What is the biggest threat to the Amazon rainforest?

Extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Andes mountains in the west the Amazon rainforest runs through eight countries in South America – Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. It is the world’s largest rainforest, spanning over five million sq.km., and covering almost half of the continent. Considered one of the most biodiverse places in the world, the rainforest is home to millions of species of animals, birds, insects, and plants, and also to a large number of tribes. The rainforest has a structured layer of trees growing towards the sun, soaring over 100 feet, and below them, two or three levels of shade-dependent trees, all thriving harmoniously and welcoming a variety of wildlife. In addition to the rainforest, the Amazon Basin offers a range of ecosystems such as floodplain forests, savannahs and rivers. A large part of these forests is drained by the Amazon River Small wonder the rainforest is often referred to as the Earth’s lungs!

Wildlife

Due to varied ecosystems, most of them nurtured by the rivers, the region teems with wildlife. But the presence of large land-dwelling mammals is relatively less (though now rare, one of the most noted big cats here is the jaguar). As if to make up for this, the number of tree-dwelling species is high, and includes a large number of bats, sloths, marmosets, tamarins, and other monkey species. Tapirs, deer, and water buffalo, and rodents such as porcupine, squirrels, and rats have made the region their home. The reptile varieties found here include iguanas and boas, the most noted being anacondas, the largest living snakes. Over 2.500 species of fish, including cat fish and piranhas, are found in the area, in addition to the more than 8,000 species of insects from ants, flies, wasps, and bees to scorpions, spiders, bugs, butterflies, and cicadas. Alligators, turtles, manatees, dolphins can be seen in the area’s waters. The variety of birds found in the region is also high, and includes water birds such as herons, cormorants, spoonbills, and ibises. The forest also nurtures different types of eagles, hawks, woodpeckers, kingfishers, parakeets, macaws, toucans, quails, tinamous, and nightjars, among others.

Threats

Forest fires in the region do happen fairly regularly. However, over the last few years, the area it covers and the intensity with which it happens has been a cause of deep concern, and has been getting global attention. While forest fire is a natural phenomenon, there has been much speculation that in many instances if they were human-made, as part of deforestation, another grave concern in the region. Especially in Brazil, where the Amazon has its widest cover, deforestation has been growing at an alarming rate over the last few years. And, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the region, deforestation just got worse. According to a BBC report, “Deforestation jumped 55% in the first four months of 2020 compared with the same period last year, as people have taken advantage of the crisis to carry out illegal clearances.” In addition, logging and illegal mining too have been on the rise, and scientists warn that at such a rate, the region could hit a point of no return. Meaning, at some point in the near future, the world’s largest rainforest may no longer function the way it has been doing all along.

 

Picture Credit : Google

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