Responses to Deforestation (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Example Case Study: Sustainable Management of the Rainforest

• The Amazon rainforest is located in the north of South America covering approximately a 6.7million km²

• Concerns about the rapid deforestation have led to a range of sustainable management strategies

• Strategies can be on an international, national or local level

International Strategies

• UN Forum on Forests was established in 2000 and is committed to the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests

• The UN Sustainable Development Goals include the sustainable management of forests

• International treaties protect certain areas such as the Central Amazon Conservation Complex (CACC) which is a World Heritage Site. This means hunting, logging, fishing and access are limited

• Trade restrictions on endangered species and timber have been imposed

  • The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species

  • The International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) promotes sustainable forest management and restricts the trade in rainforest hardwood timber

• Debt for nature swap. In 2010 the USA converted US$13.5 million of debt from Brazil into a fund to support the protection of the rainforest

• International organisations such as Greenpeace and WWF monitor deforestation 

National & Local Strategies

National Strategies

• Brazil's forest code requires landowners to maintain a proportion of their land as forest. However, the amount they need to maintain was reduced from 80% to 50% in 2012

• In 2004 the DETER satellite was launched. It:

  • Started by sending reports every two weeks to rangers 

  • In 2011 began sending daily reports meaning that patrols could target areas of suspicious activity but it only detects areas over 250m² so people clearing simply reduce the size of the area they clear

  • It was estimated in some areas this led to a 60% decrease in large-scale deforestation

• There are 68 National Parks in Brazil. These are protected areas where the aim is to conserve the ecosystem

• A reforestation project which is part of the Amazonia Sustainable Landscapes Project. It aims to:

  • restore 30,000 hectares of land to the forest by 2023 which will involve planting 73 million trees.

• It is a partnership project between:

  • Conservation International

  • Brazilian Ministry of Environment

  • The Global Environment Facility (GEF)

  • The World Bank

  • The Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (Funbio)

• The Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) resulted in a 68% increase in protected areas and indigenous territories from 2004 to 2012

Local Strategies

• Agroforestry combines agriculture with forestry, which means some trees remain, which:

  • Decreases deforestation

  • Provides shade as well as increasing infiltration and interception, which reduces soil erosion

  • Provides organic matter from the trees and adds nutrients to the soil

  • Increases biodiversity due to the variety of plants grown

• Education of people involved in the exploitation and management of the rainforest

• Small-scale projects such as the Marajo Project which preserves almost 90,000 hectares of Amazon forest. It includes:

  • A tree nursery to grow saplings to be planted in areas which have been cleared

  • The new trees help to bind the soil reducing soil erosion and increasing infiltration

  • Agroforestry is encouraged reducing the need to over-cultivate and clear areas. It includes:

    • A cooperative to support 49 local producers growing açai berries

    • Building of natural fish tanks to improve food security 

  • School-based agricultural education and scholarships