Amazon: Threats to Biodiversity by Rachel Hatem

The Amazon

The Amazon is home to many different species of plants and animals.

             - 60,000 species of plants

             - 20-40 million species of animals 

             - The Amazon is 2,300 miles long and 7 miles wide.

                                                                      -The canopy walk stands 200ft above the forest floor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9036749pgIk

People of the Amazon

- The Indigenous people (Leavers) occupied the lands of the Amazon forest for 12,000 years before the Europeans (Takers) arrived

The first European settlement was in 1500. They came seeking gold, and had missions to civilize, enslave, and destroy the indigenous people. Settlers came to the amazon to attempt to establish plantations in the following: 

                      - wood                                                                                 - sugarcane

                      - nuts                                                                                    - cotton

                      - oils                                                                                     - tobacco

                      - cacao (chocolate)                                                               - rice

                      - vanilla                                                                                 - root beer

 In 1839, tens of thousands of men were recruited to extract latex from trees during the Great Rubber Boom. Any tree that could be bled for latex were distributed all over the forest, so the men had to travel and cut down many trees to get to them. 

During this whole process, they came in contact with tribes who lived in the inner part of the forest. This resulted in genocide and slavery of those indigenous people. 

In 1964, Takers came back to the amazon to grow coca, which is the main ingredient in cocaine. A multimillion dollar illegal business. Between 1964 and 1990, over 540,425 acres of land was cleared just for the production of coca. 

After the land they had come to farm had been destroyed, they turned to cattle ranching in the amazon that was driven by the from fast food companies. In order to raise the livestock they had to clear acres of land, which they did mostly by burning. 

The current rate of clearcutting acres of forest in the amazon is 10 million acres a year. The trees that are cut down are used for the things such as, wood pulp, wood chips, and paper. 

Today, animal species are beginning to disappear just as fast as the trees are, this is caused to hunting for food and research, capturing the animals to sell to collectors or zoos, and capturing and killing of animals for their hides. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OTgiosu94c 

Ethical Dilemmas

• The main ethical dilemma that is occurring in the Amazon is deforestation. Takers continue to come to the amazon and clear cut land in order to farm and produce things that they want. 
• Another ethical dilemma is with the protection and preservation of animals. Takers hunt and trap many different species for their own want, pleasure, and need to learn. This takes away from the biodiversity that the amazon once offered. 

Discussion Questions

• Based on the severity of deforestation and the endangering of animals, what do you think could be done to make people more aware of the issue? Also what can we do to change what is being done?
• Do you agree with what the taker civilization did in the amazon? Do you think is was right to go into another country to just destroy everything to get what we want? 

Works Cited

Hughes, J. Donald. "Present and Future."An environmental history of the world: humankind's changing role in the community of life. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2009. 232-239. Print.