Lesson 7 microsite for students

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A Symphony Education Resource

This is a microsite for Lesson 7 in the Natural World series.

What is happening in the rainforest?

Farming

Illegal Logging

Cattle Ranching

Mining

Deforestation

Home Page

What is it?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Deforestation

Why is it happening?

We are currently losing forest at the speed of a football pitch every 2 seconds.

Deforestation is when trees are cut down. This could be legally or illegally.

What is deforestation?

Deforestation Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Why is it happening?

Why is it happening?

Click the images to find out more about each of the causes of deforestation.

Deforestation Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

What is deforestation?

Deforestation Home

Why is it happening?

What is being done to stop it?

Loss of forests means that we also lose the animals that live in them. It is thought that there are some species of animals becoming extinct before we can discover them.

What can I do?

The trees and plants in the rainforest mean that the soils are really good quality. When we cut them down the soil starts to lose all of its nutrients and things will struggle to grow.

What is deforestation?

More than half the water in rainforests is held inside the plants. When we cut them down it has nowhere to go and it disrupts our water systems.

Trees are great at absorbing the gasses that contribute to global warming. If we cut them down they can't do that, and so temperatures go up.

Why is it a problem?

REDD+ is an agreement developed by the United Nations that encourages countries to care for their forests and reduce greenhouse gasses.

REDD+

Nearly 20% of the world's forests have been protected by law. That's about the size of Australia!

REDD+

Deforestation Home

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What can I do?

What is deforestation?

More than 100 world leaders have promised to reverse deforestation by 2030 in an international agreement called COP26.

What is being done to stop it?

Raise awareness. Tell everyone you know about what is happening and how to help.

Eat less meat. By eating less meat, fewer trees need to be cleared to make space for them.

Avoid palm oil. Try to avoid buying items that have palm oil in, like some shampoos or ice cream.

Recycle cardboard and paper. By recycling and using it again, we won't need to cut down new trees.

Use less paper. 40% of all trees cut down are for paper.

Plant a tree. Trees take in greenhouse gasses and improve soil quality.

Deforestation Home

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What is deforestation?

What can I do?

What is it?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Mining

Why is it happening?

This is a truck! Hopefully this gives you an idea of how big this mine is.

Mining in the rainforest is not like mining in the UK. Mining is where large areas of trees and soil are removed so that people can get at what is in the ground. Rather than dig underground tunnels, people dig big open pits.

What is mining?

Mining Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Why is it happening?

Why is it happening?

Take a look through the pictures to see what they might be used for.

The soils in the rainforest contain lots of minerals and metals like gold, iron, copper, oil, and even diamonds.

In wealthy countries like the UK and the USA, there is a continuous demand for technology and goods.

Mining Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

What is mining?

Why is it a problem?

Mining Home

Why is it happening?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

What is mining?

The locals

Deforestation

Pollution

Making companies accountable

Local People

Mining Home

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What can I do?

What is mining?

Charities

What is being done to stop it?

Support charities that protect the rainforest. This might be by giving money, volunteering your time, or telling people about them.

Recycle any old technology so the metals in them can be reused.

Buy products that are rainforest friendly. Sometimes you can spot these with a green frog on the label.

Mining Home

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What's being done to stop it?

What is mining?

What can I do?

What is it?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Cattle Ranching

Why is it happening?

Cattle Ranching Home

What is Cattle Ranching?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Cattle ranching is where areas of rainforest are cleared to make space for large numbers of cows. These are then sold around the world as meat for people to eat.

Why is it happening?

Why is it happening?

Cattle Ranching Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

What is it?

Cost of food

Food supply

World population

Why is cattle ranching a problem?

Cattle Ranching Home

Why is it happening?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

What is it?

Making companies accountable

What is being done to stop it?

Local People

Charities

Cattle Ranching Home

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What can I do?

What is it?

Tell everyone you know about what is happening and how to help.

Try to eat less meat. This means there will be less of a demand for cows, and so less rainforest will be cleared to make space for them.

Know where your food has come from. Check the labels in supermakets and try to buy food from the UK.

What can I do?

Cattle Ranching Home

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What is it?

What is it?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Illegal logging

Why is it happening?

Illegal logging is when trees are cut down without the permission of the government. There are some very rare slow growing trees in the rainforest that are very valuable. Some logging companies tear down the whole area to get to them.

What is illegal logging?

Illegal Logging Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Why is it happening?

Why is it happening?

Illegal Logging Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

What is it?

The trees and plants in the rainforest mean that the soils are really good quality. When we cut them down the soil starts to lose all of its nutrients and things will struggle to grow.

Loss of forests means that we also lose the animals that live in them. It is thought that there are some species of animals becoming extinct before we can discover them.

More than half the water in rainforests is held inside the plants. When we cut them down it has nowhere to go and it disrupts our water systems.

Illegal Logging Home

Why is it happening?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Why is it a problem?

What is it?

Trees are great at absorbing the gasses that contribute to global warming. If we cut them down they can't do that, and so temperatures go up.

Indigenous people who live in the rainforest have been protesting against companies cutting trees. They keep protesting so people know they are there.

REDD+ is an agreement developed by the United Nations that encourages countries to care for their forests and stop destroying them.

REDD+

Nearly 20% of the world's forests have been protected by law. That's about the size of Australia!

Illegal Logging Home

REDD+

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What can I do?

What is it?

What is being done to stop it?

Recycle cardboard and paper. By recycling and using it again, we won't need to cut down new trees.

Use less paper. 40% of all trees cut down are for paper.

Plant a tree. Trees take in greenhouse gasses and improve soil quality.

Illegal Logging Home

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What is it?

What can I do?

What is it?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Farming

Why is it happening?

Farming Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

Why is it happening?

Most of the crops being grown in the rainforest are actually for food to feed animals.

What is farming?

Farming is when large areas of land are cleared for food crops.

Farming Home

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

Why is it happening?

What can I do?

What is it?

Cost of food

Food supply

World population

Why is it a problem?

Farming Home

Why is it happening?

What is being done to stop it?

What can I do?

What is it?

Fines

Local People

Charities

Farming Home

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What can I do?

What is it?

What is being done to stop it?

Try to shop at local farm shops. This helps support local farmers and makes sure that food is not imported from abroad.

Buy products that are rainforest friendly. Sometimes you can spot these with a green frog on the label.

Farming Home

When shopping in supermarkets, look for foods that have been labelled as grown in the UK so they haven't been flown in from abroad.

Why is it happening?

Why is it a problem?

What is being done to stop it?

What is it?

What can I do?

Charities have been trying to teach local farmers how to farm without damaging the rainforest. They have also been teaching local children about why the rainforest is so important so that they can care for it as they get older.

Charities

Factories

Factories often use fires to help them make things. In many countries this is done by burning wood. Illegal loggers will sell wood from the rainforest to factories and sometimes lie about where it has come from.

As the forest is cleared away for farm land, we also lose the animals that live in them. It is thought that there are some species of animals becoming extinct before we can discover them.

Loss of animals

Local people have been protesting to make sure that the government are aware that they are living in the rainforest, and to protect the land that they live on.

Local People

Local people (also called indigenous people) like the Achuar have been fighting back against the companies destroying their homes.

When they sell the wood from these trees they will sometimes lie and say it is a different tree so that they don't get into trouble.

These trees might be protected by the government, but some people break the law and cut them down so they can sell them for furniture or building materials.

Illegal Logging

There are some trees in the Amazon rainforest that grow very very slowly, and this makes their wood very valuable.

Paper

As the number of people in the world goes up, more and more people use paper for school and work. This paper might be made from trees that have been cut down illegally.

Local people have been protesting to make sure that the government are aware that they are living in the rainforest, and to protect the land that they live on.

Local People

Local people (also called indigenous people) like the Achuar have been fighting back against the companies destroying their homes.

Local people have been protesting to make sure that the government is aware that they are living in the rainforest, and to protect the land that they live on.

Local People

Local people (also called indigenous people) like the Achuar have been fighting back against the companies destroying their homes.

As the rainforest is cleared to make way for the mines, the people are losing their homes and their source of food.

The locals

There are still groups of people who live in the rainforest, like the Achuar.

Once the forest has been burnt and cleared away, and has been farmed for crops, the soil loses all of its nutrients. This means that it is really hard for new plants to grow and the land can start to die.

The soils die

Cost

• People don't want to pay a lot for their food, so they look for cheap sources of food.

• Farms in the rainforest can grow food very cheaply, they then sell this around the world.

Farms often plant a lot of the same crop together. This means that plant illnesses can pass through the crops very quickly and they can die. Animals also lose sources of food as the native plants are cut down.

Illnesses and loss of food

Once the rainforest has been cleared, and the cows have eaten the grass or food, the soil loses its nutrients and anything will struggle to grow.

Large areas of the rainforest are removed to make space for cows and the food we need to grow so that we can feed the cows.

Cattle Ranching

With the number of people in the world increasing, we need to find more food to eat.

Charities are putting more and more pressure on companies and governments to make sure that farms aren't breaking the law. They are also teaching local people and farms how to farm in a way that supports the rainforest and the animals that live there.

Charities

Charities are putting more and more pressure on companies and governments to make sure that they aren't breaking the law, and that there is no illegal mining happening. They are also teaching local people about why illegal mining is bad so that they do not add to the problem.

Charities

Cows release gas

Cows burp A LOT when they eat, as grass can be hard to eat. Their burps contain a gas called methane. Methane is bad for the environment and causes global warming. The more cows there are, the more methane is produced.

Pollution

To get some of the metals and minerals out of the soil, companies wash the soil with dangerous toxins. This can end up running into the rivers where it affects fish and the local people.

Huge areas will be cleared for the mine and the roads to get large vehicles to and from the mine.

To get at the minerals and metals in the soil, the trees need to be cleared.

Deforestation

Deforestation is when trees are cut down.

Food supply

• With more people in the world, there is a growing demand for food, especially beef.

• Countries have different environments which can mean it can be hard to grow or raise certain foods.
• Farmers that live close to the rainforest are making the most of the opportunity so they can sell their crops around the world, and to cattle farms to feed the animals.

Cost

• In some countries it can be really expensive to raise cows.

• Tearing down the rainforest and letting cows eat the grass is cheaper than some other farming methods.

• People don't want to pay a lot for their food and this is a cheap source of meat.

Making companies accountable

Some companies are more focused on making money than caring about where their materials have come from. This means that they will sometimes buy the metals and minerals from these mines and contribute to destroying the rainforest. Some companies have started labelling themselves as rainforest friendly and working with the charities like the Rainforest Alliance to make sure they get their materials from safe sources.

The forest will be burnt to make way for the new farms.

Large areas of forest are cleared to make way for food crops like soy, sugar cane, palm oil, cotton and rice.

Farming

With more and more people on the planet, we need to produce the food to feed them.

Slash and burn

Rainforests are set on fire in a process called 'slash and burn'. The trees are burnt down to make space for cows to graze. Sometimes these fires can get out of control and can burn down more forest than is planned, meaning that animals can lose their rainforest home.

If you hold a mobile phone in your hand, there is a good chance that you are holding a piece of the rainforest in your hand.

The metals and minerals in the soil are then used to make electrical appliances like TVs and mobile phones.

Mining

Large areas of forest are cleared to make way for mining.

Whilst this means that people can live in nicer cities and get good jobs, animals can find that they are cut off from each other and the rainforest.

Roads

Roads are built to join up distant farms, mines and cities.

Wood for houses

Many people in the world build their homes from wood, not brick. Illegal logging companies cut down wood in the rainforest and sell it abroad. Sometimes they will lie about where it is from.

Governments have been introducing larger fines for farms and companies that have been found destroying the rainforest. The hope is that this will put people off destroying the rainforest in the first place.

Fines

World population has grown

• In 1800 there were only 1 billion people on the planet.
• By 2024, there were over 8 billion people!
• India and China have the most people with over 1.4 billion people each.

World population has grown

• In 1800 there were only 1 billion people on the planet.
• By 2024, there were over 8 billion people!
• India and China have the most people with over 1.4 billion people each.

Making companies accountable

Some companies are more focused on making money than caring about where their meat has come from. This means that they will buy the meat from cows that were raised on bad rainforest farms. Some companies have started labelling which country their meat has come from so that people can choose to eat meat from their own or nearby countries.

Food supply

• With more people in the world, there is a growing demand for beef.

• Countries have different environments which can mean it can be hard to grow or raise certain foods, like cows.
• Farmers that live close to the rainforest are making the most of the opportunity so they can sell their beef around the world.

Poor soil

Once the forest has been burnt away and cows have eaten all of the grass, the soil loses all of its nutrients. This means that it is really hard for new plants to grow and the land can start to die.