The Amazon Rainforest

The Amazonian Rainforest consists of an expansive 350 million square acres smack in the middle of Brazil and many other countries. It is the largest rainforest in the world and is home to hundreds of indigenous species of plants and animals. However Brazil’s developing status is endangering the rainforests existence. It is currently reported that 500,000 trees are cut down every hour, and the country is losing anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 species a year. To many this is unacceptable and the amazon should be protected, others believe that operations should continue as is. In reality the Amazon Rainforest needs to be developed in a sustainable manner because the rainforest is home to many species and is detrimental to global health, Brazil
The Amazonian Rainforest is home to hundreds of indigenous plants, and animals, it is the largest terrestrial source of oxygen on earth and many amazonian products are used to create daily commodities each of which is sufficient reason to sustainably develop the Amazon. According to the fourth document “There are over 24 edible foods found in the Amazon Rainforest”. This means that there is an open food source in the Amazon which can be exploited in order to help feed the surrounding countries and make a profit. This shows the need to sustainably develop the Amazon Rainforest because if nothing is done and the area is just felled then those resources would have been wasted, but if the area is just protected then there will be a lost opportunity to help the local Amazonian communities gain income.
A significant party in all of this are the native Amazonians whose way of life is threatened with every felled tree. “Our ancestors taught us to understand the land and animals. We have used this knowledge carefully, for our existence depends on it’ (Doc 7). This is a view of the future of Brazil because the natives are very much representative of the current population and how their need and use of the rainforest is leading them to an eventual downfall. As well as a need to sutain way of life the people of Brazil also need a way to sustain themselves, sustainably developing the rainforest could lead to improved infrastructure such creating “...schools and hospitals...new roads and airports” (Doc 9). Each of these could improve their lives because more schools equals better education, hospitals better medical care, new roads more easy local transportation, and new airports could help improve the region's tourism. however it is unlikely that any of this can occur without the sustainable development of the