Hi, need to submit a 2000 words paper on the topic Threats to Natural Resources in Brazil.

One of the major causes of deforestation is ranching. The raising of bulls for meat is very popular in Latin America. However, it remains a low-profit activity and only continues because it benefits greatly from government credits and subsidies or because of prospective speculative gains. Ranchers clear trees within the forest to create land for pasture with the number of farmers involved in this practice increasing (Sergio Margulis, 5). This is because it produces higher rates of economic return than the country’s traditional cattle ranching areas. Rates are much higher due to the availability of cheap land and favorable production conditions such as rainfall.

Without trees, soil nutrients are easily washed away leading to infertile soils. Over years of use, pastureland progressively becomes unproductive and is later abandoned. This land utilization precludes agriculturists from using the same zone for more than a few years. Ranchers then clear more forest areas to make the land for pasture. This threatens the forest and the biodiversity within it. Indigenous communities are also forced to move deeper into the forests as their native land is stolen from them.

The international market for soybeans has been rapidly expanding with demand exceeding supply. Soybean growing has gradually shifted from temperate to tropical regions due to the availability of cheap land. Latin America has had much growth in this with Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay being on the receiving end (Phillip, 24). Governments in Latin America have been hugely supportive of soybean growing through agricultural subsidies.

An unintended consequence is agricultural areas expanding into forest zones. Deforestation occurs as plantation owners purchase already cleared the area from small agriculturists who will then move into frontier areas and clear more forests (Phillip, 27). Agrochemicals used to combat diseases. pests and weeds in soy cultivation can also profoundly impact the environment.

During the perennial flooding of the Amazon Basin, high doses of agrochemicals used in soybean cultivation can be concentrated in the lakes and rivers. Agrochemical use may impact the population of aquatic animals as well as people living in the Amazon Basin. Fish grown in the Amazon is also sold worldwide, and toxic chemicals may end up accumulating in human and animal populations as fish travel up the food chain.