Land Use Conflict in the Amazon Rainforest Chapter 12 Essential Question: How should the resources of the rainforest be used and preserved?

Geoterms Biodiversity- variety of plants and animals living in one area Carbon-oxygen cycle- how carbon and oxygen cycle among plants, people and animals Deforestation- removing of trees from a forest Sustainable development- finding ways to use resources without using them up Tropical rainforest- broadleaf evergreen forest found in wet and hot regions near the equator

What Native Amazonians Want Natives have lived there for about 12,000 yrs Hunt, fish and grow crops Government of Brazil opened up the Amazon for development Amazonians have been hurt by newcomers- driven from their homes, died from diseases They want to save parts of the rainforest from development Learn new skills- speak Portuguese, work with the legal system

What Rubber Tappers Want Came to the Amazon in the 1870s Make diagonal cuts in the bark, collect sap in cups Many rubber trees were cleared because of deforestation Leads to conflicts between rubber tappers and newcomers Want to make a living Wants the government to protect some land for them

What Loggers Want Valuable trees grow in the Amazon- makes furniture Clear-cut= cut down all the trees in the area, not just the valuable ones The larger the area cut, the longer it takes to grow back Want to grow Brazil’s economy Brazil exported more than $5 billion worth of wood

What Settlers Want Brazil has limited areas of farmland-wealthy families own the best Millions of poor own no land Poor families were brought into the rainforest- given free land and money to plant crops Farming is bad in the rainforest Settlers cannot move-still need to feed their families

What Cattle Ranchers Want Rainforest cattle graze on grass-eat to the dirt and then move on Permanent deforestation upsets people-but helps the ranchers Many countries import beef from Brazil Some believe cattle doesn’t belong in the rainforest

What Environmental Groups Want These groups want to protect the rainforest There are still unknown species that live in the rainforest Groups want to slow down the development of the rainforest to protect the plants and animals

Ideas for Reducing Land Use Conflict Encourage ecotourism- travel that attracts people to visit the unique ecosystems Preserves the land, creates jobs Encourage sustainable development- use it without destroying it Buy products that protect the rainforest- Brazilian nuts, wood that is harvested with care

Thinking Globally Rainforest is an important part of the carbon- oxygen cycle. It is rich in biodiversity Rainforest is shrinking every year Reforestation= the gaining of forests, either naturally or by replanting