Should deforestation be allowed in the Amazon River Basin in order to provide for its economic needs?
815067
Unfortunately, the world needs to come to grips with the fact that Brazil will continue to log rain forest in the Amazon and convert land into low-output farm or range lands.  Tropical rainforest soils are very low in nutrients and threir conversion has serious, probably global, consequences.  There seems to be a pretty good consensus about the problem, but it's not just a simple matter of "big corporations" (they play their part) and a ruined environment.\n\nBesides the big corporations logging, there are a host of small companies that selectively log the most valuable trees.  This has caused the "under count" by many thousands of acres of logged land. (ref. 1)  Often once an area is opened up even in a rudimentary way, subistence "slash and burn" farmers follow, often causing large regional fires. (ref. 2) These are very poor, often uneducated, people who see few alternatives to their life style.  Eventualy, the depleted land often ends up in large ranches.  Those who even try to regulate logging do so at considerable risk as the profits from logging and land conversion are huge.(ref. 3).  Last year saw the worst drought in memory in the Amazon, showing that the environment may have reaced a point of no return. (ref.4)\n\nTo this person, there is no easy solution.  Brazil is a poor country where many of the people live on less than $2 a day.  Nobody has the authority to tell them to stop logging other than the Brazilian government, and even then it is doubtful that such a ban could be enforced given the poverty and lawless conditions in the Amazon.  It's like telling the Columbian's to stop growing coca - the US has spent millions on that effort with little effect.  The solution (if there is one) is to end the demand for tropical hardwood, because it's not just Brazil but every tropical forest that is disappearing fast.  This means providing people with an alternate way to make a living.  The developed world needs to spend the money to give the workers in the Amazon (and other extraction-based poor countries) decent life choices that are sustainable along with a stake in a better world.  I invite you to visit the one.org website which discusses their campaign to do just this. (www.one.org).  Actions speak louder than words.  I have given my favorite organizations site as the last reference, but there are many working for global equity and justice.  Environmental problems in developing countries simply cannot be addressed about without dealing with issues of poverty, disease, and lack of education.
995081
Of course it is. Rainforests are made up of living trees. Trees grow back. Almost all of the Amazon rainforest for example has been cleared for crops sometime in the last 1000 years. It has all regenerated from being totally razed for slash and burn agriculture. It isn't ancient pristine forest.\n\nThe idea that rainforest don't regenerate is a lie told by some conservation groups. Rainforest has evolved to cope with tornadoes, floods and fires and to recover from the devastation those events cause. It regenerates rapidly and perfectly even if it is completely levelled.\n\nThe only problem comes when there are no adjoining areas from which seeds can move to colonise bare spaces.
838683
I agree that you should be able to harvest fish and game on your privately owned land, and I see no problem if landowners are exempt from game licensing and seasons.  The land is yours and your farming analogy is compelling.\n\nI do believe, however, that there needs to be some limitation to your activity.  The minimal level of regulation that I would like to see is that endangered species be protected.  But I also think it would be reasonable to have bag limits or a restriction against commercial uses, i.e. harvests would be limited to personal use.
782814
1) Bring all carbon dioxide producing systems under proper control. Regulate the carbon dioxide generation by all such systems so as to curb fanciful use of such systems, and allow only the necessary.\n\nThe United Nations can impose limits of total CO2 release by all systems in a country that can be allowed, can creat a technologically competent controlling and governing apparatus\nfor this.\n\n2) War footing plantation drives. Cover the entire globe with trees and forests. Not with any kind of green shrub,that is handy,  but botanically designed forests with eco-balance. It is not difficult., if all the Govennemts give this action a serious priority. And also, not so expensive as it may look, if the various populaces over the globe accept it with heart.\n\nForests are commercially exploitable systems. Let big investers cultivate forests on all the waste lands of all the Governments and be allowed to ripe the harvests in future.\n\nAll religions have given importance to trees. Design psychological projects of making all religious leaders to highlight and give emphasis to all the rituals related to trees.\n\nRedefine uses of lands and make suitable legislations. I will put it roughly in  this way. " Any piece of land which is not already used for dwelling, agriculture, industry, water reserves or throughfare, and is not privately owned, is open for any individual to plant trees and ripe the harvests thereof."\n\n3) Concentrate more on developing technology for mass scrubbing of CO2.  Both mega systems and micro systems.
311556
here's my guess...\n\nHow to allocation natural resources\nHow to allocation labor\nHow to allocation wealth
177378
Rainforest destruction and Global warming.
1172418
I think these are mostly on paper but in reality even today conservation is given a go by to meet the growing development needs. Every country and county have laws governing this but seldom observed or more observed in breach!!!Hundred trees are cut for building roads or broadening it and to satisfy legal requirements and meet objection of environmentalist 200 saplings all planted but then we dont see ant of them after a year!!!!\nWe consume coal. oil,and all mineral and natural resources as if we have no tomorrow .We say many of the living species are becoming extinct. Daily we test some arsenal or other which are deadly.Scientists have produced many medicines as well as genetically treated seeds and make merry .Human being are the guniea pigs . They introduce something but then withdraw it at some place but not from other places.\nWe are digging our own graves.
769778
aww i hate that. the rainforest are already reduced to a 4% of the entire world area and they still want to cut. get the National wildlife and forestn preservation for support.
405533
Make it a major crime to cut down trees in a forest. Insist that for every new born baby, ten trees are planted by any member of the family. This is a very minor chore and should be done with any sniffles. I would also ensure that any person who discharges waste into rivers is paraded in front of people and embarrassed to tears before being locked up in a desert stronghold for a while. He or she would be singing a different tune when released.Drivers of cars that belch smoke should have their licenses withdrawn for a while and given a lesson on pollution and it's effects on Earth. Of course human rights organization would come yelling at me but I'd promptly tell them off. I would also give awards and recognition to people who use solar energy. I would make sure that solar equipment is not taxed by the government. I am on the roll and and could go on for ever.
459870
(m)\n\nMalaysia is well-endowed with rich and renewable natural tropical forest resources. The total area of natural forests in Malaysia at the end of 1989 was estimated at 19.49 million ha or 56.3 percent of the total land area. The total growing stock of all trees of 10 cm DBH or more was estimated to be 4600 million m3 of which about 1280 million m3 were considered to be merchantable volume comprising all trees of 45 cm DBH or more. Besides providing direct benefits, the forests play a vital role in maintaining environmental stability and quality; protecting soil and water resources; conserving biological diversity; and preserving cultural, recreational and other intrinsic values which enhance people's quality of life. \n\nThe importance of the natural forests to the Malaysian economy and the people's welfare was reflected in the early establishment of the Federal and State Forest Services, the forest research and training institutions and the National Forestry Council. National and state forestry policies and legislations have been adopted, Totally Protected Areas and a Permanent Forest Estate (PFE) established and forestry practices, based on the concept and principles of sustained yield, developed for sustainable forest management. Currently, the PFE comprises 12.73 million ha or 38.7 percent of the total land area and will eventually be increased to more than 14 million ha. Approximately 10 million ha or 78.5 percent of the PFE have been identified as production forest to be managed sustainably. In addition to the PFE, 1.06 million ha have been reserved as Totally Protected Areas and a funkier 0.75 million ha have been proposed for reservation (Thang, personal communication, 1991). \n\nCurrent forest management practices \n\nThe natural forests in Malaysia are managed in accordance with the concept and principles of sustained yield for all forms of forest produce. Traditionally, they have been managed under the Malayan Uniform System (MUS) which prescribes the removal of the mature crop in a single felling of all trees down to 45 cm DBH and the release of selected natural regeneration by poison girdling of defective relicts and non-commercial species down to 15 cm DBH (Thang, 1990). Approximately two to five years after the final felling, a post-felling forest inventory or diagnostic sampling is carried out to determine the stocking, status and condition of the regeneration and to prescribe appropriate silvicultural treatments. \n\nSelective harvesting of dipterocarp forest in Malaysia \n\nAs the MUS relied mainly on seedlings and saplings to form the next crop, silvicultural treatments were designed to favour these groups, often at the expense of the bigger trees. Such treatments tend to lead to a much heavier poison girdling than is necessary and, in some cases, a too drastic opening of the canopy. Consequently, the MUS has been substantially modified over time, with a shift toward more selective felling and the retention of advanced growth as well as a more discriminating use of poison girdling as a silvicultural tool. \n\nThe MUS has been applied successfully to the lowland dipterocarp forests but has been found to be unsuitable in the hill dipterocarp forests because of the more difficult terrain; uneven stocking; lack of natural regeneration on the forest floor before logging; uncertain seedling regeneration after logging (caused by irregular seeding); danger of erosion on steep slopes; incidence of the stemless palm (Eugeissona triste); and other secondary growth favoured by a drastic opening of the canopy (Thang, 1990). The shift from the MUS toward a more conservation-oriented approach to the management of tropical forests in Malaysia was also prompted by the realization that the diversity of the flora and timber species need not necessarily be disadvantageous to future wood production policies and strategies but could enable the wood-based industries to take advantage of changing demands of the timber
825156
The Amazon! In South America. Plenty of animals and plants. Oh, and natives! :-)
659847
(m)\n\nThe Amazon is the greatest river in the world by so many measures; the volume of water it carries to the sea (approximately 20% of all the freshwater discharge into the oceans), the area of land that drains into it, and its length and width. It is one of the longest rivers in the world and, depending upon who you talk to, is anywhere between 6,259km/3,903mi and 6,712km/4,195mi long. \n\nFor the last century the length of the Amazon and the Nile Rivers have been in a tight battle for title of world's longest river. The exact length of the two rivers varies over time and reputable sources disagree as to their actual length. The Nile River in Africa is reported to be anywhere from at 5,499km/3,437mi to 6,690km/4,180mi long. But there is no question as to which of the two great rivers carries the greater volume of water - the Amazon River. \n\nAt its widest point the Amazon River can be 11km/6.8 mi wide during the dry season. The area covered by the Amazon River and its tributaries more than triples over the course of a year. In an average dry season 110,000 square km of land are water-covered, while in the wet season the flooded area of the Amazon Basin rises to 350,000 square km. When the flood plains and the Amazon River Basin flood during the rainy season the Amazon River can be up to 40km/24.8 mi wide. Where the Amazon opens at its estuary the river is over 325km/202 mi wide!
369761
The basic premise of economics is supply v. demand. If the supply is not there to meet the demand, the economy suffers on a macro level.\n\nAn example:\n"Not too long ago, almost one quarter of the trees in the\nAppalachian forests were American chestnuts. They helped\nsupport not only wildlife but the people living among\nthem. Chestnuts were an important cash crop for many\nfamilies. As year-end holidays approached, nuts by the\nrailroad car were sold and shipped to northeastern cities.\nChestnut timber, strong and rot resistant, was prized for\nbuilding barns, fences, furniture, and other products. ...\nFirst detected in 1904, an Asian fungus to which native\nchestnuts had little resistance appeared in New York City\ntrees. The blight spread quickly, and by 1950 the American\nchestnut was virtually extinct except for occasional root\nsprouts that also became infected. Organizations such\nas the American Chestnut Foundation are working with\nplant breeders to develop a disease resistant strain and\nrestore it to the eastern forests."\n\nWhen was the last time you heard of anyone roasting chestnuts on an open fire during the holidays?\n\nThe families that sold chestnuts lost their income, the wholesalers lost their supply and the retailers of chestnuts lost their customers for chestnuts. The flow of money stopped when it comes to chestnuts.\n\nYou could draw the same conclusions when discussing the economic implications of commercial fishing regulations. If you want to utilize the microeconomic implications you could look at any single business entity that was lost as a result of regulation. There must be thousands of examples, like hunting expedition companies, the fur trappers of the old west...
458236
Just the Jungles.\nNo land is free in this world.\nThanks to USA.
199344
If you're talking about the online company, then it is because they figured out that they could offer basically any book/media available and then ship it anywhere in the world, for competative prices.\n\nIf you're talking about the Amazon river it's beacuse of all the organic life about it and flooding that makes the river a very fertile river. (Essentially the rainforest makes it that way)\n\nIf you're talking about the indiginous people of Amazon it is because of the bountiful plants and animals along with the vast supply of water that allow them the basic nessecities of life: food, water, shelter.\n\nIf you're talking about the Amazon female warriors, it was because of thier training and just their warlike nature, not to mention help from their gods.\n\n\nIN the future, please make sure to proof-raed your question
345463
I wouldn't like to see it drilled. We need to just suck up and pay for the upgrade of our society to more renewable sources of fuel. The alternative sources won't mess up the ecosystem as much and it will create jobs. After all, that area is supposed to be untouchable natural land. Let it stay that way, especially if the only reason to ruin it would be to save money.
325013
I wouldn't mind to give it up for Life if it made even the slightest bit difference.\nTo make an impression to the oil companies, to help to curb pollution even the slightest bit, to use the surplus money to help the poor - why not?\nIn some European countries like Norway, they're using these rishaw-type bicycles, which are essentially bicycles pulling a wagon or having a kind of carriage attached to it like a car to carry groceries, babies, etc.\nIt works, and it doesn't cost a lot.\n\n\nJenova\n(d.yuffie@gmail.com)