Rainforest deforestation is a topic we’re fighting to be tackled on the international agenda. In most tropical countries, most deforestation occurs naturally or through the result of agriculture. However, in places such as Brazil, the problem is primarily down to land clearing by commercial interests – along with poorly guided government policy, commercial exploitation of precious forest resources and inappropriate and poorly managed projects funded by organisations such as the World Bank. These need to be tackled and the focus needs to move back to sustainable use of the rainforest, primarily by the local communities who live within it and protect it.
So what are the activities that cause the problem? Well, broadly, they include the following:
Clearing of the rainforest for pasture ground. Cattle ranching is a clear problem in the Amazon and has been since the 70s. Brazil is a leading producer of beef, thanks to currency and interest rate advantages, road developments and infrastructure, favourable laws and a strong control over foot and mouth. With the world’s population growing and demanding more protein, beef production looks set to grow.
Subsistence agriculture. Poor farmers are often encouraged to settle on forest land by governments, claiming rights and intensively farming it. Associated practices include burning shrubbery and cutting down trees across vast spaces and then intensively farming it until the land is stripped of nutrients and becomes waste.
Improvements to national infrastructure. Road construction demands deforestation and is usually linked to logging and mining.
Commercial farming. Soybeans have led to huge levels of rainforest deforestation.
Logging practices. Often linked to road building and commercial development.
Of course, it is solutions that we need to the problems, but as a first step, education about the problems that affect the rainforest is key. The more we can identify them and raise awareness, the stronger the pressure we can exert to decision makers to make steps to resolve them.