According to the IUCN, over the last ten years their numbers have halved and up to are killed every year, despite their status as protected species. See our orangutan factsheet below for more information. In Britain we destroyed our ancient forests thousands of years ago and used the land for farming. But we now know more about the important role that forests, especially rainforests play. The soya companies are often owned by foreigners, who are there to make money, so it does nothing to benefit the local people and their economic situation.
Beneath rainforests there often lies a wealth of natural resources in the form of mineral and gold deposits. Often people involved in small scale gold mining use mercury to extract the gold.
Mercury is banned in Indonesia but is readily available for purchase by individuals. As well as damaging people's health, the mercury used goes on to pollute river systems and is the second-worse source of mercury pollution in the world, after the burning of fossil fuels. Large areas of forest in Indonesia are protected by law against any prospecting or open cast mining, although new rules do allow underground mining in protected areas. Once roads are built to reach the mines, it becomes easier for illegal logging and poaching to take place.
Brazil has the world's largest iron ore mine and has rich reserves of other metals such as zinc, nickel, tin and aluminium. It is possible that some of its forests may be opened up for mineral exploration. The Amazon river is the second longest in the world and with its many tributaries it is a source of energy which could be harnessed. Brazil suffered an energy crisis in and is keen to develop this source of power. Unfortunately, the building of hydro-electric dams often results in major flooding which harms wildlife and can change the eco-system of the river downstream.
Wood rotting underwater also releases carbon dioxide and methane greenhouse gases. The Xingu river is the site of the world's third largest hydro-electric dam, the Belo Monte project where square miles square km will be flooded.
Many indigenous people such as the Kayapo Indians are concerned about the potential loss of land. The construction was completed in The big companies and governments who propose these developments of the rainforest usually offer incentives for the affected people such as jobs, schools and clinics.
Many feel this is a good exchange and may improve their standard of living, although the reality can be far from that. In many cases, promised compensation is not delivered. The destruction of the rainforest could affect the world's climate. During the day, the rainforests absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the air to make food in a process called photosynthesis. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.
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To help us better tailor your newsletter content to you, please fill in the cruise-related customization options below you can check as many boxes as desired. But environmentalists say this will not solve the problems on the ground in the long term.
Forest fires in the Amazon generally occur during the dry season when people employ a slash and burn method to turn forest into agriculture land. Smoke from the fires led to a public health alert , causing respiratory illnesses in people living in nearby cities. As well as harvesting timber, land is deforested in the Amazon for cattle ranching and growing crops Credit: Getty Images.
In early May, the country was declared the new global epicenter of coronavirus. Neighbouring Colombia has already seen an uptick in forest fires in the first months of This is almost three times more than the 4, hot spots indicated last year during the same month.
Miguel Pacheco, natural resources and livelihoods coordinator with WWF-Colombia, says quarantine measures have not been the cause of this increase in hotspots, but they could exacerbate the problem.
Since Colombia went into lockdown in late March, monitoring flights by the armed forces that normally circle the region have significantly reduced. This could allow armed groups to take advantage of this lack of environmental control and continue to clear the area for cattle, coca plantation or other crops, as long as these quarantine measures persist, he says.
Environmental authorities also reported an increase in illegal logging, wild animal trafficking and poaching of large cats since quarantine began, says Pacheco. In Colombia, lockdown poses the next in a long line of social changes that have fuelled deforestation.
The destruction of rainforest has been a major concern since , when the FARC guerrillas and the Colombian government signed a peace agreement. When the guerrillas demobilised from their holding areas in the jungle, it left the regions open to exploitation. In many areas, that meant armed groups and other organised crime cleared the forest for cattle and pasture land, particularly the Amazon states of Caqueta, Meta and Guaviare , some of the most affected.
In Colombia, clearing forested regions leads to more hot spots where forest fires are highly likely to follow Credit: Getty Images. This has created another vacuum of other forest monitoring bodies like NGOs and government institutions.
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