Activities such as the expansion of agriculture, the felling of wood, the diversion of water for irrigation, and cattle raising have accelerated more than expected in the entire Amazon basin that extends through Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
This is causing deforested areas to no longer absorb carbon, but to release it. This phenomenon is known as forest degradation. Although the degradation can also be caused by natural factors, there are anthropic activities within the Amazon.
Extraction of stone material diverts the course of the Napo River; ecocide is denounced and a “Yutzupino 2” is feared
A scientific article published in the journal Science reveals this situation and the acceleration of degradation. “The emphasis of the article is to see those changes that have occurred in the basin and how they have been generated at a much faster speed and that is why huge regions, especially tropical forests, are deforested at very high rates.”, says Juan Manuel Guayasamín, who participated in the publication of the article.
The expert indicates that the extractivist policy promoted by Jair Bolsonaro, former president of Brazil, is one of the reasons for the acceleration in the Amazon basin. However, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, although they do not have the same extension of the Brazilian basin, also have a great influence on the damage of the Amazon.
In fact, having the Andes mountain range, which supplies the rivers that flow into the Amazon, what these countries do in this region is of the utmost importance, adds Guayasamín: “This transformation means that we are losing a lot of species and it also means that all this carbon that was trapped in trees with the burning is being released. Carbon goes from being in the tree to the atmosphere and this is a huge contributor to global climate change. This is very serious. Historically, forests have always been considered as carbon sinks and now certain areas are no longer.“, it states.
At a rate of 5 soccer fields per hour, approximately 31,000 average hectares per year, the Amazon basin of Ecuador was brutally deforested between 2001 and 2020. Total deforestation in this area amounts to more than 623,510 hectares in 19 years, according to a recent study by MabBiomas and the Amazon Network for Georeferenced Socio-environmental Information and the EcoCiencia Foundation.
The thirst for gold now affects the Podocarpus National Park in Ecuador; detect underground tunnels and illegal mining camps
The Amazon basin is currently facing the proliferation of legal and illegal mining. In Ecuador, the government has declared illegal miners a “threat to the state.” It is that the extractive activity is leaving devastating scenarios in Amazonian provinces such as Napo.
A recent EcoCiencia report states that in the Punino river area, between Napo and Orellana, illegal mining increased by 578%: “This serious situation has resulted in the mining deforestation of 217 hectares (304 soccer fields) in just last three years”, says the institution.
Guayasamín affirms that it is evident that the country lacks state controls regarding mining: “Even in the part of illegal mining. Controls must be carried out, verifying if the parameters stipulated in the licenses are being complied with”.
In addition, he affirms that within what the conservation of the Amazon basin means, different actions are needed that, in general, obey political issues: “For better or for worse, South America has a very pendulous behavior in terms of who we elect as rulers. A little while ago there was Lula (Da Silva), then Bolsonaro came and now Lula again, so this swing for environmental issues has very serious repercussions. In this sense, we need long-term regional commitments so as not to be at the mercy of what one person thinks and achieve long-term conservation.”.
The Amazon is currently perched on a rapid transition from a mostly forested to a non-forested landscape, the Science article concludes. It is added that these changes are occurring too fast for Amazonian species, peoples and ecosystems to respond adaptively. “We need political will and leadership to act on this information. Failing the Amazon is failing the biosphere and not acting at our own risk”, the article indicates. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
