More people moving to Amazonia usually mean more deforestation. Regionwide, most deforestation is due to clearing for agriculture, but in some areas of Madre de Dios, deforestation for alluvial gold mining has surpassed agriculture as the primary cause. Logging – legal and illegal – is also common in the region. In Brazil, clearcutting precedes agriculture. In Peru, logging is more selective, with loggers targeting particular valuable trees. Nevertheless, studies show that selective logging is more destructive than it appears. Studies show that for every tree felled for timber, at least 10 more fall around it or are cut to build logging roads. Selective logging also changes the species composition of the forest and can affect biodiversity in the long run. Read More
The uplift of the Andes mountains over millions of years has been due to a combination of plate ... Read more
The Andes are topped by the largest concentration of ice anywhere in the Earth’s tropics (the belt ... Read more
Along the Peruvian coast is a string of rocky islands and peninsulas that are home ... Read more
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