels in remote areas of Africa and Asia (p. 28). Another use of technology to help developing countries is to show them alternatives to using fossil fuel through the use of carbon capture and storage technology (Butler, 2007). By applying advance uses of our technology, it is very possible to increase the productivity of land use, and decrease the need for deforestation. International Logging It has been proven that international logging practices could enjoy a much longer and more profitable life cycle if it coordinated its consumption to use regeneration cycles instead of constantly racing to beat its world wide competitors. Unfortunately, regulations implemented by
One of the most interesting indigenous groups in the world is the Batek of Malaysia, this is a group of people that live in the oldest rain forest of peninsular Malaysia. Orang ASli means “Original people” in the native Malay Language, and they truly are the original people of the land. Being a nomadic group of hunters and gatherers, means that they are at the mercy of the land and the elements for survival. Batek beliefs note that, the rainforest was created by “superhuman” beings for the Batek to use and will destroy the world and everything on it if the Batek were ever to leave the rainforest ( K.M. Endcott 1979a; Lye 2004). The Batek believe that the “superhuman” beings created the forest for the Batek to harvest, build houses in, and provide also to decorations for their ceremonial rituals.
The Kyoto Protocol set by the United Nations allocates countries to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by growing what they lost, that is reforestation, and/or establishing a forest in a barren land, that is afforestation. Each country is allowed a certain quota that limits their greenhouse emissions. For companies that uses deforestation for commercial purposes must reforest the land they cut off to compensate for the loss. More often than not the land is left alo...
Have you ever wondered how life would be if you barely had any air to breathe, if there were no forest, or if the most common animals became extinct? This is eventually going to happen if deforestation continues. In "The Sumatran Rainforest Will Mostly Disappear within 20 Years," the author, John Vidal, describes areas that are going through deforestation because of giant logging, palm and mining companies. It explains how the animals, land, and people are affected during this process. Deforestation kills our animals and their habitants and destroys the lives of villagers nearby.
McCuen, Gary E. Ecocide & Genocide in the Vanishing Forest: The Rainforests and Native People. Hudson: GEM, 1993.
Now is a critical time to address the issue of deforestation. Around the world forests are logged for timber and paper pulp. South America contains a large amount of mahogany and rosewood—highly coveted types of wood—within the Amazon basin. Forests are also cleared to make room for the planting of cash crops, such as coffee and soy, as well as livestock farms. After only a few years, overuse of these lands for crops typically causes soil erosion that quickly turns deforested regions into wastelands. Deforestation is responsible for 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all emissions all motorized transportation added together. The destruction of forests does not just threaten our climate; it threatens the livelihoods of billions of people that rely on forests for food and economic activities. The modern world relies on rainforests more than for the well-known reason. People receive many of their fruits and medicines from plant species that survive solely within the heart of a rainforest. Let’s not forget that forests also serve as habitats to wildlife a...
The dense levels of vegetation absorb tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and help slow down the rate of climate change that the planet is experiencing. This process also produces high levels of oxygen that help to support life around the world. Coupled with the high levels of rainfall that benefit the water cycle, the rainforests are an integral part of the many systems that exist. These forests contain a wide variety of plants that a source of different chemicals that are used to create medicines. The degradation of these areas could potentially lead to the loss of medicines that could cure some of the deadliest diseases and illnesses that
Deforestation has accumulated many multifaceted controversies over time. The main one, however, is the impact deforestation has on water flow. People have different perceptions on how deforestation affects the flow of water, this lead to a controversy between conservationists and a group of theorists. Many years ago, water was used as a way for almost all the mills to function. Changes in the ecosystem depend on the rate and extent of deforestation and determines how drastic the changes will be.
In 2000 the population was 174.5 million people and now it is 200.4 million. The majority of this growth is people that live in the amazons. Government started deforestation for two main reasons, clear more land for houses and roads, and to have more jobs and the selling of wood. The US population increased from 247.2 million to 318.9 million in the last 26 years. It tells us that the deforestation in Brazil is being affected a lot in the last 16 years, and experts wait for more increased of population in Brazil caused by the deforestation.Deforestation of tropical forests affects not only the plants and animals of these regions but also their human inhabitants. The Indian populations of Amazonia are successful managers of the forest. Long ago, they discovered the secrets of sustainable use of its resources. I discuss the knowledge and management of the forest environment exhibited by the Yanomami and Kayapo Indians of Brazilian Amazonia and the importance that their knowledge and their presence as part of the forest ecosystem has for us all. Not only is this forest ecosystem now being destroyed at a rapid rate, but we (the non-Indians) do not yet know how to care for and make use of whatever areas of forest will be left when this process of destruction is brought to a
Countries such as Brazil and Indonesia have been greatly affected by deforestation with well over two million hectares of naturally forested land now rendered barren (See appendix 1).
However, the Amazon rainforest is targeted by loggers, big companies, black market sellers, and more because it holds expensive woods, rare animals and un-owned land. According to the WWF, during the last half century the Amazon has lost at least 17% of its forest cover to deforestation and there are more than 105,000 miles of illegal roads most made by loggers to reach mahogany and other hardwoods for the lucrative export market. If deforestation continues at current rate, 57% of the 15,000 tree species will be in danger, including Brazil nut, cacao and açai, and we will lose an average of 9 vertebrate species to extinction by 2050. Deforestation of the Amazon will also affect medical research and the production of many important medications, The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified 3000 plants that are active against cancer cells. 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest. 25% of the active ingredients in today's cancer-fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest, for example Periwinkle is one of the world's most powerful anticancer drugs. It has dramatically increased the survival rate for acute childhood leukemia since its discovery. If deforestation continues as rapidly as it has until this point, we won’t just lose
‘’Rainforests are being destroyed for beef. The land is set on fire in order to get rid of the trees .The cleared land is then turned into grass pastured for cows’’. ‘’During the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the amazon rain forest has been cut down. ’Humans are the main cause of rainforest destruction. We are cutting down rainforests for
This is alarming since recent data indicates these enormous forests are land-dwelling carbon absorbers that could help to slow worldwide climate alteration. The United Nations ' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates “eighteen million acres of forests have been destroyed worldwide;” and NASA forecasts “that if current deforestation rates are not reduced, rainforests could become entirely eradicated in a century.” The nations with substantial deforestation are Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Africa (The Democratic Republic of Congo included), and remote areas of Eastern Europe. Indonesia, the country with the greatest deforestation within the last century, has lost approximately forty million acres of indigenous
...y different species of animals and plants. Many tribes of Indians call the rainforest their home. They use the resources of the rainforest to survive and thrive as a community. However as rainforests are being destroyed their homes are destroyed and important information is lost about plants and medicine.
The battle for the Amazon rainforest is a daunting task. It’s a long going battle between miners, loggers, and developers against the indigenous people who call it home. It’s a battle like any battle in a war; it affects lives, families, the economy, politics, and the environment amongst other things. The main topic of this debate is the effects of the Amazon deforestation on the people who live in it, this will be the focus of this research paper. In this paper, I will discuss the history, causes, effects and solutions for the Amazon rainforest deforestation.
Many people count on the production of deforestation to bring in a consistent income and livelihood. There is a heavy reliance on the production of deforestation. “Trees can be very valuable. In North America, they are used for landscaping, building material, maple syrup production, and pulp wood for paper products. In the more tropical regions, the wood products may be cut down for fuel, cleared for farmland, or exported, such as teak or mahogany” (Salata, 2015). In fact, according to Combes, Motel, Minea, & Villieu, in countries that are underdeveloped this is a reliable and significant source for government revenue (n.d.). Without this profit generated from cutting the down trees, these countries may not be able to obtain sustainability, due to the lack of financial funds. Thus, by not being able to proceed with infrastructure to areas such as these, most communities will not be able to maintain effective living