Deforestation in the Amazon
Geography: KS3, topic 15.2.3
Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest area spans about 8,200,000km2 across 9 countries, making it the largest rainforest in the world. The tree coverage in 1970 was 4.1m km2. In 2018, it was 3.3m km2. Between 2001 and 2013, the causes of Amazonian deforestation were:
Pasture and cattle ranching = 63%
Small-scale, subsistence farmers = 12%
Fire = 9%
Commercial crop farming = 7%
Tree felling and logging = 6%
Other activities = 3%
- E.g. plantations, mining, road-building, and construction.
Test yourself on Deforestation in the Amazon
Causes of Deforestation in the Amazon
What percentage of deforestation in the Amazon was logging responsible for between 2001 and 2013?