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Clearing the rainforest for cows |
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by Dharmendra Kapri | 02-08-2015 15:40
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Ranching is now the biggest cause of deforestation in the Amazon and every year, more and more forest is destroyed to make way for huge cattle herds. ! In the last 20 years, Costa Rica has lost the majority of its forests to cattle ranching. Brazil has the largest cattle herd in the world – a staggering 205 million animals!! It has been the biggest exporter of beef on the planet since 2003, and almost 80% of the deforested land in the Brazilian Amazon is now used for cattle ranching. Alarmingly, the Brazilian government is aiming to double its share in the world beef market to 60% by 2018, whilst also aiming to reduce deforestation by 72% by 2017 as part of a national action plan to combat climate change.! Achieving both goals at once would seem to be pretty much impossible.! Incredibly, an area the size of Portugal (about 10 million hectares) of rainforest was cleared between 1996 and 2006 in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil to make way for the huge cattle herds. Diminishing returns As we know, rainforest soils lose their fertility quickly once the forest is removed.! Initially, you need about one hectare per cow per year, but after about eight years, you will need five hectares for each cow, as the soil gradually becomes poorer and less able to produce the pasture! needed by the cattle.! So the ranchers simply move on, destroying yet more of the forest in the process.! As a rough guide, for every pound of beef produced for the world markets, 200 square feet of rainforest is destroyed.
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Former E-gen Ambassador
Dharmendra Kapri
Previous : Head of the Hallucigenia Revea...
6 Comments
I am a Landscape Agroforestry major student and I think it is time to institutionalize agroforestry practices such as silvopastoral system for cattle production. It is not as easy as 1,2,3 to stop a major economic resource such as cattle production. What is needed right now is to integrate a natural resource conservation techniques for sustainable production. Although it has a lot of variations and forms, silvopastoral system is one way in which cattles may be raised under an artificial forest system (pasture grasses + forage crops + trees). By doing so, cattle manure can be recycled by the trees, trees provide shade, and trees can serve as refuge and food source connections for other wildlife.
Posted 04-08-2015 20:22
Time and again we came to know about the updates regarding destruction of Amazon rain forest and here is another one for cattle ranching causing dual defects i,e deforestation and rise of GHGs. Commercial forests instead of natural one can be a good option for this.
Thank you for sharing dear Dharmendra!
Posted 03-08-2015 12:21
It is sad that my homecountry are cutting down a lot of trees for livestock. I think, a new way should come up. Perhaps, how arranging cows into the forest. Thanks for the report mate!!! Lets keep working green!!
Posted 03-08-2015 09:40
Th contribution of to green house gases will be doubled,if we accept the trend. On one hand ethane production will increase while on other hand trees (natural and most effective carbon sequestration source) will be lost .
Reduction in meat consumption and use of barren or waste land for grazing rather seem perfect substitue to use the land optimally and achieve both the target. I believe this will be sustainable as well. (my opinion )
Thanks for the news Dharmendra.
Posted 02-08-2015 18:53
Oh ,That's not sustainable. Cutting rainforest for cows .
I agree with you that it may be difficult to achieve both their targets-doubling Brazil's share in beef market and cutting down on deforestation.
Infact we should cut down on meat consumption so that demand drops and hence there is no need to cut down trees/forests .
Thanks for an interesting report , Dharmendra.
Posted 02-08-2015 18:03
i think the government should use the barren lands for the cows to graze , try to plant grass over the barren lands where there isnt any vegetation , so there wouldnt be any need to clear the forests for the cattle .
Posted 02-08-2015 16:42