Have you ever wondered what the Earth would be like without the Amazon rainforest? The Amazon covers forty percent of South America and produces twenty percent of the Earth’s oxygen. It holds over ten million species of animals and over forty thousand different types of plants. This is the most biodiverse rainforest on the planet. It hold everything from the Brazilin Wandering Spider to the Green Anaconda. The Amazon Rainforest holds more than just animals and plants, it also holds ancient Indian tribes that call the rainforest their home.
These tribes have lived in the Amazon since before the New World became known. The amazon is a beautiful mysterious place that is becoming a target for deforestation. Deforestation is the act of cutting down trees and plants so that the land can be used for other purposes. Deforestation is detrimental when it comes to the habitat of the Amazon Rainforest. Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest needs to stop and it is our reasonability to put a stop to it. To begin with, deforestation completely destroys the land and habitats of the various species of the Amazon.
Why does this matter? The Amazon holds the answers to some of the world most asked medical questions. According to the editor-in-chief of Mongabay. com “… fewer than ten percent of tropical forest plant species have been examined for their chemical compounds and medicinal value” (Butler, 2012). This means that there are many different plants that still need to be examined for medicinal purposes. Deforestation is killing off many of these plants before scientist can see if they could cure some of the world’s deadliest illnesses.
Butler also states that, “Over twenty five percent of western medication comes from plants in the rainforest” (Butler, 2012). This proves the importance of the Amazon Rainforest. Plants, however are just the surface of why deforestation should not occur. Next, the Amazon is home to several different tribes. These people not only have their own cultures, but also have a large amount of knowledge of the Amazon Rainforest. These indigenous people are extremely smart and can teach the tside world a great deal about the plants and animals of the Amazon.
These people, however are “the most endangered species in the Amazon,” according to Mark Plotkin (Plotkin, :41). Mark Plotkin goes on to say that he has met a man in one of the villages that cured leishmaniosis with three plants of the Amazon (Plotkin, 2:16). Leishmaniosis is a protozoal disease the affects over twelve million people around the world. If the Amazon contains the cure for this disease, who is to say that it does not hold the cure for breast cancer or leukemia. These indigenous people know what plants are useful and what plants are useless.
Deforestation is posing a huge threat over the lively hood of these people. If deforestation continues, then these tribes are not going to have anywhere to escape too. They are going to lose their homes as well as their way of life. These tribes know that there is an outside world, however prefer to remain hidden and on their own. They are having to relocate and getting pushed around because their land being taken by deforestation workers. Some tribes have already been taken over by other countries, others have had to live in the outside world as beggars in towns that have taken over the tribe’s land.
Some tribes have even been massacred by the outside world in order to take their land. Deforestation is taking away the chances of the outside world to help and protect these tribes. Without the knowledge of these tribes, scientist could never find the cure to some of the world’s sicknesses. Lastly, the animals of the rainforest are becoming more and more endangered due to the massive amounts of deforestation going on. Of course there are the initial casualties to consider such as the relocation of a population of animals, however the long term affects can be detrimental to the whole Amazon Rainforest ecosystem.
Ian Sample, a science correspondent for the guardian, wrote, “Though few species are killed off directly in forest clearances, many face a slower death sentence as their breeding rates fall and competition for food becomes more intense” (Sample, 2012). This helps prove that while initially there is very little harm done to the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest, there is the lasting effects can prove detrimental. There are still different insects and animals being discovered in the Amazon Rainforest, but if deforestation keeps happening then some species might go extinct without ever being discovered.
