Why Brazil?

           We narrowed the range of Mission 2006 to only covering Brazil for several reasons.  Brazil contains the majority of the Amazon rain forest and, therefor has the greatest possible impact of any one country.  We decided that we could be most effective as a group with limited time if we tried to deal with the political and social aspects of only one country.  Even this is an optimistic view of what we can accomplish in one semester.  We feel that if we examine how our plans will affect Brazil, they can be a stepping stone for other countries that contain portions of the Amazon.
 

History and Soil

        The South American rain forest began to develop during the Paleocene era, approximately 66-54 million years ago. Today the forest is characterized by the extremely high level of bio-diversity, the nutrient poor soil and the high rain fall year round. Because of the poor fertility of the soil, the role of nutrient cycling very important. As plant and animal debris collect, they are quickly metabolized by a multitude of fungi and bacteria. The nutrients are almost immediately taken back into the biotic system. Tropical soils have a low pH, many ions are not readily available for plant uptake, and so symbiotic relationships between fungi and plants have developed. When exposed to extensive sunlight, the soil dries out and the bacteria and fungi die, decreasing the processing of nutrients in the soil and the ability of plants to use the nutrients.  The speed of nutrient cycling is dependent on rainfall. Removal of vegetation from an area leads to rapid depletion of nutrients, making it very hard to re-establish life. The limiting factor in the Amazon ecosystems is usually phosphorus or nitrogen. Nutrient deficiency can severely affect development of biotic life.

Carbon Sinks
         Bio-mass in the rain forest makes up a significant portion of stored carbon in the world. The Amazon Basin Rain forest represents 40% of the world's rain forests and has an estimated biomass between 39 and 93 Pg (1Pg=10^15 grams) of carbon. on average, this is about 400 Mg/hectare.

Deforestation
        The current deforestation rate is estimated at 50 to 100 acres per minute. Deforestation is due to economic demand for forest products and the demand for land, as well as mining, and new roads.  The effects of human activity seems to be mimicking the affects of el Nino, which negatively impacts the forest by drastically changing the climate.  The region that consists of the Amazon rain forest and the deforested areas has extensive agriculture, which depletes the soil and clears the native vegetation. 60% of detestation is due to shifting cultivators. The effects of fragmentation due to infrastructure development and logging have been shown to be very detrimental. Many species,  require extensive areas of undisturbed habitat in order to survive.

        Natural deposits of mercury are stored in the soil and biomass.  When and area is deforested, the runoff carries the mercury to the aquatic system.  Also when biomass is burned, mercury is released to the air.

        However, deforestation rates have seen a decrease from and estimated 30,000 sq. km per year in 1995 to 6,800 sq. km per year in 1999.  This decrease is credited to legislation that puts harsher punishments on unauthorized hunting and mining as well as pollution offenses.  Also the liberalization of trade has lead to a higher price on environmental inefficiencies and therefor, increased cleaner and more energy efficient industrial processes.

Mining

        Brazil is the worlds top producer of iron ore.  They also have bauxite, gold, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium and petroleum as natural resources.  Mining industry has seen a rising amount of foreign investment since it was opened to the public in 1995.  The deposits are mostly in the north and north-eastern regions of Brazil.  There has also been an increase in concessions for private oil exploration since 1997 when the law opened the market.
 
         Strip mining results in building of extensive roads to transport products, test drilling of perspective sights, deforesting of the mined area, explosives used open the mine, and cyanide or mercury treatment of the mined rocks to remove the desired substance. 50 tons of rock are needed to find 1 ounce of gold.  Open mines cause acid mine drainage, meaning that the sulfur in the rocks is dissolved and soaks into the soil or the aquatic systems, and heavy metal contamination. Acid rain, due to dissolved sulfuric acid in rain, changes the chemical make up of the soil so that the nutrients cannot be used by organisms and increases the leaching of positive ions from the soil.

Agriculture and Cattle

        Brazil is a leading exporter of coffee, soybeans, sugar, tobacco, cocoa and beef.  Agriculture accounts for 9% of the GDP.  Poor land distribution has left 2 million families land less while a large amount of the county's 330 million ha is unused.  Land is quickly degraded due to over grazing and monoculture agriculture.  It is estimated that 1/4 pound of beef requires 55 square feet of deforested land to produce.  Pesticides in the environment pose a health concern for workers and the biotic life in the surrounding area as well as down stream.

Tourism

        The growth of tourism in Brazil has been restricted by the lack of tourism infrastructure, the high levels of crime and until recently, very high prices.  The largest influx of tourist to Brazil come from Argentina, but due to the recent upheaval and volatile economic situation, this source of tourism has decreased.  Tourism is increasing though, reaching 5.3 million visitors in 2000 as opposed to 2.7 million in 1996.  This shows the credibility of tourism as a possible economic boost.  While many places remain conventional tourism spots, ecotourism is becoming an increasing portion of the tourist sector.  Ecotourism has been seen in the Amazon, the Pantanal marshland and Rio de Janeiro.  Recent programs aim to increase tourism infrastructure by encouraging hotel construction in the north-eastern regions.  This is in itself can be harmful to the environment and should be examined before supported.
 

Education

        The illiteracy rate in urban areas is 11.5, while in rural areas it is considerably higher.  Low teacher pay and high drop out rates leave Brazil as one of the less educated countries in Latin America.  Only 60% of children who start school stay until they are 10 and only 43% remain by the age of 14.  Brazil has made attempt since 1994 to raise education standards, with considerable success.

Health

        The high poverty rate and lack of sanitation plague the people of Brazil.  Infant mortality rate is 3.6% and maternal mortality is .16%.  Malaria is prevalent, as well as AIDs.  Brazil seems to suffer from illnesses commonly seen in developing nations as well as those seen in industrial ones, such as cancer.

Indigenous People

        There are an estimated 3,500 indigenous people living in the Amazon rain forest.  There are 206 different groups with about 170 different languages.  The indigenous people want to remain uninfluenced by the Brazilian society, but seem willing to participate in political means to preserve their home.