Deforestation of the RainforestThe Amazon spans the borders of eight countries, is the home to the worldÃÂÃÂs largest river basin, and is the primary source of the earthÃÂÃÂs fresh water supply. The Amazon also is the home to numerous birds, fish, and animal species; incredibly more than one-fourth of the planetÃÂÃÂs animal species live in the Amazon. Despite the beauty of the Amazon the ecosystem is fragile and in jeopardy. In Brazil, individuals are conducting illegal logging, slash-and-burn farming, and are consuming the forest at a pace of over 9,000 square miles a year (World Wildlife Fund, 2007). This paper will discuss the various perspectives of the parties involved in making environmental decisions concerning the Brazilian rainforest and the impact of those decisions. In addition, the environmental issues from various ethical perspectives will be analyzed in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the rainforest as well as the causes of the deforestation and possible remedies.
Historical DevelopmentAccording to Andress (nd), ÃÂÃÂthe tropical rainforest is a unique ecosystem that is home to many plants and animals, in fact more plants and animals than we even know aboutÃÂÃÂ (p. 1). The plants that are found in the tropical rainforest generate oxygen that is crucial for our planet. The rainforest is disappearing at an alarming rate and according to Camill (1999), ÃÂÃÂrecent estimates of deforestation suggest that between one to three million hectares are being cleared annually in the Amazon BasinÃÂÃÂ (p. 1). Not only are the trees disappearing but also animals and cures for life threatening illnesses. The rainforest could be losing as many as three species everyday due to the destruction of the forest.
The largest cause of the deforestation of the rainforest is due to the clearing of land for agriculture and government proposals to help encourage the development...