The environment is getting closer to its “tipping point”— when it will no longer be able to generate its own rainfall and support its tropical forest environments.

The Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), a project of the conservation nonprofit Amazon Conservation Association found Estimates place the current deforestation level of the Amazon at 17 percent, and its tipping point at 20-25 percent. 

MAPP found that 30.8% of the original Amazon has been lost in the eastern third of the Amazon biome. If the tipping point continues to be surpassed, the largest rainforest on Earth could become—at best—a dry grassland.

What are the principal drivers of deforestation in the Amazon?

1.Agribusiness Rush 

Ungoverned expansion of soya plantations, Eucalyptus, ranching and unsustainable farming practices clear forests and leaves areas more prone to fires that can quickly become uncontrolled.

Agribusiness Rush in the MATOPIBA Region, in Brazi

2.Illegal Mining

Illegal and informal mining causes significant environmental and socio-economic impacts in the Amazon, including direct deforestation and soil contamination.

Illegal Gold Mine near Macapa Brazil

3.Illegal Logging

Logging outside of designated areas threatens the Amazon, profit seeking logging or “selective logging” of high-value tree species weakens the rainforest’s interconnected ecosystems.

4.Failing Infrastructure

Ill-conceived roads, dams and bridges accelerates the pressure on the Amazon by opening access to remote forests and increasing man-made disasters.

5.Natural Disasters

Natural and man-made disasters like WildFire contribute to deforestation. When forests are chopped and then scorched the fires can quickly spread out of control.

6.Poor Governance

Environmental defenders are often assassinated due to the lack of governance and law enforcement in the amazon. Poor governance coupled with organized crime and the high demand for the region’s natural resources creates an enabling environment for ambitious exploiters to destroy the amazon and its inhabitants for a profit.

“Chico Mendes 30 Years – Memory to Honor, Legacy to Defend” Event in Brazil

7.Climate Change

Burning fossil fuels, in combination with destruction of carbon sinks due to deforestation and other activities, has contributed to more and more carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere – more than can be absorbed from existing carbon sinks such as forests. The build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is driving global warming, as it traps heat in the lower atmosphere. Carbon dioxide levels are now at their highest in human history. As climate change affects global weather patterns, warmer and dryer periods will bring new stresses and make yearly fire seasons even more devastating. The decreased resilience of these ecosystems accelerates the Amazon’s decline.

8.Armed Corruption

Intimidation tactics coupled with the lack of sufficient enforcement to curb illegal activities erodes the Amazon’s precious and finite resource base. Armed guards’ raids intimidate local communities instilling fear in the society unable to live in harmony with their environment.

9.Racial Disparities 

Environmental exploitation affects Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) more since it exacerbates existing inequalities in society that are often shaped by racism and racial disparities. Protecting the vulnerable communities in the Amazon requires an approach that considers the most impacted tribal and native communities displaced by exploiters as the ultimate solution. Scientists, environmentalists, and racial justice advocates agree that the best way to overcome the environmental crisis is by giving the BIPOC the rights they deserve not just empowering and listening to the Indigenous communities but putting them front and center of the dialogue. 

10. Short-sighted Politicians 

Democratic leaders are limited in their term and capacity to reach targets and reduce CO2 emissions. Climate change poses a great challenge for democracy. If greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, the impact on populations, infrastructure and nature will be dire, while governing systems and democratic frameworks will be brought under severe stress.