Before the 1960’s entrance into the Amazon rainforest was nearly completely restricted, except for clearing along the rivers. During the 1960’s the Amazon was colonized by farmers who used slash and burn tactics for crop cultivation. This caused infertility of the native soil. Also, the soil in the Amazon is only productive for short periods which led to migration of farms and further slash and burning of the forest. An estimated 30% of the deforestation is due to small farmers and the intensity within the area that they inhabit is greater than the area occupied by the medium and large ranchers who possess 89% of the Legal Amazon’s private land.
Local, national, and international demand for wood has caused deforestation to increase dramatically within the Amazon. Cleared property is also more valuable than forested land which causes further destruction. Brazil is the second largest soybean exporter in the world and with this demand deforestation will continue to rise.
The following is an actual description of the rate of destruction (yearly) within the Amazon:
| Period | Estimated Remaining Forest Cover in the Brazilian Amazon (sq. km) |
Annual forest loss (sq. km) |
Percent of 1970 cover remaining |
Total forest loss since 1970 (sq. km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pre-1970 | 4,100,000 | 0 | 100% | |
| 1977 | 3,955,870 | 21,130 | 96.50% | 144,130 |
| 1978-1987 | 3,744,570 | 21,130 | 91.30% | 355,430 |
| 1988 | 3,723,520 | 21,050 | 90.80% | 376,480 |
| 1989 | 3,705,750 | 17,770 | 90.40% | 394,250 |
| 1990 | 3,692,020 | 13,730 | 90.00% | 407,980 |
| 1991 | 3,680,990 | 11,030 | 89.80% | 419,010 |
| 1992 | 3,667,204 | 13,786 | 89.40% | 432,796 |
| 1993 | 3,652,308 | 14,896 | 89.10% | 447,692 |
| 1994 | 3,637,412 | 14,896 | 88.70% | 462,588 |
| 1995 | 3,608,353 | 29,059 | 88.00% | 491,647 |
| 1996 | 3,590,192 | 18,161 | 87.60% | 509,808 |
| 1997 | 3,576,965 | 13,227 | 87.20% | 523,035 |
| 1998 | 3,559,582 | 17,383 | 86.80% | 540,418 |
| 1999 | 3,542,323 | 17,259 | 86.40% | 557,677 |
| 2000 | 3,524,097 | 18,226 | 86.00% | 575,903 |
| 2001 | 3,505,932 | 18,165 | 85.50% | 594,068 |
| 2002 | 3,484,727 | 21,205 | 85.00% | 615,273 |
| 2003 | 3,459,576 | 25,151 | 84.40% | 640,424 |
| 2004 | 3,432,147 | 27,429 | 83.70% | 667,853 |
| 2005 | 3,413,354 | 18,793 | 83.30% | 686,646 |
| 2006 | 3,400,254 | 13,100 | 82.90% | 699,746 |
As you can see, the rate of destruction of the Amazon is steadily accelerating and the complete annhialation of the forest seems to be inevitable if nothing is done to stop it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Rainforest
