World Cultures 11

Name: Alyssa Barr

Unit Latin America
Block:_______
The Amazon Rainforest Internet Assignment
Purpose: This assignments goal is to expose you to basic facts about the Amazon
rainforest as well as introduce you to some of the wildlife and people that live inside it.
You will also understand how the rainforest affects the nations and people of South
America and how it is facing unique challenges in the modern world.
Part I (Overview): Use www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon and follow the
directions carefully to complete this assignment.
1. Review the photograph. Choose one descriptive word (adjective) that comes to mind
and explain how it relates to the image.
Beautiful
2. Click on Overview and review the information, including the visuals. List
the 8 nations that the Amazon rainforest is located in.
Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname
and French Guiana, an overseas territory of France.
3. Click on Forest Habitat and review the information there, including the visuals. A
forest can vary based on several factors. What are these four factors?
-

4. What makes rainforests special?

Forests are essential for life on earth.

5. Worldwide, how quickly is deforestation occurring? How quickly is it occurring in the

Amazon? Use statistics from the reading to explain your answer.
a. Worldwide forests are being destroyed and degraded at alarming rates.
Deforestation comes in many forms, including fires, clear-cutting for
agriculture, ranching and development, unsustainable logging for timber,
and degradation due to climate change. This impacts peoples livelihoods
and threatens a wide range of plant and animal species. Some 46-58 million
square miles of forest are lost each yearequivalent to 48 football fields
every minute.
b. Amazon the planets largest rainforest, lost at least 17% of its forest cover
in the last half century due to human activity. In Indonesia, the island of
Sumatra has lost 85% of its forestsprimarily due to conversion for oil palm
and pulp plantationsand a similar level of destruction is taking place on the
island of Borneo. Deforestation also undermines the important carbon sink

function of forests. It is estimated that 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions

are the result of deforestation.
6. Scroll down to the Why They Matter section. Scroll through the three images and
review the captions. List and explain why rainforests matter.
a. People depend on forrest
b. 80% of the worlds know terrestrial plants and animals are found here.
c. Take away carbon dioxide.
7. Return to the main page (www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon) and scroll down to
the Species section. Choose three animals found in the Amazon and describe them
in the chart.
Animal
Description
Macaw
The Amazonian rain forest is a bird lover's paradise, home to
over a thousand different species, including the blue-and-yellow
macaw. Macaws are highly intelligent, mate for life and can live
up to 60 years. The vibrant color and pattern of their feathers
make them a popular species in the illegal pet trade, which has
devastated populations of wild exotic birds. WWF supports
efforts to phase out importing wild birds to the United States and
The amazon river

encourages captive breeding as an alternative to illegal capture

The Amazon river dolphin, also known as the pink river dolphin

dolphin

or boto, lives only in freshwater. It is found throughout much of

the Amazon and Orinoco river basins in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,
Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. It is a relatively abundant
freshwater cetacean with an estimated population in the tens of
thousands. However, it is classified as vulnerable in certain areas
due to dams that fragment and threaten certain populations, and

Sloth

from other threats such as contamination of rivers and lakes.

Slothsthe sluggish tree-dwellers of Central and South America
spend their lives in the tropical rain forests. They move
through the canopy at a rate of about 40 yards per day,
munching on leaves, twigs and buds. Sloths have an
exceptionally low metabolic rate and spend 15 to 20 hours per
day sleeping. And surprisingly enough, the long-armed animals
are excellent swimmers. They occasionally drop from their

Animal

Description
treetop perches into water for a paddle.
There are two different types of sloths, two-toed and three-toed,
and six species:

Pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus)

Maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus)
Pale-throated sloth (Bradypus tridactylus)
Brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus)
Linnaeuss two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus)

Hoffmans two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni)

Part II (Native Peoples): Use
www.survivalinternational.org/about/amazontribes to learn about the native
peoples of the Amazon rainforest.
8. How many people live in the Amazon rainforest, and how are they organized?

1 million Indians. They are divided into about 400 tribes, each with its own language,
culture and territory. Many have had contact with outsiders for almost 500 years. Others
uncontacted tribes have had no contact at all.
9. To what extent have they had contact with outsiders? Explain your response.
Had no contact.
10. Create a t-chart that compares and contrasts your daily life with that of the
people of the Amazon. Include at least four points of comparison.
Native peole- hunt and fish (using plant-based poisons to stun the fish.), Some tribes use
shotguns for hunting, others use bows and arrows, spears, or blowguns with darts tipped
with curare. Some are nomadic, most Indians in the Amazon have access to Western
healthcare and education.
Daily life- go to the markey or food store, have a steady home/household, go to school,
go over friendsw houses.

11. Why are land rights so important to the Amazon tribes? Read the text and watch
the video clip in the Land = Life section to answer this question.
Almost all the Indians problems revolve around land: outsiders either want their land, or
something on or underneath it. The key threats are a massive boom in oil and gas
exploration, rampant illegal logging and the rapid spread of ranching and farming.
12. Do you think most Americans agree with the viewpoint expressed by the woman in
the video clip? Explain.

Part III (Current Challenges): Use www.theguardian.com/environment/amazonrainforest to research some of the current challenges facing the Amazon rainforest.
Please be mature in handling photographs of native people, as their dress is quite
different from ours!
13. Choose articles that interest you about each of the topics in the chart. Read them
and complete the chart.
Challenge
Impact (2 sentences)
Possible Solutions (2
sentences)
Deforestation New studies show ethical
Strop NGO from what they are
chocolate has been destroying

doing!

forrest. NGOs allege illegal

deforestation of primary rainforest
Mining/Drillin
g

to plant cacao and oil palm

Four Amazonian tribes have joined

Support the tribes in their plan to

forces to oppose the construction

stop the Brazilian government.

of hydroelectric dams in their

Make them understand the

territory. Brazilian government

consequences of the destruction of

ramps up efforts to exploit the

nature in our lives.

power of rivers in the worlds

Crime

biggest forest.
Justice still being sought for

Not much can be done, police

murders of Peruvian forest

forces have to take control.

campaigners. Six months on, the

killing of four indigenous
campaigners has yet to result in an
end to illegal logging around the
vilage of Alto Tamaya-Saweto

14. Go to edition.cnn.com/2013/07/25/sport/football/football-brazil-world-cupmanaus/index.html and review the article there. What challenges did the rainforest
pose for Brazil in its efforts to prepare for the 2014 World Cup?
The city of two million people rises from the rainforest, isolated from much of the rest of
Brazil's population. Traffic jams clog the streets. Fishing boats dot the river. Ports swarm
with activity during the day, and overnight.

15. How did the regions emphasis on environmental protection influence the stadium
project?
stadium is being built from the ashes of one that stood before it. In this spot, the
Arena da Amazonia is being constructed to welcome the world next summer.