The Amazon Rainforest

A “gold mine” for Brazil and the Rest of the World.

What is a Rainforest?• Rainforests can be found in many places on the

globe, most located near the equator. The largest rainforest of them all is the Amazon Rainforest!

• A rainforest is a forest that has many trees, a very warm climate and a lot of rain.

• All of Brazil’s natural resources are found in the rainforest. Charcoal, iron ore, gold, platinum, bauxite (aluminum ore), hydro, nickel

What is the climate like?

• The Amazon Rainforest is almost always raining and can receive up to 80 inches of rainfall a year!

• The weather is very humid with temperatures resting between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (Summer weather)

Here is a map of the world. The orange areas are where rainforests can be located. The red line is the equator. Which continent has the

most area covered with rainforests?Image provided by http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/5798/map.gif

The “Lungs of our Planet”

The “Lungs of our Planet”

• If the Amazon was a country it would be the 9th largest country on the planet (1.2 billion acres or 48 million football fields).

• It represents 54% of all rainforests on the earth.• Trees take in CO2 and emit oxygen, CO2 is what

causes global warming• 20% of all oxygen on earth is provided here, the

forest is a filter for our air

• The Amazon rainforest contains 50% of all species on earth

• Current uses of the forest (resource extraction, farming) are unsustainable and causing massive destruction

• You can see the deforestation from space!!

Threats to the Rainforest• Sections of the rainforest are

disappearing everyday. This is called Deforestation - cutting down areas to produce charcoal and clearing land for unsustainable agriculture

• Sadly, a part of the rainforest the size of New Jersey is cut down each day!

• Road Development – to allow access for mining and development

• Urbanization – Expansion of citiesThis is a picture of deforestation

Threats to the Rainforest• Hydro – electricity is generated from the tributaries of the

Amazon River which is the largest river on Earth. The damming of the river creates flooding and disease (mosquitoes)

• Mining operations result in the dumping of mercury and other toxins into the rivers

This is a Spider Monkey which is actually quite large in size. They like to hang upside-down and swing from branch to branch. The Spider Monkey spends most of the time in the canopy.

There are 40 different types of Toucans. They have large colorful bills in a combination of colors. The bills is used to smash fruits and berries for the bird to eat. The toucan also lives in the canopy.

The sloth is an extremely, slow-moving animal that lives in the trees of the canopy. The sloth can have two or three toes. Sloths are nocturnal and sleep during the day. Some sloths can live in the same tree for years! The Poison Arrow Frog has

bright colors to warn other animals that they are poisonous. One frog carries enough poison to kill 100 people! They can be red, blue or yellow in color.

Images and information from http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/what.html

Threats to the Rainforest• Poaching of animals

Alternative, Sustainable Uses• Ecotourism – the Amazon draws millions of tourists every year

to see the rare species, fish in the Amazon and explore the rainforest

• More than 2,000 species of fish exist in the Amazon River, which is more than what exists in the Atlantic Ocean

• Indigenous peoples have shared there knowledge of the unique plants and animals with newcomers

• The Pharmaceutical Industry is leading the charge for preservation of the forests in order to find new medicines

• Aspirin was discovered by the indigenous populations and shared with the rest of the world

Image and information from http://kids.mongabay.com/

Alternative, Sustainable Uses

• Fruits and nuts are harvested sustainably in this region and sold world wide

• Rubber tapping – latex production

Alternative, Sustainable Uses