http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/rainforest-profile/

Rainforests in Brazil

Brazil’s rainforests continue to be logged and destroyed. Sustainable practices are not in place. Conservation efforts are falling short because there aren’t enough human incentives to keep people from economically profiting from the deforestation. Although the National Cancer Institute can estimate that seventy percent of anti-cancer plants are found in the rainforests, it isn’t enough incentive for the loggers who have nothing to lose.

Brazil is home to largest rainforest. It spans throughout the other South American countries. When speaking of sustainability, the rainforest is completely self-sustainable. It keeps moisture levels high and even without rainfall it is able to hold a water presence. What isn’t sustainable is the human activity. As we further degrade the habitat, we are making it more plausible that the trees in the rainforest wont be able to hold in the moisture that once surrounded them. The balance of the ecosystem will skew and the extinction debt will grow larger. Species that once thrived in this environment will not be able to adjust to the rapid changes being brought on by humans.

Rainforests are one of the few unique ranges left on earth that humans continue to try to cultivate without extensive thought. To protect them, it is necessary that locals and private contractors become aware of the laws in place and educated on how destruction of one environment affects the global community.

-Crystal Chavez