Problems of the Amazon River
Amazon River is one of the oldest rivers on earth. It originated as a continent-wide river in the Miocene Era between 11.8 million and 11.3 million years ago. It took its incredible shape about 2.4 million years ago. It has benefited millions of people within the amazon basin and surrounding areas ever since. It is a great source of fauna and flora, easy transport and revenue taxes from the many profitable activities that take place within the river. Unfortunately, there are many problems opened by the Amazon River also.
The Amazon River is located in South America starting from the Andes Mountains in Peru; it then flows to the Atlantic Ocean via Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Suriname and Brazil. To date properly flows mostly in Brazil and Peru. Amazon basin covers 40 percent of South America and it is responsible for about 20% of the total volume of the freshwater entering the ocean. The amazon was discovered by Francisco de Orellana in 1541 and it has gone through a lot transformation. So far, there are notable problems facing the Amazon River, and they include;
- The cost of development within the countries of the Amazon– There are many regional government programmes and initiatives that are advocating for constant development that spur blind clearance of forests for cattle ranching, oil drilling and cash food production like soybean. Due to the fact that most of the amazon countries are integrated into global economy, this has led to increased demand for ever-limited natural resources. Surprisingly, efforts to safeguard the amazon region continue to be threatened by the uncontrolled economical demands.
- Forest fires, soil decline and suffering of the people- With the increasing population pressure, infrastructure
advances and markets all these have opened the Amazon rainforest. These pressures are inflicting the region growth in intensity, by becoming clearer that price to be paid includes loss of biodiversity and habitat and decrease of living standards. - Demand for more infrastructure– It is not easy to respond to international demands for quality agricultural products with finest infrastructures such as roads, harbors and dams. To satisfy industrial needs, China is one of the countries that have helped in mining projects in the eastern Amazon ranging from aluminum and steel and others.
- Deforestation- the rate of deforestation within the amazon varies from one country to another. These factors also vary with a nation within the Amazon. For instance, in Brazil lands are cleared for ranches for cattle pasture. Most of the deforestation carried by certain private can be legal and under a license provided by the environmental agencies. Impacts of deforestation in the Amazon River include habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity, loss of water cycling, climate change and increased poverty and much more.
There have been a lot of international concerns on the ecological effects of the continued deforestation in the Amazon. There are many organizations that have pushed for better conservation of the river and the rainforest. There have been increased losses of fauna and flora in the Amazon due to the increased human activities. Many regions within the river that are languishing in poverty are also suffering from waterborne diseases, poor feeding habits and much more. Every person in the continent need to be enlightened on the benefits of the Amazon River, and why they need to take responsibility and conserve this wonder of the world.
Why struggle writing a sample essay on problems of the Amazon River when we have experienced and qualified writers at PremiumEssays.net. We operate on 24/7 basis. Feel free to seek aid!