Causes of deforestation
Multiple drivers — cattle is largest.
Cattle ranching. ~70% of Amazon deforestation. Beef exports drive demand.
Soya farming. Forest cleared for soybean cultivation; soya goes to animal feed globally.
Logging. Hardwoods (mahogany, teak) for furniture and construction. Both legal and illegal.
Mining. Gold, iron ore, bauxite. Also wildcat mining (artisanal, often illegal, mercury-contaminated).
Palm oil. Especially in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia). Major driver of forest loss there.
Infrastructure. Roads, dams open up previously inaccessible forest to settlement.
Subsistence farming. Slash-and-burn for crops; less significant globally but cumulative.
Cambridge tip. Mention MULTIPLE drivers — not just logging.
- Cattle = #1 in Amazon.
- Soya, logging, mining, palm oil.
- Infrastructure opens new areas.
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