Deforestation Of The Amazon Rainforest

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Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world. It’s size is unmatched by other rainforests, because it covers over forty percent of South America, and is present in nine different countries. The total area of the Amazon consists of 1.7 billion acres, with 1.4 billion acres of dense forests. It is such a vast ecosystem, providing a home to one-fifth of the worlds plants and birds, as well as one-tenth of the world’s mammals. It is easy to see why this rainforest is so marveled upon. The Amazon rainforest is the most species-rich rainforest in the world, and makes up more than half of the remaining rainforests on the planet. However, with the increasing need for cattle pasture, farming space, and precious wood, deforestation has been devastating the Amazon. Deforestation is the removal of trees, where the left over land is changed for non-forest use. Although clearing trees in the Amazon provides economic benefits, the environmental effects are serious dangers to it’s ecosystem as well as species within it. The Amazon rainforest is often considered one of the natural marvels of the world because of its enormous size and massive river. The rainforest has been in existence for over 55 million years, however archeological findings suggest the first signs of human life were present roughly 11,200 years ago. Biologists have stated that even by 1250 AD the population was nearly 0.52 persons per square mile, supporting a hunter-gatherer type of tribes. Because of this, there were no forms of agriculture causing no need for deforestation. The introduction of the agriculture was one of the key factors to the start of deforestation, along with clearing room for cattle pastures, housing, roads, and valuable wood. As a result of multiple economic motives to clearing the rainforest, the total amount of cleared land

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