Amazon Rainforest

Question 1

Between 2000 and 2010, how much forest was lost?

Answer 1

3.6 million hectares

Question 2

How much carbon is lost when the Amazon rainforest is cleared and burnt?

Answer 2

30-60%

Question 3

Between 2000 and 2007, how much of the Brazilian rainforest was deforested?

Answer 3

19,368 km²

Question 4

How much carbon does the Amazon store?

Answer 4

80-120 billion tonnes

Question 5

In the 1990s, how much carbon did the Amazon absorb?

Answer 5

2 billion tonnes of CO2 per year

Question 6

By 2050, what is the predicted temperature rise in the Amazon expected to be?

Answer 6

2-3°C

Question 7

Name five strategies to mitigate the effects of deforestation

Answer 7

• creation of national parks and forest reserves (e.g. Jau National Park)
• agroforestry
• reforestation
• selective logging
• international and national agreements (e.g. Amazon Co-operation Treaty and the TARAPOTO Process)

Question 8

How much more solar radiation does the forest absorb compared to pasture land?

Answer 8

11%

Question 9

How much rainfall reaches the ground?

Answer 9

50%

Question 10

How many countries is it spread over?

Answer 10

9

Question 11

What is the annual rainfall in the Amazon basin?

Answer 11

> 3000 mm

Question 12

What has happened to the Amazon’s capacity to absorb carbon since the 1990s?

Answer 12

it has halved

Question 13

How much land does the Amazon cover?

Answer 13

5.5 million km²

Question 14

If temps rose by 2°C in the Amazon, how much of the rainforest would die off within 100 years?

Answer 14

20-40%