Wealth Creation vs Conservation

The Amazon rainforest spans over 2.1 million square miles covering regions of Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana and Suriname. It isn't breaking news that the rainforest is being deforested at a rapid and rising rate, but what might be are the effects it is having for the Brazilian economy in particular. With Brazil's rapid growth over the last decade the pressure is on to sustain this growth if not improve it, but in order to do so there has to be an opportunity cost, which in this case is deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. The Brazilian government are integrating policies to tackle economic issues such as income inequality and poverty through schemes like Bolsa Familia which has painted a very prosperous future for the Brazilian people. However for the Amazon rainforest the future looks rather bleak. 

One of the most common uses of the deforested areas is for farming and human settlement, which in turn have created wealth for the new human inhabitants of the once dense jungle. These settlements and farm land have enabled new businesses to open therefore raising employment especially among some of the poorest which has resulted in rising incomes. These incomes have then been used to buy property and other assets so overall it has created wealth in Brazil. 

On the flip side creating this wealth has destroyed a precious treasure of South America. The Amazon is rich of many species of all kinds and many undiscovered species, which makes it a very popular tourist attraction but its not only damaging Brazil, the whole world is affected. The massive population of trees are vital in tackling the issue of global warming as they use up carbon dioxide from the

atmosphere therefore removing greenhouse gases.

So Brazil faces this dilemma: do you conserve the rainforest and protect the planet or do you create wealth for the people and protect your economy? Unfortunately its one or the other.