Case Study 8 : The Amazon Rainforest

A case study of one ecosystem: processes, benefits for people, impact of human
activity and management.

located in a hot and wet equatorial climate. Temperatures are over 30
degrees C year-round and the climate gets over 2000 mm of rainfall.
features high biodiversity e.g. 50 species of tree may be found in one
hectare of soil from the rainforest
Adaptations:
trees grow very tall due to competition over food and sunlight.
Roots have a shallow widespread system to collect as many nutrients as
they can.
Wide buttress roots help to support the trees.
Lianas creep up tree trunks and use them to get to the sunlight
higher Leaves have drip-tip leaves which allow rainwater to drip off to
avoid saturation, while leaves at the bottom of the layers are broader to
catch more light.

Human use of the rainforest includes:

Logging - chopping down of trees for the activities listed below
Ranching - large areas of trees chopped down for cattle farming
Mining - valuable minerals such as iron ore, bauxite (used to make aluminum,
lots of this in the Amazon) and even gold
Rubber tapping - some trees provide natural rubber from the sap
Tourism - increasing number of tourists want to visit the rainforest
Farming - farms vary from tiny subsistence farms to huge plantations growing a
single crop such as palm oil. 'Slash and burn' technique often used to clear
forests.
Brazil's infrastructure (health and education) has been improved as a result of
profit gained from the rainforest.

Impact of human activity: social, environmental and political issues.

logging leads to deforestation. Deforestation leads to less biodiversity,
soil leaching (the leaking away of nutrients due to soil erosion caused by
heavy rainfall), increased risk of flooding, reduced soil fertility, impacted
climate (less rainfall as all rain washed away - no trees to hold rain). New
roads can also cut off connections between ecosystems
Social impacts include the creation of conflict between different
stakeholders e.g. ranchers and environmentalists. Indigenous tribes' way
of life is disrupted e.g. the Awa tribe.
many jobs are created in the area, there are many economic benefits to
exploiting the Amazon rainforest.



Sustainable management of the forest
Sustainable development will meet the needs of Brazil's population without
compromising the needs of future generations.
Possible strategies include:
Agro-forestry - growing trees and crops at the same time. This lets farmers take
advantage of shelter from the canopy of trees. It prevents soil erosion and the
crops benefit from the nutrients from the dead organic matter.
Selective logging - trees are only felled when they reach a particular height. This
allows young trees a guaranteed life span and the forest will regain full maturity
after around 30-50 years.
Education - ensuring those involved in exploitation and management of the forest
understand the consequences behind their actions.
Afforestation - the opposite of deforestation. If trees are cut down, they are
replaced to maintain the canopy.
Forest reserves - areas protected from exploitation.
Monitoring - use of satellite technology and photography to check that any
activities taking place are legal and follow guidelines for sustainability.

Source: BBC