1.2.2 Brazil Rainforest Case Study( Causes And Impacts Of Deforestation)

Question 1

Where is the Brazilian rainforest located?

Answer 1

Brazil
Bolivia
Peru
Ecuador
Colombia
Venezuela
Guyana
Suriname
Rench Guinea

Question 2

Causes of deforestation (6p)

Answer 2

Logging
Mineral extraction
Energy development
Commercial farming
Settlement and population growth
Road building

Question 3

Logging (cause)

Answer 3

• Logging is the process of cutting down trees and transporting them to be used for other purposes

Question 4

Energy development (cause) (2p)

Answer 4

• building hydroelectric dams involves flooding vast areas of rainforest
• this means that trees are submerged under the water, leading to them rotting and dying

Question 5

Main sources of energy (development ) (4p)

Answer 5

Hydropower
Oil
Coal
Renewable

Question 6

Mineral extraction (cause)

Answer 6

Forests are cleared to create mine sites, access roads, and infrastructure

Question 7

Settlement and population growth (cause)

Answer 7

• land is cleared to build houses and
  infrastructure

Question 8

The use of Road building (cause) (2p)

Answer 8

• Providing easier access to previously isolated areas
• This enables various destructive activities like logging, mining, and agriculture, which lead to large-scale forest clearing

Question 9

What is the problem with road building?

Answer 9

In the process, large sections of the Brazilian rainforest are cut down

Question 10

How long is the Trans-amazonian highway?

Answer 10

4,000km

Question 11

Commercial farming (cause)

Answer 11

Large areas of forest are cleared to make way for farmland

Question 12

What percentage of deforestation does commercial farming account for?

Answer 12

80%

Question 13

How much of the world’s beef is exported from Brazil?

Answer 13

Almost 20%

Question 14

Climate change (impact) (2p)

Answer 14

• Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis
  -If there are fewer trees and plants, then less carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere

Question 15

Loss of biodiversity (impact) (2p)

Answer 15

• Many different species of animals and plants die due to deforestation aa they lose their habitat
• As plants and animals are closely connected through the food web deforestation reduces biodiversity

Question 16

Soil erosion (impact)(3p)

Answer 16

• Once the land is cleared, the soil is left bare
• When it rains, the nutrients in the soil are washed away and the nutrient cycle stops because there are no leaves to replace nutrients in the soil
• The soil is no longer fertile, and the roots of the plant no longer hold the soil together so it becomes easily eroded

Question 17

Economic development (impact) (link to other impacts) (3p)

Answer 17

• The creation of mines, farms and roads has led to economic development
• The money generated from these allow Brazil to generate income
• This can be used to pay debt or invest in further development projects

Question 18

Impacts of deforestation (4p)

Answer 18

-Climate change
-Economic development
-Loss of biodiversity
-Soil erosion

Question 19

Mineral extraction (cause) (example) (2p)

Answer 19

• Brazil is home to the biggest iron mine in the world Carajás Mine
• 7.2 billion metric tonnes of iron ore

Question 20

Settlement and population growth (cause) (example) (2p)

Answer 20

• The population grew from 154,000 in 2010 to 220,000 in 2012
• This was in Parauapebas, an iron ore mining town

Question 21

Commercial farming (cause) (example) (3p)

Answer 21

The area planted with crops has nearly tripled from:
- approximately 85,000 square kilometers in 2000
- To over 235,000 square kilometers in 2020.