How is the Amazon river being destroyed?

How is the Amazon river being destroyed?

Cattle ranching is the leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. In Brazil, this has been the case since at least the 1970s: government figures attributed 38 percent of deforestation from 1966-1975 to large-scale cattle ranching. Today the figure in Brazil is closer to 70 percent.

What is the biggest threat to the Amazon river?

Deforestation. One of the largest, and most well known problems in the Amazon is that of deforestation. While trees have been cut for logging, development and human expansion, it is actually farming that is causing the most extreme and drastic deforestation among much of the Amazon rainforest.

How is pollution affecting the Amazon river?

Pollution of the Amazon River due to increased population and mining, as well as disappearing forests threaten the Amazon rainforest and contribute to global warming.

What are problems with the Amazon river?

Yet despite its vastness and importance, the Amazon faces a deluge of threats: a dam-building spree across the basin is disrupting fish migration and nutrient cycling, large-scale deforestation is destroying habitats and increasing sedimentation, pollution from mining and agribusiness is affecting aquatic ecosystems.

Is the Amazon river toxic?

Mercury contamination and exposure endangers the health of the people, plants and animals of the Amazon. Elevated mercury levels in humans are widespread in the Amazon region, particularly in indigenous communities, which report on average 7.5 times higher than background levels in the general population.

What are the main threats to the Amazon rainforest?

Threats Facing The Amazon Rainforest

• Ranching & Agriculture: Rainforests around the world are continuously cut down to make room for raising crops, particularly soy, and cattle farming.
• Commercial Fishing:
• Bio-Piracy & Smuggling:
• Poaching:
• Damming:
• Logging:
• Mining: