What are the main causes of deforestation in Brazil?
Cattle ranching accounts for about 70% of all loss. Soya production and illegal logging are the other main culprits. Slash-and-burn farming typically carried out by small landowners is also a significant factor. Brazil’s Amazon region now contains about 55m head of cattle, up from under 30m in 1990. Soya planting has increased five-fold from 1.2m hectares in 1985 to 6m last year. As a result, Brazil is now the world’s largest exporter of soya and beef – much of it driven by growing demand from the rapidly expanding Asian economies, particularly China. Many researchers argue that the main determinants of deforestation rates are the variations in the international prices of those two commodities and the value of the Brazilian currency, the real. The building of roads across the region is also blamed, as it opens access to low-cost land which attracts new migrants to the areas being opened up. The construction of new hydro-electric dams, like the ones planned for the Madeira River close t
