Agriculture in the Amazon Rainforest Essay

Throughout a hundred centuries people have worked hard to sustain productive agriculture and dense human populations. Certain forms of agriculture are possible, and should be considered sustainable, for the economic development of tropical rainforests. For thousands of years humans have created a disturbance in the rainforests by creating areas of concentrated diversity of species within the landscape. The Indigenous people of the Amazon fostered palm forests, groves of Brazil nuts and fruit trees, and vine forests near ancient Amazonian settlements. Environmentalists could argue that rainforests can be â€Å"saved† by through the restriction of economic growth, but it is vital to realize that the local communities will not approve parks and reserves, as it is in their interest to conserve the rainforest. The shifted cultivator who forces small farmers into the forest to begin new farmlands causes about 60% of deforestation in Amazon. Researchers have warned if we continue to change the use of the land it can affect the region’s climate, and the absorption of carbon dioxide in the Amazon. By converting forests into cropland there is a pronounced ecological and climate impact than land conversions because it involves the complete removal of land biomass, including tree trunks, stumps and woody roots. † (Mike Bettwy of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center). A better approach to addressing the increasing problem of deforestation in the Amazon is to follow the methods that have been used by indigenous forest dwellers for thousands of years. Many cleared forest areas used for agriculture can be salvaged by cultivation techniques. Annual crops, pasture land, are some examples of what can be done to increase agricultural productivity and to reduce the destruction in many rainforests. Effects of human population on the Ecosystem Over 20% of the Amazon Rainforest has been destroyed, in addition to the Amazon Rainforest is gone forever. Unfortunately with human population, the Amazon Rainforest has had effects with loss and harm to the population of wild species. A lot of the land is being clear for cattle ranches, mining operations, logging and subsistence agriculture. According to Raintree (1996) â€Å"Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. While 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. If this was happening in 1996, we can only imagine that in 2012 it is so much worst. Sustainability and Conservation Overpopulation causes many problems to the Amazon rainforest. More than 20% of Earths oxygen is produced in this area. As the area is reduced more carbon dioxide will be found the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is important to this issue because plants need it to give off oxygen, which humans need to survive, not only for oxygen but also for food and nutrition for out health. Carbon dioxide is not necessarily a bad thing unless a large amount pollutes the air we need to breathe. Not only can overpopulation of the Amazon affect the air we breathe, but it will also affect the wildlife, water, and food we need to survive. There are over 200 species of trees in on hectare of the Amazon. This is important because there are so many possible cures for life threatening diseases. The Amazon is home to mare species of plants and animals than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. Some interesting animals live in the Amazon and a lot of them are very rare. For example, a new species of freshwater fish, brown-spider monkey and a frog called â€Å"cowboy frog†, were some of the amazing animals discovered in the Amazon. The animals found in the Amazon are endless. It is amazing the new discoveries that have happened over the years and the new ones to come. The animals in the Amazon have live there longer that humans have lived on this planet. The Amazon is one of the largest natural resources and with overpopulation more and more rainforest are becoming non-existent.