Impact of Humans on
Tropical Rainforests
By Michael Kneale
Tropical Rainforests – How Human
Activities Impact on the Environment
The first human activity that has a major impact in tropical
rainforests is logging. Logging is when people cut down trees and
take them away, to be used for timber. Logging destroys the natural
habitat of local animal species and may cause some species to
become extinct. Removing the forest cover also effects the local
climate. It can make rainfall change and cause it to become erratic
with floods and droughts and cause soil erosion. Sometimes the
logging process is primarily done to clear the forest (deforestation).
In these cases, the land is cleared for purposes such as building
houses or factories. Building houses, and even building roads
through the rainforest for access, also causes problems such as soil
erosion, runoff, removal of seedlings and topsoil, damage to
vegetation and disruption of animal habitats.
Damage to rainforest (Peru)
Deforestation of rainforest to provide access roads (Sarawak Rainforest, Malaysia)
Another impact on tropical rainforests is mining. People often mine
rainforests for resources such as gold, diamond, copper and other
precious metals and gemstones. Mining is usually done using
hydraulic techniques. This process releases chemicals into the
environment, causing pollution and damaging habitats. Often the
chemicals go downstream and affect the aquatic population. This
also impacts the people living in the area.
Damage to rainforest from illegal gold mining, Peru
Scientific/Technological developments
to manage the impact of humans
One technological development that has been introduced to help
manage the impact of logging is sustainable rainforest management,
also known as reduced-impact logging (RIL). This system is where
trees are more selectively cut down. Areas are divided into blocks of
about 25 and each year trees are taken down from one block, and
then that block is left alone for the next 24 years. This gives it time to
regenerate. RIL schemes also help because the information is put
onto a computer which then calculates the shortest access road that
needs to be built. This has helped to minimise damage to the tropical
rainforest ecosystem with both plants and animals being better
looked after.
This has been implemented in parts of the Amazon Rainforest. In
Brazil, there is over 10000km2 of forest under sustainable
management.
A second technology that has recently been introduced is where
scrapped mobile phones are used to create an alert system against
illegal logging. This is being developed by Rainforest Connection and
the Zoological Society of London. The Android phones are powered
by solar panels, made for low-light levels in a hot climate. This
system has been said to have huge potential. Using old smartphones
along with current communication systems enables 24/7 surveillance
of particular forest regions. The system picks up sounds such as
trucks and chainsaws, which is critical for the protection of the
forest.
An example of this technology is when it was tested in Indonesia’s
West Sunatra which, despite only being a trial, caught illegal logging
soon after being implemented.
Use of cell phones to detect
logging
How it is seen on a computer
Bibliography
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