Implications of the Soybean Industry and Agriculture on Forests in Argentina
Implications of the Soybean Industry and Agriculture on Forests in Argentina
A Summary of Soybean Agriculture in Argentina
Combinations of climatic and land use changes have the potential to produce the most dramatic impacts on land cover. Within the borders of Argentina deforestation has continued to change and disturb the landscape as part of agricultural expansion in the country, particularly for soybean cultivation (Diaz et al., 2008). Soybean agriculture is a large, growing industry in Argentina that provides a substantial amount of income to the country (WWF Global, 2011). This industry was first promoted in the 1960’s when an increase in rainfall occurred and more favourable land conditions arose (Walter, 2009). Due to the economic success of soybean agriculture in Argentina, the sustainability of the environment has been restricted because deforestation has become a major practice to increase the production of this valuable crop (Walter, 2009). Formerly being named the most extensive seasonally dry forest in the continent, the Chaco forest is now a victim to the soybean expansion (Walter, 2009). Disturbance to the country’s environment is creating a great danger to many of the species located within the forest because their habitats are being removed and ecological conditions are changing (Grau & Ignacio, 2009). There are underlying forces that effect the rate deforestation; these include agricultural expansion, population density and the global demand for soybeans as well as other direct or indirect factors (Diaz et al., 2008). As if these issues are not enough to handle the biofuel industry has also contributed negatively to the preservation on the Argentinean environment (Walter, 2009). Sustainability practices are needed to carefully plan the regeneration of the environment after the harm deforestation has accomplished. If barriers are not put in place Argentina may lose both animal and plant species as well as the quality their land
A Summary of Soybean Agriculture in Argentina
Combinations of climatic and land use changes have the potential to produce the most dramatic impacts on land cover. Within the borders of Argentina deforestation has continued to change and disturb the landscape as part of agricultural expansion in the country, particularly for soybean cultivation (Diaz et al., 2008). Soybean agriculture is a large, growing industry in Argentina that provides a substantial amount of income to the country (WWF Global, 2011). This industry was first promoted in the 1960’s when an increase in rainfall occurred and more favourable land conditions arose (Walter, 2009). Due to the economic success of soybean agriculture in Argentina, the sustainability of the environment has been restricted because deforestation has become a major practice to increase the production of this valuable crop (Walter, 2009). Formerly being named the most extensive seasonally dry forest in the continent, the Chaco forest is now a victim to the soybean expansion (Walter, 2009). Disturbance to the country’s environment is creating a great danger to many of the species located within the forest because their habitats are being removed and ecological conditions are changing (Grau & Ignacio, 2009). There are underlying forces that effect the rate deforestation; these include agricultural expansion, population density and the global demand for soybeans as well as other direct or indirect factors (Diaz et al., 2008). As if these issues are not enough to handle the biofuel industry has also contributed negatively to the preservation on the Argentinean environment (Walter, 2009). Sustainability practices are needed to carefully plan the regeneration of the environment after the harm deforestation has accomplished. If barriers are not put in place Argentina may lose both animal and plant species as well as the quality their land
Cited: Boix, L., Zinck, J. 2008. Land-Use Planning in the Chaco Plain (Burruyacu, Argentina): Part 2: Generating a Consensus Plan to Mitigate Land-Use Conflicts and Minimize Land Degradation. Journal of Environmental Management. 42: 200-209. Diaz, S., Caceres, D., Cabido, M. and Zak, M. 2008. What Drives Accelerated Land Cover Change in Central Argentina? Synergistic Consequences of Climatic, Socioeconomic, and Technological Factors. Journal of Evironmental Management. 42: 181-189. Grau, R., Ignacio, G. 2009. Deforestation and Fragmentation of Chaco dry Forest in NW Argentina (1972-2007). Journal of Forest Ecology and Management. 258: 913-921. National Geographic. (updated 2011) ‘Argentina’ in National Geographic Travel. (accessed November 1, 2011). Walter, P., 2009. Agrofuels and Agrifoods: Counting the Externalities at the Major Crossroads of the 21st Century. Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society. 29: 167-169. World Statistics. (updated 2011) ‘World Soybean Production 2010’ in World Statistics. (accessed on November 1, 2011). WWF Global. (updated 2011) ‘WWF- Argentina: Our Solutions’ in World Wildlife Foundation. < http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/argentina/wwf_argentina_conservation/> (accessed on October 1, 2011). Figures: Figure 1: A map of the southern part of South America, showing the location of Argentina (National Geographic, 2011). Figure 2: A pie chart showing that Argentina is the third largest soybean producer in the world (World Statistics: page30, 2011). Figure 3: A graph showing the increase in production of soybean in Argentina from 1986 to 2010 (World Statistics: page 31, 2011). Figure 4: A graph showing the increase in land use for soybean production in Argentina between 1996 and 2008. The x-axis represents the years and the y-axis represents the hectares of land x 1000 (Walter, 2009).