World Cultures 11

Unit Latin America

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.
Vegetation. This word comes to mind because if you look at the photograph you instantly
see all the trees that are super green and it doesnt look like gross trees that are all brown
and have no leaves.
2.
Click on Overview and review the information, including the visuals. List the
8 nations that the Amazon rainforest is located in.
Brazil
- Colombia
Bolivia
- Venezuela
Peru
- Guyana
Ecuador
- Suriname
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?
Latitude
- Rainfall
Local Soil
- Prevailing Temperatures
4.
What makes rainforests special?
They play a critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as a carbon sink,
soaking up carbon dioxide and many other greenhouse gases that would contribute to
climate changes.
5.
Worldwide, how quickly is deforestation occurring? How quickly is it occurring in the
Amazon? Use statistics from the reading to explain your answer.
1. Worldwide 46-58 billion square miles of forest are lost per year
2. Amazon Lost 17% of its forest in the past decade
6.
Scroll down to the Why They Matter section. Scroll through the three images and
review the captions. List and explain why rainforests matter.
1. People depend on rainforests for hunting, gathering, medicine, forest
products, and small-scale agriculture.
2. Forest trees soak up carbon dioxide to store away because of all the CO
people release.
3. 80% of the worlds terrestrial plant and animal specials are found in forests.
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

Giant Panda

Pandas are endangered, can grow to almost four feet, weigh about 220-330
pounds, tend to be found in the southwest forests of China, and the play a
huge role in bamboo forests.

Sumatran

These tigers are critically endangered, no fewer than 400, weigh around

Tiger

165 to 305 pounds, tend to live in tropical/swampy areas, and they

represent an important biodiversity in forests.

Bornean

Orangutans are endangered, around 45,000-69,000, they grow around 3.3

Orangutan

to 4.6 feet, weigh around 200 pounds, tend to live in rainforests/swamp

areas, and play a critical role in seed dispersal.

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?
Its home to around 1 million Indians, who split up into about 400 tribes each with their own
language, culture, and territory.
9.
To what extent have they had contact with outsiders? Explain your response.
Some tribes for 500 years have had contact with outsides while others have had no contact
whatsoever. This reason being is because outsides want their land or something that is
underneath it including oil and gas and they also partake in illegal logging, destroying many
of the tribes territories.
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.
My Daily Life

People of Amazons daily life

I go to the store if I want fruits or

vegetables

These people grow their own vegetables and

fruits

Pick up some meat or fish at the store

Go hunting for their own meat and fish

Have access to western medicine and

education

Also have access to western medicine and

education

My problems revolve around school

Many of their problems revolve around land

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.

Because with land rights they are able to grow and build whatever they want an no one is
allowed to stop them. Also without land rights outsiders are allowed to come in and plunder
all lands resources leaving none for the tribes which could result in death or migration.
12. Do you think most Americans agree with the viewpoint expressed by the woman in the
video clip? Explain.
Yes because Americans are able to sympathize with the womens viewpoints that are
expressed throughout the video.
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

Deforestation is connected with the

worsening of droughts plaguing San
Jose. Also, deforestation of the
Amazon has gotten so bad that the
Amazon is losing its ability to
regulate weather systems.

Possible solutions include to just stop

deforestation there isnt a need to
just chop down all these trees for
things we dont need. We should
chop them down for when we
actually need them and not destroy
the forest for our own selfish needs.

Mining/Drilling Illegal mining is not only having a

harmful effect on the environment
but its allowing malaria cases to
rise. The stagnant water that is a
byproduct of the illegal mining is
attracting misquotes and increasing
the spread of malaria.

The people who are illegally mining

could mine in small sections and
possibly mine when its colder. When
its colder misquotes die off and the
spread of malaria would decrease.

Crime

The government should allow the

people to protest because they want
to save the rainforests and stop
things that are harmful to the
environment. Also, let them believe
they are doing good by slowing down
deforestation or slowing down
mining.

The Government of Peru is

accused of neglecting protesters in
Lima. They are defending their land
and foresters from illegal mining
and illegal logging.

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?

Traffic jams clog the street, fishing boats dot the river, and ports swim with activity
during the day and night because of the Amazon being their way while trying to set up the
World cup. Also, Manaus only has a few months instead of a whole year to prepare
because during December intense rain hits the Amazon forest. Other parts of the stadium
are being built elsewhere because of the forest being right there which is also a big hassle
for Manaus.
15. How did the regions emphasis on environmental protection influence the stadium
project?
Ample rainwater will water the pitch and sunlight and wind will be harnessed for power to
help run the Stadium.