71 Curious Amazon Rainforest Deforestation Facts That You Need To Know!

The Amazon rainforest is the lungs of this Earth.

To stay healthy we have to let the places like Amazon rainforest thrive and flourish. Global warming can be tackled well if we are able to restore the world's tropical forests.

It is indeed sad for us to learn that the Brazilian Amazon is under threat. Global Forest Watch has seen a decline in the forest cover of the area.

This global tree cover loss will lead to increased carbon dioxide. This is the major reason behind global warming being a severe problem. The smallest things like cattle ranching are affecting the forest cover.

For as long as we know, deforestation in the Amazon has been due to subsistence farmers. They have cut down trees to replace them with crops for selling and their families' consumption. Lately, there has been a changing trend, deforestation in the Amazon is now being done for and by industrial activities fueled by global demand.

Also for large-scale farming and cattle ranching. Three-quarters of Amazon was cleared and used up for cattle-ranching. This has been stated by the Global Forest Watch group.

Vast patches from the rainforest were cleared for cattle pasture. Even soy farming is done there. Some area has been drowned for dams or dug up for minerals. The rest has been used for towns and colonization projects.

All this is leading to global tree cover loss. The proliferation of roads is now opening up the previously inaccessible areas of forests for settlement to poor farmers or illegal logging, making way for illegal deforestation and forest degradation. Amazon deforestation is a grave problem.

With the increase in global forest watch groups and positive efforts to reverse the forest degradation noticed after 2004, by the year 2010, there has been an 80% lower loss of forested land in the Brazilian Amazon. All this has been made possible due to strict law enforcement along with satellite monitoring.

You may be astonished to know that about 10,000 acres (4,047 ha) of tree cover are being lost per day. Pressure has been created by environmentalists.

There are also private and public sector initiatives to save the Amazon's tropical forests. After the reports by various channels like National Geographic, the picture of the primary forest loss has been brought to the attention of the whole world.

If you enjoy this article, why not also read about the Amazon river map or post oak tree facts here on Kidadl?

Amazon Rainforest Geographic Location

Amazon forest cover is responsible for the climate change in the area around it.

This tropical rainforest occupies the drainage basin formed due to the flow of the River Amazon and its tributaries. The primary forests are located in the northern part of South America and forested areas of 2,300,000 sq.

mi (6,000,000 sq. km). Comprising over half Brazil’s total area, the Amazon basin has the Guiana Highlands in the north, the Brazilian central plateau on the south, the Andes Mountains in the west, and the Atlantic Ocean on its east.

The forest tree cover widens beginning with a 200 mi (320 km) stretch that lies along the Atlantic to a 1,200 mi (1,900 km) wide area near Andean foothills. This immense tree canopy is a result of high rainfall, monotonously high temperatures, and high humidity, that exists in the region. This area is crucial for good human health.

The Amazon contributes to so many different ingredients used for medicines in addition to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We must reduce deforestation in this region and plant trees to avoid any grave global crisis.

Not only this, the paper industry in the area is dependent on the trees. The Amazon provides a large variety of fruits and vegetables to the whole world and rice, nuts, coffee, potatoes, spices, and medicinal plants.

If we are unable to stop this annual forest loss, humanity will be in danger itself. There will be irreversible climate change that will devastate the world.

Significance Of The Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon has been called the lungs of the planet. It is so important to humans that if there is any damage to this tree cover, the whole human race shall be affected.

The Amazon rainforest absorbs approx 140 billion metric tons of carbon. This helps stabilize the global climate. About seven trillion tons of water are filled into the atmosphere each year. The forest puts back 50-75% of annual rainfall into the atmosphere.

So this creates rain for others as well. But if the tree cover loss is not stopped there will be climate changes that we do not like. This rainforest provides the Earth with its ecosystem. We have to learn to restore the primary forest loss as soon as we can.

Precipitation: Through transpiration, it creates 50-75 % of its own rain. But the impact extends beyond the borders. The rivers and rainfall feed regions of South America. The winds can go as far as Central America and the Western United States.

Carbon storage: The 390 billion trees found in the Amazon rainforest lock up huge amounts of carbon. These are stored in the form of leaves, branches, and trunks.

Biodiversity: Many species of plants and animals are found in Amazon. These plants are majorly used in medicines all over the world.

Local Benefits: It is an important means of transportation. Timber is transported by the rivers to major cities. The forest fires and air pollution is reduced tremendously. Flooding replenishes the fields.

Climate: Tropical rainforests and woodlands get the source of water from this rainforest and its rivers. The local and regional weather is affected due to the presence of Amazon. So any tree cover loss means a severe climate change or flooding of rivers and oceans. The whole world shall be affected.

Amazon Rainforest Habitat: Plants And Animals

The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest and having a replenished river system supports the diverse biology on Earth. There are millions of species of plants and animals, some we humans still may not have encountered.

It is necessary to save the animals and plants from deforestation. They can be rescued by planting more trees and giving them their habitat back. Putting animals in the zoo can only be a temporary solution.

Animals: You can see the last of the few jaguars, harpy eagles, and even pink river dolphins in the Amazon. These are all very rare species.

You can also find sloths, poison dart frogs, and black spider monkeys. An estimate states that there are over 40,000 plants and 3,000 freshwater fish along with 370 types of reptiles that live in this rainforest. Also, over 2,000 species of plants and vertebrates, have been discovered since 1999.

There are many more for humans to see yet. Some places are not reachable by humans and still have secrets hidden.

Birds: Thousands of different birds like hummingbirds, hoatzins, channel-billed toucans and macaws can be witnessed flying freely in the wild. These are not usually seen anywhere else in the world in the wild.

Macaws, are special to the Amazon and highly social, living in flocks of 30 birds together at a time. They mate for life and stay loyal, with a life of 60 years. But these macaws have now slowly become endangered due to deforestation and illegal pet trade in the region.

Plants: Those that are common to this region are ferns, lichens, orchids, bromeliads, mosses, and of course many trees, like the rubber tree.

Giant Water Lilies: These are called Victoria Amazonia as well. Their size is amazingly huge. These water lilies often grow up to 10 ft (3 m) in diameter across. Also, the interesting part is that it can hold a weight of up to 60 oz (30 kg). It can be seen in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in Peru.

The rubber tree is also called Hevea brasiliensis. It is the most economically valued plant. The sap of this tree is a good source of latex. This later is used in rubber manufacturing.

The Heliconia flower is also called the lobster claw. They are most commonly found colorful jungle plants among the treetop canopy. The claw shape and bright color, making them unique and identifiable. Insects and birds depend on this plant for food. This is a favorite for hummingbirds in particular. They nest on it and work as pollinators.

Cacao is also called Theobroma cacao. Tasting raw cacao is generally a highlight of any trip. This superfood is the base of chocolate. The cacao fruit starts green when young, eventually turning reddish-brown. This is when the pod is harvested.

Passion fruit is famous here in form of juices and desserts. The flower has distinctive white and purple colors.

Bromelias have bright colors. The Bromelia flowers produce pineapple. Their leaves can work as a makeshift water tank of 1.5 gal (7 l). These plants can be spotted easily without a jungle walk as they aren't high up in the forest canopy.

Coffee plants grow up to 30 ft (9.14 m) tall. They grow easily in shade. The little red berries have coffee beans inside them.

The Monkey Brush vine can be seen growing in deeper portions of the Amazon rainforest. A bright red flower looks like a brush. The flower belongs to a parasitic vine. Iguanas love to rest on these vines.

The exquisite orchid flower is a majestic flower in the world. Having over 25,000 species, 10,000 of these can be seen here. Orchids bloom in every color. All they need is humid weather.

Reasons For Amazon Rainforest Deforestation

An amazing study by the global forest watch has shown that the main reason for this deforestation is the cattle ranching in this region along with other factors.

Agriculture: Forest land has been converted to arable land. About 80% of deforestation is due to this agriculture and livestock rearing patches. Soy production is easy in this region. Palm oil plantations thrive well in this region.

Illegal Logging: People have been harvesting timber from even the protected areas. The money involved even brings in crime kings to the Amazon.

Mining: The environment is damaged from within. The tree canopy is razed so that excavators can reach metals and minerals under the soil. Miners use toxic chemicals that have polluted the area. Cyanide, mercury, and methylmercury have been found in water and soil in the area.

They reach rivers, streams, bays, and oceans. From here they not only contaminate the water but also kill living organisms. The water flows to all parts of the world.

Fire: The one natural enemy of these trees. Fire seasons are longer and extreme due to human activities. The rising global temperature is responsible for this. In 2019, the Amazon saw 76,000 fire incidences that burnt down large areas.

Woodfuel Collection: 2.4 billion people still rely on wood for cooking. Without this resource, many risk starvation.

Infrastructure: Building roads via forest areas further increases deforestation. Trees are cut to make roads and they provide access to remote areas. This has its bad effects. The timber is harvested and illegal activities go on.

Urbanization: Trees are cut to make new settlement areas for cities and places for people to live. This affects the wild animals as well. They are left with lesser space to live.

Also, the wild trees and vegetation are overused for use in medicines and other exotic items. Natural flowers and fruits are exploited. This all deprived the forest of its treasures and there is deforestation.

Poverty: The poor find forests easy land to acquire. They too clear a patch to do farming and rear their animals. They even bring fruits and exotic plants in huge numbers from deep forests to sell outside in great value.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly factsfor everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 71 curious Amazon rainforest deforestation facts that you need to know then why not take a look at amazing 1940 facts that everyone will absolutely adore or 27 paleontologist fun facts for kids.