Amazon rainforest: threats and potentials

The Amazon rainforest is one of the most valuable natural systems in the world. It accounts for more than half of the world’s total rainforest volume, but at the same time is threatened by deforestation. Read more about the importance of this rainforest and solutions to protect it.

The Amazon rainforest covers a large part of Brazil and Peru as well as parts of Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname, French Guiana and Venezuela. Its river basin is the largest drainage system in the world and is home to the largest rainforest in the world. The lush canopy of the Amazon is home to an incredible diversity of species. It also has an important cooling effect on the planet, as the trees conduct heat high into the atmosphere. In addition, the forest also absorbs and stores CO2 from the atmosphere.

However, the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest has reached alarming proportions for several decades. Between August 2021 and July 2022, an area of around 11,000 square kilometers was deforested. Most of the deforestation is due to cattle ranching for beef and leather production. When trees are felled and burned, CO2 is released back into the atmosphere, not to mention the loss of habitat and biodiversity.

If deforestation of the Amazon rainforest continues at the current rate, the world could be heading for disaster. The region would become drier and drier and lose its ability to absorb around a quarter of global CO2 emissions. Due to deforestation, the forest is already absorbing 30 percent less than in the 1990s. Dry forests are prone to fires and other natural disasters such as species extinction.

Land speculation and agricultural expansion are the biggest threats to the Amazon rainforest. The forest and its freshwater systems are fragile and already endangered, which is exacerbated by deforestation. Land prices are also a major problem: they can increase tenfold once the forest is cleared, leading to legal and illegal deforestation.

Global demand for beef and soy is increasing, which also leads to deforestation to make way for pastures and farmland. These large industries often displace small farmers and force them to clear forests in order to sustain themselves. In the Brazilian Amazon, cattle pastures take up around 80 percent of the deforested areas. In Colombia and Bolivia, cattle farming is also a major cause of deforestation.

In addition to the loss of forest, livestock farming also leads to the washing away of pastureland, which pollutes the rivers. And the fire used to cultivate the fields often spreads to the remaining forest areas. Overall, deforestation contributes directly to climate change through the loss of trees with their cooling and filtering effect and through the release of CO2 stored in the forest. At the same time, gold mining and oil drilling are further causes of environmental damage in the Amazon rainforest.

Another threat to the rainforest is poorly planned infrastructure. For example, new roads can expose previously inaccessible forest areas to illegal and unsustainable deforestation. Unplanned settlements and the expansion of agriculture could also be the result of poorly planned roads. Another threat to the forest is posed by dams that supply the region with energy from hydropower. They interrupt rivers, block aquatic life and affect subsistence and commercial fishing.

However, there are many countries that are making efforts to stop deforestation. Brazil in particular is responsible for much of the deforestation in the Amazon region, but is now making great efforts to reduce this practice. The destruction of the forest has fallen from around 20,000 square kilometers per year in the late 1990s to around 5,200 square kilometers per year in recent years. Combating illegal deforestation is one of the biggest challenges.

In total, the Amazon rainforest covers around 7,000,000 square kilometers and extends across nine nations and 3,344 official indigenous territories. At 60 percent, the largest part of the forest is in Brazil, followed by Peru with 13 percent and Colombia with 10 percent. Efforts to protect the estimated 390 billion individual trees and 16,000 species also have an impact on the 30 million members of 350 different ethnic groups living in the Amazon region. They depend on nature for food, protection and their livelihoods. The waterways are important transportation routes.

Considering that the Amazon region is home to about one in ten known species on Earth, half of the planet’s remaining tropical forests and 20 percent of the world’s liquid freshwater, there is a clear link between the health of the rainforest and the health of the planet.

There are many ideas on how to protect the Amazon rainforest. For example, protected areas similar to national parks can support the forest, protect species and secure the livelihood of the population. In Colombia, 79 million hectares of sea and forest are protected by the “Heritage Colombia” initiative. This will help the country to achieve its goal of protecting forests and 30% of its marine area by 2030.

The Peruvian government is leading efforts to permanently protect around 41 million hectares of the Peruvian Amazon, securing 7.5 billion tons of carbon. This initiative will benefit 1.4 million people who depend on the rainforest for food, medicine and clean energy. It will also increase the country’s resilience to climate change.

Organizations such as the WWF are also active in the Amazon rainforest. Their initiatives, such as the Soy Roundtable, aim to improve the sustainability of farming methods and ban the conversion of Amazon forests to soy. Similarly, there are efforts to create standards for the beef industry and the timber industry to increase efficiency, reduce waste and stop deforestation.

Energy scenario planning is also important in the Amazon rainforest, as hydropower plants can have drastic impacts if poorly planned. Low-carbon, low-cost and low-conflict energy sources can help minimize the impact on people and nature. It is important that the locations for the energy infrastructure are chosen well.

In 2022, the world agreed on the goal of “30 percent to 30 percent”, i.e. the preservation of 30 percent of habitat on land and in the sea by 2030. To stop the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and ensure a sustainable future for this important natural resource, further efforts are needed to achieve at least the 30×30 goal. Under re-elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil has pledged to end deforestation by 2030. The Amazon Fund is intended to support these efforts. Recently, Biden’s government pledged to provide USD 500 million over the next five years to support Brazil’s goal.

Even though there are many political and economic interests at play, the importance of the Amazon rainforest for mitigating climate change should be at the forefront. By protecting the existing forest and reforesting the areas surrounding it, this green lung can once again develop its full potential. And other rainforests around the world could even learn from it.

Read more: The EU is the second largest importer of tropical deforestation. Find out here what WWF says needs to happen now.