1. Environment and Society in Latin America

2. Big Ideas
The people of Latin America have altered the land through agriculture, development of infrastructure, logging, mining, and urbanization.
Natural disasters have impacted the lives of millions of people in Latin America.
Tourism is having a growing impact on the environment of Latin America

3. Agriculture reshapes the Environment
Native people were the first to change their environment to grow food
They burned the forest to clear land for planting and diverted streams to irrigate crops
The built raised fields in swampy areas and carved terraces out of hillsides

4. Slash and Burn
To clear fields, natives used the slash and burn technique
Cut trees and vegetation and burned the debris
The same method is used today, but some use destructive farming practices
Soon the soil has no nutrients, and they burn a new area
Helps cause shrinking rain forests

6. Terraced Farming
Terraced farming is an ancient technique for growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes
Farmers cut step-like horizontal fields into hillsides
Reduces soil erosion
The Inca and Aztecs both used terraced farming

7. Deforestation in the Amazon
The Amazon rainforests have the highest rate of deforestation
It’s home to 60% of the world’s remaining tropical rainforest
In these regions deforestation is mostly caused by cattle ranching and agriculture
Evidence of deforestation dates back much further than modern times, owing to the fact that deforestation is also a natural process.

8. Causes of Deforestation
Commercial Logging
Agriculture
Roads & Railways
Forest fires
Mining and drilling
Fuel-wood collection
Residential living space
Natural processes

9. Benefits of Deforestation
Economic benefits
Sustenance
development
Fertility
Services provided
Habitation

10. Consequences of Deforestation
Vanishing Rainforests
Topsoil accumulates slowly
Erosion
Unusable land
Disastrous
Flooding Clearance = limited food and shelter
Desertification
Disappearance of ways of life
Negative impact on the climate
Global warming
Green house effect
Build up of CO2
Habitat fragmentation

11. Read this Quote:
“Forest management with a focus and intention that it be used in the combination that will best meet the needs of people and not necessarily the combination of uses that will give the greatest dollar return.”

12. Do the immediate benefits outweigh the long-term costs of deforestation?

13. Trans-Amazon Highway
One of the most ambitious resettlement-economic development programs ever devised, and one of the greatest failures.
A 3,000 mile highway, stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Peruvian border, is an important factor in the economic development of the Amazon region.
The sediments of the Amazon Basin rendered the highway unstable and subject to inundation during heavy rains, blocking traffic and leaving crops to rot.

15. Impact of the Panama Canal
Benefits
Water transportation
Hydro electric power
Industrial use
Time saving navigation
Stimulated Panama’s Economy
Increase in Population
Increased Infrastructure
Increased Tourism
Disadvantages
Soil erosion and landslides
Loss of vegetation because of changes in land use
Deterioration of air quality from increased ship traffic and construction activity
Disturbance to wildlife

18. Natural Disasters
The number of people in Latin America and the Caribbean affected by extreme weather events, including high temperatures, forest fires, droughts, storms and floods grew from 5 million in the 1970s to more than 40 million between 2000 and 2009 (United Nations)
Some natural disasters are triggered because of the region’s location along the Ring of Fire.

19. Ring of Fire
The "Ring of Fire“ is an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. The Ring of Fire is composed over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.

21. Natural Disasters Volcanic Eruptions Drought in land-locked countries
Landslides
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Hurricanes
Floods

22. "The region has had to deal with highly variable climates for many centuries. It has developed very resilient forms of agriculture based upon high levels of diversity of crops, which are adapted to grow in a wide range of microclimates. The danger that now seems to be facing people in the region is that those conditions could become more permanent and more extreme,"

23. Rain Shadow Effect Rain shadows exist on the dry side of mountains
They do not get much rain due to the mountains blocking the rain
Deserts are usually located here, or even short grass prairie
The Atacama Desert and Patagonia lie in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains.

24. Windward side of the Mountain Leeward side of the Mountain
Rain Shadow
A rain shadow area is dry because, as moist air masses rise to the top of a mountain range or large mountain, the air cools and the maximum moisture content decreases until it reaches the dew point, where the water vapor condenses as rain or snow and falls on the windward side or top of the mountain.
Graphic created by EJoyce

25. Urbanization
Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay are the most urbanized countries in South America (>85%)
Brazil is also highly urbanized
People move in hope of improving their lives
Push factors include poor medical car, education and low-paying jobs
Pull factors include higher-paying jobs, better schools and medical care

26. Rapidly Growing Cities
Fastest Growing: Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Lima in Peru, Bogota in Columbia, and Santiago in Chile
Mexico City is by far the largest (18-20 million)
Slums are spreading across the cities
Unemployment and crime have increased
High pollution
Shortage of water
Government cannot afford the infrastructure needed

32. Tourism Tourism is a growth industry throughout Latin America
Advantages:
Income
Create jobs
Cruise ships anchor in port
Hotels, restaurants, etc have opened
Narrows the gap between the rich and poor
Disadvantages:
Congestion occurs
Pollution increases
Income gap increases resentment
Govts. Can run up debt building tourist attractions
Owners may not live in country

33. Exit Ticket
Choose one human-environment interaction discussed today. Write 1 paragraph explaining what it is and how it impacts the people and environment.