According to a study, the Amazon rainforest has become smaller than Germany and France in the past forty years. In the countries of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, 88 million hectares of rainforest have disappeared.
Researchers report an “accelerated transformation” of the Amazon, with an “alarming increase” in the use of land previously covered by forest for mining, agriculture or cattle ranching.
“Numerous ecosystems have disappeared to make way for vast pastures, soy fields or other monocultures, or have been turned into craters for gold mining,” says the study by RAISG, a network of scientists and nongovernmental organizations.
“Entire ecosystem disrupted”
“The loss of the forest releases more carbon into the atmosphere, disrupting an entire ecosystem,” says Peruvian scientist Sandra Ríos Cáceres, who was involved in the study. The loss of vegetation in the Amazon is directly linked to the severe droughts and forest fires that are affecting several South American countries.
Researchers from the World Weather Attribution Network say climate change is increasing the risk and severity of fires in the Amazon and Pantanal wetlands, releasing “massive amounts” of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
47 million people are threatened
The drought has caused water levels in some Amazon rivers to drop to their lowest levels in decades (see video above), threatening the livelihoods of some 47 million people who live along their banks. The drought has caused fires to spread across Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, often starting the clearing of agricultural land.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
