Essay On Deforestation In The Amazon Rainforest

The Effect of Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest on Golden Lion Tamarins

Deforestation is the permanent removal of forests to make room for other uses of the land (McIntyre). The Amazon rainforest stretches for 1.6 million square miles, holds 1/10 of the world’s species and provides natural assets for both regional and national economies (“Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest”). Despite its great importance to the Earth, the Amazon rainforest is perhaps the most threatened area of deforestation around the world. Timothy Casey reports that in Brazil alone, 5.4 million acres of rainforest have been destroyed for the past 30 years, decreasing the size of the Amazon by eighteen percent (13). A main aspect of this issue is that it destroys habitats for important species, causing extinction and endangerment. The Golden Lion Tamarin, one of the most endangered species in the world, is in jeopardy of disappearing with the rainforest. Their habitats have been fragmented into small, unconnected areas and their food sources limited (Lang). Once the golden lion tamarins disappear, it can no longer fulfill its niche and the entire system is threatened.

For thousands of years, humans have cut forests for agricultural purposes like planting crops, raising livestock and obtaining essential goods. There was little early gold and silver prospecting in the seventeenth century, but for the most part, the Amazon remained isolated and largely undeveloped for centuries. However, in the beginning of the twentieth century, there was an increase in demand of rubber for tires since cars were rising to popularity and World War I was waging on (Casey 14). Unemployed workers from Brazil began to obtain the resources from the trees in the Amazon since the...

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...e the water is polluted and contaminated. Flooding can add to the profound impact clearing rainforests have on individuals. Many people’s lives and homes are lost due to the soil and roots not being able to contain as much water. Because the land can’t be reused, countries that rely on Brazil’s exports aren’t able to meet their demands and there is an increase in supply insecurity (Hyder 17). Also, once a species is gone, it is gone for good. Destroying plants reduces the variety of prospective drugs available and medicinal potential that could be possible cures ("Deforestation Facts, Deforestation Information, Effects of Deforestation”). The effects of deforestation are long term, very problematic, and irreversible, impacting the entire world. In a sense, as people are destroying the Amazon, they are destroying the chance for a better world and more information.