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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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