Why are rainforests in South America being cut down?
The answers to that are complex. South America has traditionally been underdeveloped, leading to very limited economic opportunities for the poor. The rainforests there have great income potential in a short timespan for both the value of the wood and for the rich soils there that can be exploited for agriculture or cattle grazing. Unfortunately, the soil tends to stay fertile for only a few years at most resulting in the need to cut down more forest to maintain grazing land for the cattle. The rainforest may be exploited sustainably without cutting it down, but these are ways which are more complex and require a great deal to start them up. Cattle and logging is easy to start-up and those products are easy to sell. It’s all well and good to talk about saving the forest and creating sustainable jobs, but when people will starve or otherwise suffer greatly at even a short interruption in income, people feel they have little choice.
