Giovanni Malpezzi
Ecology Blog Post
A topic that I feel is very important to discuss is the deforestation of the Amazon that is occuring right now. Many different species of animals and plants are being eradicated from the fires directly or habitat destruction. The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and more species of living things live there than anywhere else in the world. As of today, 20% of the Amazon ecosystem has been lost already and it is growing exponentially. Brazil is responsible for over 50% of the habitat destruction and as chiefly due to cattle ranching and soybean production. People are also being affected by this too, an estimated 34 million people live within the Amazon and rely on its vast quantities of resources to survive.
This relates to our course because it represents a massive loss in biodiversity on the planet and also majorly reduces the amount of carbon dioxide that gets processed and released into the atmosphere as oxygen. There are so many species of animals and plants that rely on the unique ecosystem the Amazon provides. If we were to lose all of the Amazon there would be so many types of animals and plants that would go extinct and many international organizations are working to try and prevent the further destruction of the habitat.
I believe it is everyone’s duty to try and help the Amazon rainforest. There are so many benefits as humans that we derive from the Amazon that losing it would be a massive detriment to all of mankind. It provides us with clean air to breathe. It provides us with unique biodiversity for scholars to study. It even produces many types of medications which are often based on biological mechanisms found in animals and plants. I think everyone should at least try to do something, even if it’s something small like creating awareness. When the Amazon was burning a couple months ago there was a massive social media movement that worked to spread awareness and to put pressure on the South American governments to do something to protect the habitat. If we as people do not do something to help end deforestation in the Amazon, there may come a time where future generations won’t have the Amazon to learn about and see all the documentaries, it will only be a thing of the past.
References: https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/forests/deforestation_fronts2/deforestation_in_the_amazon/
After learning so much about the rain forest in class, its so sad to see the amount of deforestation going on in the world is so sad because the forest holds so many species
ReplyDeleteThe Amazon is home to a very diverse ecosystem. The deforestation of the Amazon is a pressing issue of our time. Social media is powerful tool in spreading awareness and information. It was saddening to read that many species are threatened due to deforestation.
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