The Effects of Deforestation in Ecuador

1122 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Outline the long term impacts of deforestation in the amazon rainforest

In today's hectic world people work longer hours and utilize more technology and energy more than ever. The impact that this is having on the environment is substantial in both negative and positive ways. It is hard to deny the benefits modern technology has produced for the world, in industry and in everyday life. With more and more technological breakthroughs, there have been many positive ecological impacts, but the negative impacts are almost overwhelming. A Perfect example would be the deforestation of our rain forests.

Ecuador is located on the equator in the tropical Andes of South America. Its territory includes four principal regions: the Amazon, the Andes, the Pacific Coast, and the Galapagos Islands; and is home to at least 14 indigenous nationalities. The eastern half of the country makes up part Earth’s largest and most biodiverse watershed and tropical rainforest. Ecuador is one of the world’s ‘megadiversity hotspots.’ It is one of the most species-rich countries on the planet. Part of the reason for this is that it’s a tropical country, and the tropics harbor a much greater diversity than do temperate countries. But Ecuador’s astounding biodiversity is also due to the simple fact that there are a great number of different habitats within its borders. Obviously, the cold, high Andes support very different species than do the low tropical rain forests. When all the intermediate areas are included, and the coastal region added, the result is a wealth of habitats, ecosystems and wildlife. The transition zones between the lowlands and the highlands, where much species overlapping occurs, are some of the most biodiverse regions on earth. For nature lovers, this place is a dream come true. Ecuador's natural attractions c...

... middle of paper ...

...hat are concerned with conservation in Ecuador have been created in recent years and are participating in various activities aimed at conserving and managing Ecuador’s natural resources. The lack of information and analysis capabilities has prompted both the government and some of the non-governmental organizations to initiate geographic information system projects to support ecosystem management.

Works Cited

Beck, E., Bendix, J., Kottke, I., Makeschin, F., & Mosandl, R. (2010). Gradients in a tropical mountain

ecosystem of ecuador. New York, NY: Springer.

Cunningham, W. P., & Cunningham, M. (2011). Environmental science: Inquiry & applications (6th ed.).

New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Mecham, J. (2001, May). Causes and consequences of deforestation in Ecuador. Retrieved January 15,

2012, from http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/projects/jefferson.htm

Show More
Related

  • Human Impact On The Amazon Rainforest

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Amazon Rainforest or know to many as the “Amazon Jungle” sits on about 2.124 million miles2 and is home to about 10 million species of animals and over 40,000 different plant species. Not including over 2.5 million different insect species. The amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest on earth. The Amazon rainforest is located in South America , it covers much of northwest Brazil and extends into Colombia,Peru and other countries. Part of the Amazon Rainforest is the River that flows through South America and is a big part of the Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon is the seventh oldest rainforest in the world and has existed for about 55 years.

    Read More

  • The Causes of Deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Amazon Rain Forest crosses several national boundaries in South America, although the majority of it is located in Brazil. It covers over 3,562,000 acres, making it the largest in the world. But globally, over 138,600 acres of rain forest are lost each year to deforestation, 50,000 of those in Brazil alone (Holdsforth), and the world's rain forests are quickly disappearing. Deforestation in the Amazon occurs primarily for three reasons: clear-cutting, fragmentation, and edge effects.

    Read More

  • Long Term Negative Effects of Deforestation in the Amazon

    1638 Words  | 4 Pages

    What would happen if one day the Amazon rainforest disappeared? The Amazon rainforest will disappear is not an assumption. It absolutely will be happen if people keep on deforesting the Amazon rainforest for many different demands. Huge amounts of area in Amazon were deforested because of agricultural pursuits. Also, the deforestation rate has increased in other ways, such as obtain more land for living and excessive uses of wood. Therefore, a large amount of trees were cut down and led to forest destruction. People have done these kinds of activities for many years and these deforestation activities have brought a lot of permanent and long term issues. Although the society has started to consider the problem of deforestation, it is not easy to solve the issues completely. The land desertification can be a huge area and it is almost cannot be able to control. In addition, it is not only threatening the people and animals in the Amazon, the world is also threatened by deforestation. Thus, deforestation is one of the biggest problems in the world that people have to consider because it costs three main long term effects: land desertification, species extinction and climate transformation.

    Read More

  • Canadian Prairie Skit

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maria: Today, this eco zone is home to a huge number of threatened and endangered wildlife and the ecosystems are one of the most endangered natural habitats in this country.

    Read More

  • Ecuadorian Culture, Facts and Figures

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ecuador is located in the western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between the border countries of Colombia and Peru. Ecuador’s capital is Quito. This country counts with a population of 15,492,000 habitants. The total area is 283,560 sq. km including the Galapagos Island which is very famous in the world. The highest elevation is the Chimborazo Mountain with an altitude of 6,267 m. The Cotopaxi Mountain in The Andes is the highest active volcano in the world. The country’s climate is tropical along the coast; with some low temperature is high elevations and tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands. The natural resources of the Ecuador are petroleum, fish, timber and hydropower. This country counts with a population of 15,492,000 habitants. The country’s official language is Spanish but they have some Amerindian languages such as Quechua spoken by some Indian tribes (Geography, 2005)

    Read More

  • Oil Sands: The Impact Of The Alberta Oil Sands

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    When humans discovered fire, it was misused by being used as a weapon of war and hunting against both humans and animals which led to massive destruction left by occurrences such as forest fires. When humans developed a successful method of transportation it has led to environmental set backs. For example, when horses were the primary mode of transportation, manure was left everywhere in the streets of cities which understandably, led to the cultivation of numerous diseases. When gasoline cars took a rise due to their convenience, the Earth took a horrible environmental toll and the quality of life degraded to the rising levels of greenhouse gases. It seems that with every technological advancement introduced, there are always potential set

    Read More

  • Deforestation In The Amazon Rainforest

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    Deforestation is the clearing of a forest and/or cutting down of trees for human benefits such as agriculture, wood exports, etc. Deforestation is the cause of numerous environmental impacts such as habitat loss, flooding and soil erosion. It can also cause climate change, by reducing the amount of rainfall and changing the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth’s surface and increases the risk of forest . Tree growth is important for biodiversity because they absorb carbon dioxide which is a harmful greenhouse gas . However, since deforestation reduces natural carbon sinks, it disrupts the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air causing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air to increase. This poses a serious threat since carbon dioxide traps the sun’s heat and radiated light inside the earth’s atmosphere. So, with the increase in carbon dioxide more heat is trapped and thus adding to the effects of global warming. Among the many places where deforestation takes place, Amazon seems to be one of the most affected ones. More than 20 percent of it is already gone, and much more of it is severely threatened due to deforestation . It is estimated that the Amazon alone is vanishing at a rate of 20,000 square miles a year .

    Read More

  • The deforestation in the Ecuador’s Amazon

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Amazon is a vast region spanning across six South America countries Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela (Walker, & Cesareo 2014). The Amazon is one of the most developed rainforest of anywhere in the world. Over two-thirds of all the fresh water and 20% of the earth’s oxygen are produced in the Amazons (wcupa.edu). Despite the vital role of the Amazons, carless practices continue the rapid deforestation of the ecosystem. (Mainville, et al, 2006). The main causes of deforestation include unsustainable logging, agriculture, invasive species, fire, fuel wood gathering, and livestock grazing (Thompson, et al. 2013). The widespread of this issue is of importance in global policy processes, which deals with biodiversity, climate change, and forest management (Thompson, et al. 2013). The Ecuador has some of the highest rates of deforestation; an estimated 3% of the land is yearly destroyed (Mecham, 2001). “The Ecuador’s interandean basin native vegetation has been practically eliminated since colonial times, replaced by crops, pasture, towns and cities, and exotic tree plantations. This area suffers severe soil erosion problems even today” (Mecham, 2001). The continuum of deforestation issues continues to destroy the ecological habitat of the Amazonian Indians (Mecham, 2001). In the area of Napo River Valley West of the Ecuadorian Amazon, deforestation has resulted in an abrupt end of harmony between man and nature (Mainville, et al., 2006). The desire for economic profits continues to fuel the already alarming rate of the Amazon. According to the Rain Forest foundation, “When Texaco entered the Ecuadorean Oriente in, 1967; the area was considered the most biodiverse place on Earth. Since then, more than 20 billi...

    Read More

  • Yasuni National Park Research Paper

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Yasuni National Park is located in eastern Ecuador and is home to millions of species of plants, birds, insects and mammals (Blitz 2015)”. “Yasuni is home to over 130 globally threatened species including the giant otter, white-bellied spider monkey, golden-mantled tamarin, giant armadillo and jaguar( Pachamama Alliance 2017)”.”There is 655 different tree species have been identified within 1 hectare of land ( Pachamama Alliance 2017)”. Reptile biodiversity, it is the second richest area in

    Read More

  • Ecuador Research Paper

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ecuador is a western South American country. It is the 4th smallest country in South America (List of Sovereign). The country borders Columbia to the north, Peru to the south and east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west (Geography). For Ecuador’s area, about the size of Nevada (Geography and map), it has a lot of geographical features such as: Galapagos Islands, Andes, Cotopaxi, Amazon rainforest, Chimborazo, Guayas River, Pichincha Volcano, Tungurahua, Sangay, and Quilotoa (Geographical). With all of these interesting features Ecuador has a high rate of tourism. About 1,114,000 people were recorded in 2011.

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Deforestation

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Yasuni ITT Initiative

    2785 Words  | 6 Pages

    “Saving Wild Places - Latin American and the Caribbean - Yasuni National Park, Ecuador” Wildlife Conservation Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

    Read More

  • Assess The Importance Of Biodiversity In Costa Rica

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    The CCC was established in 1959 to focus on the protection of the Caribbean green turtles. They worked very closely with the Costa Rican government and helped establish Tortugero in 1970. They protected the turtles and limited on how many could be taken. The presence of the CCC researchers as well as park guards and visitors discourages poaching of the wildlife. The legal protection Costa Rican Natural parks receive is very comprehensive for sustaining the wonderful biodiversity the country is blessed with. Within the most recent years the laws have been strengthened in the country’s best interest. In 1998 the Biodiversity Law was set and the strategies to conserve and sustain biodiversity was put into place. This law completed and put to work. Participation was needed from local and national levels to ensure sustainable practices. In turn, a National Commission for Biodiversity Management was responsible for the use of the country’s natural resources. This system is ultimately in place to keep the natural resources available to their country and accounted

    Read More

  • Destruction of the Amazon Rainforest

    1772 Words  | 4 Pages

    Conversion of the tropical forest into cropland and pasture began a long time ago in Ecuador, before their secession from Spain. Their major crop was cocoa, which was grown along the waterways to be exported out as their main source of trade. Due to the fact that after World War II expansion accelerated throughout the northwestern section of the forest, a highway system was put into construction. At this point in time, the Ecuadorian Amazon consisted of a few small towns that had been established in valleys and at the base of the mountains. Indigenous g...

    Read More

  • The Problem of Environmental Pollution in Malaysia

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 21st century, the world has changed in many ways. Some changes have improved the quality of life and health for many people. Others have affected people health and causing different kind of pollution that is harming the environment. That is technology we talking about, it is apply to every one of us in daily life, example the motor vehicles and factory it all producing dangerous and harmful gasses to the environment but we can not live without it.

    Read More

More about The Effects of Deforestation in Ecuador

Open Document