SUSTAINABILITY - THE DEFORESTATION OF THE AMAZON BASIN

1. SUSTAINABILITY
04
THE DEFORESTATION
OF THE AMAZON
Case Study and Activities

2. The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest and the
largest river basin on the planet.
More species are found here than anywhere else. The
region is the home to 10% of known species on Earth.
Of plant species found in this region, 75% are unique to
the Amazon (endemic), and there are 3,000 species of
fish, the largest number of fish species in the world.
Today, the Amazon is facing a multitude of threats as a
result of unsustainable economic development; 20% of the
Amazon biome has already been lost and the trend will
worsen if gone unchecked.
DEFORESTATION

4. Amazon is the biggest deforestation front in the world
and interventions are urgently needed to prevent a large-
scale, irreversible ecological disaster.
WWF estimates that 27 per cent – more than a quarter –
of the Amazon biome will be without trees by 2030 if the
current rate of deforestation continues.
BIGGEST DEFORESTATION FRONT

5. Deforestation rates in the
Amazon have declined over
the last decade, but
continue at an alarming
rate.
Brazil is responsible for
half of the deforestation
in the Amazon, but
deforestation in the
Andean Amazon countries –
namely Bolivia and Peru –
is increasing.
Deforestation is
concentrated in 25 “sub-
fronts” that span across
multiple countries.

6. The areas showing
the greatest
deforestation rates
are those that have
more roads.
There is a strong
correlation between
the location of
deforestation fronts
and the presence of
existing roads or
projections of new
roads.
DEVELOPING ROADS = DEFORESTATION

7. Other factors exacerbating
pressure in the region
include:
- an increase in cattle
ranching and soy
plantations, particularly in
Bolivia;
- the South American energy
and transport integration
that was started with banks
and a group of
governments;
- hydropower dams.
PRESSURE FACTORS IN THE REGION

8. Amazon deforestation is no longer an issue for individual countries to
tackle in isolation.
It is essential to have integrated policies and concerted action across the
region and beyond, as many of the pressures – oil and gas exploration,
mining etc. – are global.
DEFORESTATION - A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM

9. POSSIBLE MEASURES
OF AMAZON
GOVERNMENTS
Amazon
governments to:
- design and
implement “zero
net deforestation”
plans
- create awareness
of the issues
around
deforestation
- recognise
indigenous
peoples and local
communities’
rights.

10. POSSIBLE MEASURES
OF AMAZON AND
OTHER GOVERNMENTS
Amazon and other
governments to:
- facilitate cross border
dialogue,
- review how incentive
mechanisms can
contribute to the
reduction in the rate
of deforestation
- establish and support
the establishment of
different types of
conservation spaces
(e.g. protected areas
and indigenous
territories).

11. POSSIBLE MEASURES
OF FINANCE AND
PRIVATE SECTOR
Finance
sector and private sector:
- to open dialogues with
civil society organizations,
local communities,
scientific institutions and
governments to ensure
that appropriate
measures are taken to
safeguard investments in
terms of their potential
social and environmental
impacts.

12. 1. Read the following article and explain
how Norway was able to become the first
country to ban deforestation. This is the
link to the CNN article:
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/08/eur
ope/norway-deforestation/index.html.
2. The main international concerns grow
over deforestation surge since president
Jair Bolsonaro took power in Brazil. Read
the article from the “Guardian” and
summarise these concerns. This is the
link to THE GUARDIAN article:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20
19/aug/16/norway-halts-amazon-fund-
donation-dispute-brazil-deforestation-
jair-bolsonaro.
ACTIVITIES