The Amazon rainforest

Résumé du document

The Amazon Rainforest is a moist broadleaf forest in the Amazon Basin of South America. This area consists of seven million square kilometers; though the forest itself occupies some 4.5 million square kilometers located within nine nations: Brazil (which includes 60 percent of the rainforest), Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and the largest and most species-rich area of tropical rainforest in the world. More than one third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest. Regarding the population, one considers that 20 million people live in the Amazonian forest. The problem nowadays is that certain groups which live in this forest have never had contact with the developed world and consequently, they should not probably know the threats which exist towards their dwellings and their current life. What are the means implemented by the indigenous populations to fight against deforestation and to protect their cultures?

Extraits

[...] It is about a powerful minority which controls Amazonia, making the "lung of the Earth" an individual exploitation, without caring about the consequences to come. Mining is part of the principal causes of deforestation in Amazonia, the stakes are also enormous here. Noble metals can be found in this forest (gold, cobalt, nickel, diamonds . Factories were installed in the forest, they require much energy, which implies the construction of roads, the production of electricity . Thus the creation of a stopping on the Amazon causes the flood of million hectares of forests with its ecosystem, consequently, thousand of people have to move. [...]

[...] Another interesting fact and a hope about the indigenous population is that their numbers are increasing. This means that, after 5 centuries being destroyed, they are actually being able to live and grow in their demarcated lands. This is hope for their cultures and way of life. Since there are different kinds of indigenous, there are also different forms of organization. Some groups are nomads and they don't settle in a place for long periods, exchanging locations every now and then. [...]

[...] The total population of these groups reaches 65,000 individuals. Another important "large" group is located in the Alto Xingu region in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. There are 14 ethnic groups in the area. The first 10 ethnic groups, like the ones in the northweastern Amazon, have different languages but share the same rivers, have culture similarities and participate in a net of marriages, festivities, rituals and commerce. The last 4 groups are very different and don't have as much contact with the others, although there is still some exchange of cultural aspects. [...]

[...] The Amazon rainforest The Amazon Rainforest is a moist broadleaf forest in the Amazon Basin of South America. This area consists in seven million square kilometres; though the forest itself occupies some 4.5 million square kilometres located within nine nations: Brazil (which includes 60 percent of the rainforest), Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and the largest and most species-rich area of tropical rainforest in the world, more than one third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest. [...]

[...] Conclusion Amazon rainforest current state is difficult to estimate for several reasons: - The difficulty to find recent and reliable sources - It also exists propaganda (social goal, tourism) by certain organizations close to the government of the operating countries or multinational firms in Amazonia to hide deforestation, corruption and poverty. According to last numbers, one estimates at 25 the average percentage of the deforestation's growth in Amazonia each year. According to the Brazilian government, the estimated year of disappearance of the Amazonian forest would be 2020. Bibliographie indicative Editing Eden: A Reconsideration of Identity, Politics, and Place in Amazonia de Frank Hutchins et Patrick C. [...]