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Brush-clearing fires that burned out of control destroyed thousands of acres of the Amazon rain forest last winter, causing irrevocable damage to one of the world’s most important natural resources. The fires destroyed more than 20 percent of the 87,000 square miles of rain forest in the Brazilian state of Roraima.
Setting fires is a traditional method of clearing undergrowth in the rain forest. The particularly dry conditions and high winds brought on by El Niño (see page 7), however, caused the fires to burn out of control. More than 1,000 firefighters tried to contain the fires, but they were unable to do so until rain drenched the area at the end of March.
The fires have had devastating effects on both the people who depend on the rain forest for their livelihoods and the environment. At least two Yanamami Indians died of smoke inhalation, and many people have lost everything they owned.
The effects on the environment were also severe. Although some kinds of forests actually benefit from fires, which provide nutrients and spread seeds, the effect in the tropical rain forest is terrible. “Fire kills the trees, it kills the plants, it kills the soil,” said Janet Abramovitz of the Worldwatch Institute. “In these kinds of forests, it can take 100 years or more for them to recover.”
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The Amazon rain forest represents one of the world’s richest ecological resources. One fifth of the world’s fresh water cycles through its river system, and rain forest trees create 20 to 30 percent of the world’s oxygen. The forest also plays an important role in storing carbon, which makes it critical to controlling global warming. The diversity of life in the rain forest far surpasses that found anywhere else. At least 15,000 kinds of animals live in the rain forest, including a third of all known species of fish, and many of the plants that grow there are used to manufacture pharmaceuticals.
Even before last winter’s fires, the Amazon rain forest was in danger. Since 1983, logging, burning, and overpopulation have destroyed about 13 percent of the forest.
- What caused the recent destruction of the Amazon rain forest?Answer
- Why is the Amazon rain forest important?Answer
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