I was reading in the January 2007 issue of National Geographic that during the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon's rain forest has been cut down for industrial farming, and that another 20 percent will be lost over the next 20 years. One of the main problems with eliminating of so much forest is that at some point the forest will not be able to produce enough rain to support the ecosystem and the remaining trees will die. Much of this deforestation is not being done by the local villagers but by what the author call the timber mafia and land sharks who falsify land deeds. Brazil wants to introduce electronic logging certificates and to use satellite technology and remote sensing to alert them of illegal activity. With this in mind, do you believe that technology is a better fix than legislation or education?
a. Briefly describe abiotic requirements (e.g. water, temperature and soil) of a tropical rain forest.
b. What effect will large-scale monoculturing of soybeans have on the land? Make sure to include a short description of the nutrient requirements of soybeans before touching on the long-term effects of monoculturing.
c. List 2 important plant species that are threatened or endangered by deforestation in the Amazon and describe their potential uses to our society.
d. Discuss one advantage and one disadvantage of using remote sensing techniques to monitor illegal timber activities.
e. Voice your opinions on the question above.
Resources:
1. Amazon Forest to Farms in National Geographic Magazine (January 2007) at http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0701/feature1/index.html
2. Amazon Scenarios from the Woods Hole Research Center
http://www.whrc.org/southamerica/amaz_scen.htm
3. Remote Sensing Basics at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_sensing
Just for Fun:
You can download Google Earth and take a look at "The Soybean Highway"(BR-163). After Google Earth loads, point the Earth at Brazil and add the layer map for roads. You can then zoom in and see the amount of deforestation happening along this road.
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Over the past 40 years, 20% of the Amazon’s tropical rain forests have been cut down for industrial farming. If this deforestation continues the forests will not be able to produce enough rain to support the ecosystem. It is up to humans to impose legislation, increase education, or better yet, implement new technologies.
There are many abiotic requirements of tropical rain forests including precipitation, temperature, and soil. The average minimum rainfall for a tropical rain forest is between 1700 mm (67 inches) and 2000 mm (about 78 inches). Temperatures range from 27 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius. The soils of tropical rain forests are actually poor in nutrients. The amount of rain tends to filter out soluble nutrients. Profoundly weathered and infertile, Oxisols, have become present in most rain forests. The build up of humus is prevented by the fast decay of bacteria in the soil.
To monoculture is to use land for growing one type of crop. The Amazon is being used to monoculture soybeans. There are many nutrient requirements for soybeans. When there is a limiting factor, water transport, oil, protein, and carbohydrate production, and photosynthesis do not occur at proper rates and yield development increase. The three most important nutrients for soybeans that are often limiting factors are Phosphorous, Nitrogen, and Potassium. Others are calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper. Large scale monoculturing of soybeans in the Amazon would have long term detrimental effects on the soil and environment. Monoculturing in general is not the best type of agriculture. If farmers grow one crop on the same land over and over again, the crop continues to take nutrients out of the soil and these nutrients are never replaced. As with polyculturing, different plants add nutrients (that are taken out by others) back into the soil. Like I said before, the lack of nutrients in the soil causes problems with water transport, oil protein, and carbohydrate production, as well as photosynthesis. If Amazon farmers are monoculturing soy beans, nutrients such as phosphorous, nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, iron, and copper are being taken out of the soil and not being replaced. Eventually, the tropical rain forests already poor soil, will be useless.
Rainforests are home to two thirds of all living species, plants and animals. They are known for their biodiversity. Deforestation, however, has endangered and threatened many of the plants and animals living in the Amazon. One of these endangered plant species is the Triunia robusta which is a small tree similar to the macadamia nut tree, found in the rainforest. Another endangered plant species in the rainforest that is affected by deforestation and loss of habitat is the moth orchid, found in wet tropical rainforests.
Trees are cut down illegally by either timber mafias or land sharks in the Amazon. A proposition to stop the illegal deforestation would be remote sensing technology that would monitor illegal timber activities. Remote sensing technology is the “the observation and measurement of objects from a distance, i.e. instruments or recorders are not in direct contact with objects under investigation”. An advantage of this would be being able to sense electromagnetic energy from an altitude of the land sharks and timber mafias. Therefore, we would be alerted of illegal activity, and be able to stop their actions. A disadvantage to this remote sensing technology is its cost. It is expensive to buy the equipment and carry out the techniques, which would not be cost efficient for the people of the Amazon.
I believe that these technologies would be better than implementing legislation or increasing education on the acts of deforestation of the Amazon rainforests. Although, these aspects could back up the technologies. If you educate people on the effects of deforestation, they will probably still cut down trees if they are making profit off of their crops. Even if you fine people, their profit will probably outweigh the cost of a fine for cutting down trees. If we use technologies, such as remote sensing, the culprits will be caught and punished. Then there can be legislation implemented on these culprits. That is the only way, I think, we will be able to stop the deforestation of the Amazon rain forests.
In order for a tropical rain forest to thrive there needs to be abundant amounts of water and nutrients. Since most tropical rain forests lie near the equator, the temperature never rises above 93 degrees F, and rarely goes below 68 degrees F. Water is another key factor in helping the many different types of plants to grow in the rain forest. Rainfall is usually over 100 inches per year, although there are periods of less rain. The top soil is very thin and of poor quality. A lot of litter falls to the ground. It is broken down by decomposers like fungi, and earthworms. The warm temperature and humidity also help to break down the litter. This organic matter is then absorbed by the trees shallow roots.
A farmer monocultures a crop when he only grows one type of crop in a large area. The soybean is an example of a monocultured plant and rarely lacks enough nutrients to survive. Deficiencies are rare even though the soybean plant requires more nitrogen than corn, and as a result can fix up to 50% of its own nitrogen. Specific nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium re the three most important soil supplied nutrients in the production of soybeans. There are several other nutrients important for plant growth such as calcium, magnesium, iron, boron, manganese, zinc, copper, and molybdenum that are needed at much lower concentrations and are limiting only in certain environments. As the soybean plant grows and gains a larger biomass, the amount of nutrients needed to support growth increases. The maximum nutrient demand occurs during seed fill. Since the soybean seed has high levels of protein, demand for nitrogen is extremely high during seed formation. They use the process of nitrogen fixation to gather nutrients from the soil.
The Amazon Rainforest is filled with both endangered and threatened plants and species. The Mangrove forests are one of the most threatened habitats in the world. Mangrove roots are very susceptible to pollutants like crude oil clogging their lenticels, and continual flooding from artificial dikes and sea walls. Mangroves act as sinks which concentrate pollutants like sewage, toxic minerals and pesticides and herbicides. Over time the stress of the pollutants and reduced light kill large areas of mangroves forests.
The Brazilian natives are concerned for their rainforests that are slowly dying because of deforestation. Now they have the ability to use remote sensing. This is the observation and measurement of objects from a distance. An advantage of using remote sensing techniques to monitor illegal activity is that you never come into direct contact with the party that is being investigated. In this case, the timber mafia and land sharks will be caught in action. Remote Sensing techniques have a unique capability of recording data in visible as well as invisible part of electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore certain phenomenon, that can’t be seen by the human eye, can be observed through remote sensing techniques. They can see trees that are affected by disease. One drawback to this technology is the cost. It is incredibly expensive to buy this technology to cover every inch of the Amazon Rainforest.
My opinion is that remote sensing techniques are very helpful in catching the people that are hurting the rainforest. Although they are very expensive, it is a worthwhile effort. If a country or group of people can’t afford to buy these then they should begin to educate people of the harmful affects of deforestation.
The Amazon rainforest is said to be one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. But with the current problem of deforestation, it’s on a path to destruction.
The abiotic requirements of a tropical rainforest include an average precipitation of 2-2.3 meters or more per year, at least an 18 degree temperature (in the coldest month), and sunlight. The plants are adapted to take in what little sunlight they receive. The soil is 7.8-10 cm thick and is mostly poor in nutrients. The abundance of rain tends to leach out the nutrients. Once damaged, the soil takes years to recover.
Monoculture is using the land to grow one crop. The Amazon forest is being deforested and used to monoculture soybeans, which require essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Other important nutrients important for soybean growth, but needed at much lower concentrations, include magnesium, calcium, molybdenum, copper, zinc, manganese, boron, and iron. The soil is already low on nutrients, but with soybean monoculture, the soil is becoming even more depleted of these nutrients since its taking out all the ones it needs and not putting them back. So the long term effect of this monoculture will make the already poor soil of the forest even poorer, and basically useless, lowering the biodiversity even more.
Two important endangered plant species are the Ceiba Pentandra and the Brazilian Rosewood. The ceiba pentandra is desired for its wood because the tree is very long and its wood has a beautiful color. This means humans want to log this tree and sell the wood to make money. The Brazilian Rosewood has been called the “Rolls-Royce” of tone woods because its density allows for strong sustainability and protection. Here we see that both of these endangered plants are being cut down for their benefits to human use.
One advantage of using the remote sensing techniques is that it will be able to almost act like a spy and detect illegal activity. This will not only cause a decrease in illegal deforestation, but also in illegal trade of endangered and/or threatened species. This would help decrease illegal actions and protect biodiversity. One disadvantage, as with most new technology, is the high costs. The Amazon is covers an extremely large area and would be costly to use remote sensing on the whole thing.
My opinion is that this new technology should be implemented, because it’s worth the cost. There are always ways to get around legislation and education (people don’t always listen). People have always been doing things illegally and the deforestation in the Amazon is a prime example. Adding more legislation and education isn’t going to help. With the remote sensing, people won’t be able to get around it and continue doing things illegally. It must be implemented if we want to save the rainforest.
The abiotic requirements of a typical Tropical Rainforest are 2 meters or more aof rainfall a year, oxisol soil type, and never gets colder than 18 degrees in the coldest month.
Soybeans require different amounts of nutrients at different stages of development. The time in which most nutrients are needed is seed fill. Since the soybean is full of protein it requires high levels of nitrogen and can easiily deplete soil if a farmer is not using proper technigues or irrigation systems. Tropical forests in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Colombia are being cleared to produce tons of soybeans. The results are soil erosion, salinization, water pollution and soil depletion.
Many plants species are being threatened due to deforestation. One such tree is the Cinchona Tree, who's bark is used to treat malaria. Another such species is the Rosy Periwinkle which is used to create vincristina as well as vinblastine. These two drugs are used to treat childhood leukemia and Hodgkins disease.
Remote sensing techonology is good because it can easily detect illegal timbering and put a dent in the rate of deforestation by curbing illegal deforestation. On the other hand the equipment is costly and is not 100 percent effective at stopping illegal deforestation all together.
In my opinion new technology should be used, but there should also be stricter laws protecting tropical forests so that biodiversity is maintained in the rainforests. You never know which plant it is that could cure cancer.
The typical tropical rainforest’s temperature usually never falls below 18 degrees and receives two or more meters of rain a year. Here there is a lot of sunlight and the soil is that of oxisoil. This soil is between 8 and 10 inches thick and mostly degraded. This degradation is caused by the abundant amount of rain which tends to leach out all of the nutrients. Plants located in the rainforest are adapted to take in what sunlight is received through the canopy of the trees. Monoculture is being performed in the Amazon ruining the soil even further. Monoculture is when a farmer only plants and cultivates one crop. When this is done the soil is robbed of only the nutrients that one plant needs, but it is to a great amount. In the production of soy beans, the most important soil supplied nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. As the soybeans grow and the biomass increases, more nutrients are needed to support the plant. During seed fill is when the soybeans need the most nutrients and demand for nitrogen is very high. The long term affect of the monoculture of soybeans is soil degradation, soil erosion, pollution, and deforestation. Two plants that are at risk of extinction due to the deforestations of the Amazon are the rosy periwinkle and the Cinchona tree. Both of these plants are important to society because of there medical values. The rosy periwinkle is used for childhood leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease, while the Cinchona tree is used for the treatment of malaria. Remote sensing is a very good technique to monitor the Amazon because it allows illegal activity to be easily detected. The disadvantage on the other hand, is that it can be expensive and does not fully protect the forest from deforestation. My opinion on this matter is that the technology should be used, but government should get more involved as well. Yes it can get costly, but if these precautions are not taken, we could ruin the Amazon, as well as its biodiversity. With the loss of this diversity, we loose an entire ecosystem as well as its capital.
The tropical rainforest is one the most diverse areas in the world. The abiotic requirments of the tropical rainforest are at least 2 meters of rainfall per year, its soil is an oxisol type, and it hardly gets colder than 18 degrees. Soybeans require various amounts of nutrients. During the stage of seed fill nutrients are most needed.Soybeans have alot of nutrients so it requires alot of nitrogen and can degrade soil easily. Rainforests all around the world are being destroyed to produce soybeans. The results of the land being destroyed are soil erosion, salinization, water pollution and soil depletion. Plant species are being threatened due to the depletion of the forests. Two of the main endangered plant species are the Ceiba Pentandra and
the Cinchona Tree. The ceiba pentandra is mainly desired for its wood, its wood is a pretty color. The cinchona tree's bark is used to treat malaria. Remote sensing technology is good because it can detect illegal activities in the forest and help the rate of deforestation by stopping it illegally. I think they should try new technology because what they are doing now isn't really helping. They need to try new things and be open minded.
Over the past 40 years, nearly 20% of the Amazon’s rainforest has been cut down for industrial uses; continuing at an increasing rate of deforestation can only bring about detrimental effects that will deplete the rainforest. A tropical rainforest needs sufficient amounts of precipitation, soil, and warm temperatures to survive. Tropical rainforests typically have over 100 inches of rain per year; however, dry periods may show a minimal of about 70 inches. Soil in tropical rainforests is poor in nutrients; a sufficient amount of litter finds its way onto the forest’s surface; it is quickly broken down by the heat and decomposers (earthworms), and absorbed into the soil. Monoculture is the production of one crop in a large area. Soybeans are monocultured in the Amazon; however, the crop rarely has sufficient nutrients in the soil to survive. Three of these limiting factors include Phosphorous, Nitrogen, and Potassium. Other important nutrients important for soybean growth, but needed at much lower concentrations, include magnesium, calcium, molybdenum, copper, zinc, manganese, boron, and iron. With the Amazon’s soil already being insufficient in nutrients, monoculture is a bad idea; the nutrients will be depleted by the constant use of the land for production of soybeans. Two important plant species that are threatened by deforestation in the Amazon are the Chinchona Tree, which is used to treat malaria, and the Ceiba Tree, which is very rare in its color and length (making it highly desirable in the market). Deforestation is slowly killing rainforests all over the world. Remote sensing is the act of observing and measuring objects from afar. This technology is advantageous, because it provides the capability to observe and avoid contact with the timber mafia and the land sharks; we get the alert of negative activity and the understanding of what measures ought to be taken. The downfall of these technologies, however, lies in the cost of developing such technologies. I believe that developing the remote sensing technologies would be worth sacrificing to spend the money, because our rainforests are vital to the planets survival; the deforestation must end so that we can go on.
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