Amazon Basin

The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its
tributaries. The basin is located mainly (40%) in Brazil, but also stretches into Peru and
several other countries. The South American rain
forest of the Amazon is the largest in the world,
covering about 8, and 235,430 km2 with dense
tropical forest. The Amazon river Basin has
a tropical rainforest climate. Annual rain fall is
approximately 1500–2500 mm. Day temperatures
typically reach 30-35°C, while night temperatures
reach 20-25°C. Amazonia is very sparsely
populated. There are scattered settlements inland,
but most of the population lives in a few larger cities
on the banks of the Amazon and other major rivers,
such as in Iquitos (Peru),Manaus and Belem (Brazil).
In many regions, the forest has been cleared for soy
bean plantations and ranching (the most extensive non-forest use of the land) and some
of the inhabitants harvest wild rubber latex and Brazil nuts. This is a form of extractive
farms, where the trees are not cut down, and thus this is a relatively sustainable human
impact. The largest organization fighting for the indigenous peoples in this area is COICA,
which is a super organization encompassing all indigenous rights organizations working
in the Amazon Basin area, living in several countries.

Between May 2000 and August 2006, Brazil lost nearly 150,000 square
kilometres of forest—an area larger than Greece—and since 1970, over 600,000
square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest has been
destroyed. Why is Brazil losing so much forest? What can be done to slow
deforestation?

Why is the Brazilian Amazon being destroyed?

In many tropical countries, the majority of deforestation results from the actions of poor
subsistence cultivators. However, in Brazil only about one-third of recent deforestation
can be linked to "shifted" cultivators. Historically a large portion of deforestation in Brazil
can be attributed to land clearing for pastureland by commercial and speculative
interests, misguided government policies, inappropriate World Bank projects, and
commercial exploitation of forest resources. For effective action it is imperative that
these issues be addressed. Focusing solely on the promotion of sustainable use by local
people would neglect the most important forces behind deforestation in Brazil.

Brazilian deforestation is strongly correlated to the economic health of the country: the
decline in deforestation from 1988-1991 nicely matched the economic slowdown during
the same period, while the rocketing rate of deforestation from 1993-1998 paralleled
Brazil's period of rapid economic growth. During lean times, ranchers and developers do
not have the cash to rapidly expand their pasturelands and operations, while the
government lacks funds to sponsor highways and colonization programs and grant tax
breaks and subsidies to forest exploiters.
A relatively small percentage of
Deforestation Figures for Brazil
large landowners clear vast
sections of the Amazon for Deforestation Deforestation Change
Year [sq mi] [sq km] [%]
cattle pastureland. Large tracts 1988 8,127 21,050
1989 6,861 17,770 -16%
of forest are cleared and 1990 5,301 13,730 -23%
sometimes planted with African 1991 4,259 11,030 -20%
1992 5,323 13,786 25%
savannah grasses for cattle 1993 5,751 14,896 8%
1994 5,751 14,896 0%
feeding. In many cases, 1995 11,220 29,059 95%
1996 7,012 18,161 -38%
especially during periods of high 1997 5,107 13,227 -27%
inflation, land is simply cleared 1998 6,712 17,383 31%
1999 6,664 17,259 -1%
for investment purposes. When 2000 7,037 18,226 6%
2001 7,014 18,165 0%
pastureland prices exceed 2002 8,260 21,651 17%
forest land prices (a condition 2003 9,805 25,396 19%
2004 10,722 27,772 9%
made possible by tax incentives 2005 7,341 19,014 -31%
2006 5,515 14,285 -49%
that favour 2007 4,498 11,651 -18%
2008 4,984 12,911 11%
r pastureland over natural 2009 2,889 7,484 -42%

forest), forest clearing is a good

hedge against inflation.
Such favourable taxation policies, combined with government subsidized agriculture and
colonization programs, encourage the destruction of the Amazon. The practice of low
taxes on income derived from agriculture and tax rates that favour pasture over forest
overvalues agriculture and pastureland and makes it profitable to convert natural forest
for these purposes when it normally would not be so.
Causes of deforestation in the
Amazon Basin

Cattle ranches 65-70%

Small-scale, subsistence agriculture 20-25%
Large-scale, commercial agriculture 5-10%
Logging, legal and illegal 2-3%
Fires, mining, urbanization, road
1-2%
construction, dams
Selective logging and fires that burn under the forest
canopy commonly result in forest degradation, not
deforestation. Therefore these factor less in overall
deforestation figures.

The above pie chart showing deforestation in the Amazon by

cause is based on the median figures for estimate ranges.
Please note the low estimate for large-scale agriculture.
Between 2000-2005 soybean cultivation resulted in a small
overall percentage of direct deforestation. Nevertheless the
role of soy is quite significant in the Amazon. As explained by
Dr. Philip Fearnside, "Soybean farms cause some forest
clearing directly. But they have a much greater impact on
deforestation by consuming cleared land, savanna, and
transitional forests, thereby pushing ranchers and slash-and-
burn farmers ever deeper into the forest frontier. Soybean
farming also provides a key economic and political impetus for
new highways and infrastructure projects, which accelerate
Road construction in the Amazon leads to deforestation. Roads provide access
to logging and mining sites while opening forest frontier land to exploitation by
poor landless farmers.

Brazil's Trans-Amazonian Highway was one of the most ambitious economic

development programs ever devised, and one of the most spectacular failures. In
the 1970s, Brazil planned a 2,000-mile highway that would bisect the massive
Amazon forest, opening rainforest lands to (1) settlement by poor farmers from
the crowded, drought-plagued north and (2) development of timber and mineral
resources. Colonists would be granted a 250-acre lot, six-months' salary, and
easy access to agricultural loans in exchange for settling along the highway and
converting the surrounding rainforest into agricultural land. The plan would grow
to cost Brazil US$65,000 (1980 dollars) to settle each family, a staggering
amount for Brazil, a developing country at the time.

The project was plagued from the start. The sediments of the Amazon Basin
rendered the highway unstable and subject to inundation during heavy rains,
blocking traffic and leaving crops to rot. Harvest yields for peasants were dismal
since the forest soils were quickly exhausted, and new forest had to be cleared
annually. Logging was difficult due to the widespread distribution of
commercially valuable trees. Rampant erosion, up to 40 tons of soil per acre
(100 tons/ha) occurred after clearing. Many colonists, unfamiliar with banking
and lured by easy credit, went deep into debt.

Adding to the economic and social failures of the project, are the long-term
environmental costs. After the construction of the Trans-Amazonian Highway,
Brazilian deforestation accelerated to levels never before seen and vast swaths
of forest were cleared for subsistence farmers and cattle-ranching schemes. The
Trans-Amazonian Highway is a prime example of the environmental havoc that is
caused by road construction in the rainforest.

Road construction and improvement continues in the Amazon today: Paving of

roads brings change in the Amazon rainforest andthe Chinese economy drives
road-building and deforestation in the Amazon

Commercial agriculture

Recently, soybeans have become one of the most important contributors to

deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Thanks to a new variety of soybean
developed by Brazilian scientists to flourish in rainforest climate, Brazil is on the
verge of supplanting the United States as the world's leading exporter of
soybeans. High soybean prices have also served as an impetus to expanding
soybean cultivation.

Philip Fearnside, co-author of a report in Science [21-May-04] and member of

Brazil's National Institute for Amazonian Research in Manaus, explains, "Soybean
farms cause some forest clearing directly. But they have a much greater impact
on deforestation by consuming cleared land, savanna, and transitional forests,
thereby pushing ranchers and slash-and-burn farmers ever deeper into the forest
frontier. Soybean farming also provides a key economic and political impetus for
new highways and infrastructure projects, which accelerate deforestation by
other actors."
Satellite data from 2004 shows a marked increase in deforestation along the BR-
163 road, a highway the government has been paving in an effort to help soy
farmers from Mato Grosso get their crops to export markets. Typically, roads
encourage settlement by rural poor who look to the rainforest as free land for
subsistence agriculture.

Logging

In theory, logging in the Amazon is controlled by strict licensing which allows

timber to be harvested only in designated areas. However, there is significant
evidence that illegal logging is quite widespread in Brazil. In recent years, Ibama
—Brazil's environmental enforcement agency—has made several large seizures
of illegally harvested timber including one in September 2003 when 17 people
were arrested for allegedly cutting 10,000 hectares worth of timber.

Logging in the Amazon is closely linked with road building. Studies by the
Environmental Defense Fund show that areas that have beenselectively
logged are eight times more likely to be settled and cleared by shifting
cultivators than untouched rainforests because of access granted by logging
roads. Logging roads give colonists access to rainforest, which they exploit for
fuelwood, game, building material, and temporary agricultural lands.
Related articles

• Selective logging leads to clear-cutting in the Amazon rainforest

• "Stealth logging" doubles amount of rain forest disturbance in the Amazon
• Selective logging can have low impact on Amazon rainforest says FAO
• Amazon to be logged sustainably says Brazil
• Brazil to crackdown on illegal logging says Environment Minister
• Logging in the Rainforest

Other causes of forest loss in Brazil

Historically, hydroelectric projects have flooded vast areas of Amazon rainforest.

The Balbina dam flooded some 2,400 square kilometers (920 square miles) of
rainforest when it was completed. Phillip Fearnside, a leading expert on the
Amazon, calculated that in the first three years of its existence, the Balbina
Reservoir emitted 23,750,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 140,000 tons of
methane, both potent greenhouse gases which contribute to global climate
change.

Mining has impacted some parts of the Amazon Basin. During the 1980s, over
100,000 prospectors invaded the state of Para when a large gold deposit was
discovered, while wildcat miners are still active in the state of Roraima near the
Venezuelan border. Typically, miners clear forest for building material, fuelwood
collection, and subsistence agriculture.

Fires

Virtually all forest clearing, by small farmer and plantation owner alike, is done
by fire. Though these fires are intended to burn only limited areas, they
frequently escape agricultural plots and pastures and char pristine rainforest,
especially in dry years like 2005. Many of the fires set for clearing forest for
these purposes are set during the three-month burning season and the smoke
produced creates widespread problems across the region, including airport
closings and hospitalizations from smoke inhalation. These fires cover a vast
area of forest. In 1987 during a four-month period (July-October), about 19,300
square miles (50,000 sq. km) of Brazilian Amazon were burned in the states of
Parà, Rondonia, Mato Grosso, and Acre. The burning produced carbon dioxide
containing more than 500 million tons of carbon, 44 million tons of carbon
monoxide, and millions of tons of other particles and nitrogen oxides. An
estimated 20 percent of fires that burn between June and October cause new
deforestation, while another 10 percent is the burning of ground cover in virgin
forests.

Fires and climate change are having a dramatic impact on the Amazon. Recent
studies suggest that the Amazon rainforest may be losing its ability to stay green
all year long as forest degradation and drought make it dangerously flammable.
Scientists say that as much as 50 percent of the Amazon could go up in smoke
should fires continue. Humidity levels were the lowest ever recorded in the
Amazon in 2005.

Slavery and Violence in the Amazon

The Amazon has been a place of violence since at least the arrival of European
explorers, and the present is no exception. Violent conflicts between large
landowners, poor colonists, and indigenous groups over land are not unusual in
the Amazon and may be worsening.

The Pastoral Land Commission, a nongovernmental group working in the region,

found that land battles in Brazil's countryside reached the highest level in at
least 20 years in 2004. According to the annual report by the organization,
documented conflicts over land among peasants, farmers, and land speculators
rose to 1,801 in 2004 from 1,690 conflicts in 2003 and 925 recorded in 2002.
Tensions reached their peak earlier this year with the high-profile slaying of
Dorothy Stang, an American nun who worked with rural poor, by gunmen
associated with plantation owners. In response to the murder, the Brazilian
government sent in the army to quell violence in the region and promised to step
up environmental monitoring efforts.

The government has also stepped up efforts to end slavery in the Amazon. While
Brazil officially abolished slavery in 1888, the government acknowledges that at
least 25,000 Brazilians work under "conditions analogous to slavery," clearing
land and working for cattle ranches, soy farms, and other labor-intensive
industries. Some groups say the true figure could be ten times that amount. In
2005, 4,133 slaves were freed after Brazilian Swat-style teams raided 183
farms.

Human Impact on the Amazon Basin

Deforestation: Deforestation is the removal of trees in a forest region that causes

the conversion of forest land to non- forest land

The main cause of deforestation in the Amazon

forest are human settlement and land development
Deforestation in the Amazon basin began in the
1600’s as a result of colonist established forms
within the forest. Their farming existed as planting
followed by a slash and burn method. This implies
that crops are grown, harvested, and the land is
burnt to prepare for the next planting season. Due
to these farming practice, the land of the amazon had a short term fertility rate,
and farmers had to seek new farming land within short periods of time. Over the
years, deforestation in the amazon forest of Brazil continue to grow due to the
following reasons
Pastoral farming is the leading cause of deforestation in the amazon. It
accounted for about 38% of deforestation that occurred between 1966- 1975.
Today, about 80% of the beef produced in pastoral farming in Brazil is used for
export.

One of the main causes of the increase in cattle

production and cattle export is the drop in the
country's currency. This weakness in currency allows
brazil's agricultural product to be more
competitive in the world market.

Another cause of increased export is the

complete eradication of Brazil's Foot and Mouth Cattle
Disease, which allows Brazil to produce higher quality
beef. Eradication of this disease also lead to an increase
in price and demand for Brazil's Beef.

The constructions of roads have also lead to easier

accessibility to forest land. This has lead to the reduction in shipping and beef
packaging cost.

The lack of agricultural certification in Brazil has lead to more

and more people using domant forest land for cattle rearing.
Colonist and developers could easily earn land title by converting forest land for
pastoral farming use.

SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE:

Subsistence agriculture in a method of

crop production, where farmers
produce only enough food to feed the
family. The practice ofsubsistence
agriculture is done mainly by poor
farmers that settle in forest land. The
government encourages these farmers
to settle on the land and earn
ownership after five years of
agricultural practice.

However, most of these farmers

engage in the slash. The slash and burn
implies that farm land is burnt after
crops are harvested. However, in most
cases, the fires set in farmland end up spreading to forest land.

Also, the slash and burn practice causes

land to loose its productivity in about two
years. This loss in productivity encourages
land owners to clear more trees for crop
cultivation. Between 1995 and 1998, the
Brazillian government granted land to over
150 000 people This lead an increase in the
amount of forest land lost to

deforestation.

CONSTRUCTION: Construction of roads

and Highways to mining and logging
sites in the amazon has also lead to
deforestation. It has also opened new
forest land that can exploited by
peasant farmers, looking for new land
or expansion of old land.
One of the major constructions that lead to deforestation and economic
development in the amazon basin was the construction of the Trans- Amazonian
High way. The Trans- Amazonian highway was created to open up new forest
land to poor farmers, and also allow the production of timber and minerals.

However, the Trans- Amazonian Highway did not create prosperity as expected
by the Brazilian government. It was subjected to erosion, traffic caused by
flooding, and loss of soil productivity within short periods in the Amazon basin
due to the slash and burn method that was practiced by the peasant farmers.

COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE AND

SETTLEMENT: Brazil is known world wide
in the global market for the production
of food crops for export. It is currently
the world’s 2nd largest producer of
soybean. High soybean prices have lead
to the increase in the amount of forest
land used for commercial crop
cultivation. The effect of soybean crop
cultivation damage extends past the
actual deforestation itself. It allows exploitation of more forest land by the slash
and burn method practiced by subsistence agricultural farmers, and creates
room for the creation of more highways. For instance, soybean farming lead to
the creation of the BR-163 road which caused an increase in deforestation and
settlement by poor rural farmers.

Deforestation

Amazon Rainforest

Main article: Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest

Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas. The main sources of

deforestation in the Amazon are human settlement and development of the land.[27] Prior to the

early 1960s, access to the forest's interior was highly restricted, and the forest remained basically

intact.[28] Farms established during the 1960s were based on crop cultivation and the slash and

burn method. However, the colonists were unable to manage their fields and the crops because of

the loss of soil fertility and weedinvasion.[29] The soils in the Amazon are productive for just a short

period of time, so farmers are constantly moving to new areas and clearing more land.[29] These

farming practices led to deforestation and caused extensive environmental damage.

[30]
Deforestation is considerable, and areas cleared of forest are visible to the naked eye from

outer space.

Between 1991 and 2000, the total area of forest lost in the Amazon rose from 415,000 to

587,000 km2, with most of the lost forest becoming pasture for cattle.[31] Seventy percent of

formerly forested land in the Amazon, and 91% of land deforested since 1970, is used for

livestock pasture.[32][33] In addition, Brazil is currently the second-largest global producer

of soybeans after the United States. The needs of soy farmers have been used to validate many of

the controversial transportation projects that are currently developing in the Amazon. The first two

highways successfully opened up the rain forest and led to increased settlement and deforestation.

The mean annual deforestation rate from 2000 to 2005 (22,392 km2 per year) was 18% higher than

in the previous five years (19,018 km2 per year).[34] At the current rate, in two decades the Amazon

Rainforest will be reduced by 40%.[35]

Conservation and climate change

See also: Gaviotas

Environmentalists are concerned about loss of biodiversity that will result from destruction of the

forest, and also about the release of the carbon contained within the vegetation, which could

accelerate global warming. Amazonian evergreen forests account for about 10% of the world's

terrestrial primary productivity and 10% of the carbon stores in ecosystems[36]—of the order of

1.1 × 1011 metric tonnes of carbon.[37]Amazonian forests are estimated to have accumulated

0.62 ± 0.37 tons of carbon per hectare per year between 1975 and 1996.[37]

One computer model of future climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions shows that the

Amazon rainforest could become unsustainable under conditions of severely reduced rainfall and

increased temperatures, leading to an almost complete loss of rainforest cover in the basin by

2100.[38][39] However, simulations of Amazon basin climate change across many different models

are not consistent in their estimation of any rainfall response, ranging from weak increases to

strong decreases.[40] The result indicates that the rainforest could be threatened though the 21st

century by climate change in addition to deforestation.

In 1989, environmentalist C.M. Peters and two colleagues stated there is economic as well as

biological incentive to protecting the rainforest. One hectare in the Peruvian Amazon has been
calculated to have a value of $6820 if intact forest is sustainably harvested for fruits, latex, and

timber; $1000 if clear-cut for commercial timber (not sustainably harvested); or $148 if used as

cattle pasture.[41]

As indigenous territories continue to be destroyed by deforestation and ecocide, such as in

the Peruvian Amazon[42] indigenous peoples' rainforest communities continue to disappear, while

others, like the Urarinacontinue to struggle to fight for their cultural survival and the fate of their

forested territories. Meanwhile, the relationship between nonhuman primates in the subsistence

and symbolism of indigenous lowland South American peoples has gained increased attention, as

has ethno-biology and community-based conservation efforts.

From 2002 to 2006, the conserved land in the Amazon Rainforest has almost tripled and

deforestation rates have dropped up to 60%. About 1,000,000 square kilometres (250,000,000

acres) have been put onto some sort of conservation, which adds up to a current amount of

1,730,000 square kilometres (430,000,000 acres).[43]

Conservation and climate change

See also: Gaviotas

Environmentalists are concerned about loss of biodiversity that will result from destruction of the

forest, and also about the release of the carbon contained within the vegetation, which could

accelerate global warming. Amazonian evergreen forests account for about 10% of the world's

terrestrial primary productivity and 10% of the carbon stores in ecosystems[36]—of the order of

1.1 × 1011 metric tonnes of carbon.[37]Amazonian forests are estimated to have accumulated

0.62 ± 0.37 tons of carbon per hectare per year between 1975 and 1996.[37]

One computer model of future climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions shows that the

Amazon rainforest could become unsustainable under conditions of severely reduced rainfall and

increased temperatures, leading to an almost complete loss of rainforest cover in the basin by

2100.[38][39] However, simulations of Amazon basin climate change across many different models

are not consistent in their estimation of any rainfall response, ranging from weak increases to

strong decreases.[40] The result indicates that the rainforest could be threatened though the 21st

century by climate change in addition to deforestation.

In 1989, environmentalist C.M. Peters and two colleagues stated there is economic as well as

biological incentive to protecting the rainforest. One hectare in the Peruvian Amazon has been

calculated to have a value of $6820 if intact forest is sustainably harvested for fruits, latex, and

timber; $1000 if clear-cut for commercial timber (not sustainably harvested); or $148 if used as

cattle pasture.[41]

As indigenous territories continue to be destroyed by deforestation and ecocide, such as in

the Peruvian Amazon[42] indigenous peoples' rainforest communities continue to disappear, while
others, like the Urarinacontinue to struggle to fight for their cultural survival and the fate of their

forested territories. Meanwhile, the relationship between nonhuman primates in the subsistence

and symbolism of indigenous lowland South American peoples has gained increased attention, as

has ethno-biology and community-based conservation efforts.

From 2002 to 2006, the conserved land in the Amazon Rainforest has almost tripled and

deforestation rates have dropped up to 60%. About 1,000,000 square kilometres (250,000,000

acres) have been put onto some sort of conservation, which adds up to a current amount of

1,730,000 square kilometres (430,000,000 acres).[43]

Plant life

Because much of the Amazon is unexplored, many of its indigenous plants and animals are unknown. Plant

growth is dense because of the heavy rainfall. One tropical fruit tree that is native to the Amazon is the abiu.

There are thousands of plants, all in different colors, sizes, and shapes. There are also many other living

organisms that have their homes in these plants.

[edit]Climate

The Amazon river Basin has a tropical rainforest climate. Annual rain fall is approximately 1500–2500 mm. Day

temperatures typically reach 30-35°C, while night temperatures reach 20-25°C.

[edit]Human occupation

Amazonia is very sparsely populated. There are scattered settlements inland, but most of the population lives

in a few larger cities on the banks of the Amazon and other major rivers, such as

in Iquitos (Peru),Manaus and Belém (Brazil). In many regions, the forest has been cleared for soy
bean plantations and ranching (the most extensive non-forest use of the land) and some
of the inhabitants harvest wild rubber latexand Brazil nuts. This is a form of extractive
farms, where the trees are not cut down, and thus this is a relatively sustainable human
impact.

The largest organization fighting for the indigenous peoples in this area is COICA, which
is a supraorganization emcompassing all indigenous rights organizations working in the
Amazon Basin area, living in several countries.
[edit]Geography

The Amazon Basin is bounded by the Guiana Highlands to the north and the Brazilian
Highlands to the south. The Amazon, which rises in the Andes Mountains at the west of
the basin, is the second longest river in the world. It covers a distance of about 6,400 km
before draining into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon and its tributaries form the largest
volume of water. The Amazon accounts for about 20% of the total water carried to the
oceans by rivers. Some of the Amazon Rainforest is deforested because of a growing
interest in hardwood products.

Politically the basin is divided into the Brazilian Amazônia Legal, the Peruvian Amazon,
the Amazon Region of Colombia and parts of Bolivia, Ecuador and the Venezuelan state
of Amazonas.

Plant life

Because much of the Amazon is unexplored, many of its indigenous plants and animals are unknown. Plant

growth is dense because of the heavy rainfall. One tropical fruit tree that is native to the Amazon is the abiu.

There are thousands of plants, all in different colors, sizes, and shapes. There are also many other living

organisms that have their homes in these plants.

[edit]Climate

The Amazon river Basin has a tropical rainforest climate. Annual rain fall is approximately 1500–2500 mm. Day

temperatures typically reach 30-35°C, while night temperatures reach 20-25°C.

[edit]Human occupation

Amazonia is very sparsely populated. There are scattered settlements inland, but most of the population lives

in a few larger cities on the banks of the Amazon and other major rivers, such as

in Iquitos (Peru),Manaus and Belém (Brazil). In many regions, the forest has been cleared for soy

bean plantations and ranching (the most extensive non-forest use of the land) and some of the inhabitants

harvest wild rubber latexand Brazil nuts. This is a form of extractive farms, where the trees are not cut down,

and thus this is a relatively sustainable human impact.

The largest organization fighting for the indigenous peoples in this area is COICA, which is a supraorganization

emcompassing all indigenous rights organizations working in the Amazon Basin area, living in several

countries.

[edit]Geography

The Amazon Basin is bounded by the Guiana Highlands to the north and the Brazilian Highlands to the south.

The Amazon, which rises in the Andes Mountains at the west of the basin, is the second longest river in the

world. It covers a distance of about 6,400 km before draining into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon and its

tributaries form the largest volume of water. The Amazon accounts for about 20% of the total water carried to

the oceans by rivers. Some of the Amazon Rainforest is deforested because of a growing interest in hardwood

products.

Politically the basin is divided into the Brazilian Amazônia Legal, the Peruvian Amazon, the Amazon Region of

Colombia and parts of Bolivia, Ecuador and the Venezuelan state of Amazonas.
Globalisation:

Indigenous:
References:
http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Basin

www.theamazonbasin.com

www.amazon.com › ... › South America › Brazil › Amazon