The Amazon Rainforest Internet Assignment

Purpose: This assignments goal is to expose you to basic facts about the Amazon rainforest as well as
introduce you to some of the wildlife and people that live inside it. You will also understand how the rainforest
affects the nations and people of South America and how it is facing unique challenges in the modern world.
Part I (Overview): Use www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon and follow the directions carefully to
complete this assignment.
1. Review the photograph. Choose one descriptive word (adjective) that comes to mind and explain how it
relates to the image.
2. Click on Overview and review the information, including the visuals. List the 8 nations that the
Amazon rainforest is located in.
Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname
3. Click on Forest Habitat and review the information there, including the visuals. A forest can vary based
on several factors. What are these four factors?
Depending on their latitude, local soil, and rainfall and prevailing temperatures.
4. What makes rainforests special?
They provide habitat for a vast array of plants and animals. They protect our watersheds. They inspire
wonder and provide places for recreation. They supply the oxygen we need to survive. They provide the
timber for products we use every day.
5. Worldwide, how quickly is deforestation occurring? How quickly is it occurring in the Amazon? Use
statistics from the reading to explain your answer.
a. Worldwide Some 46-58 million square miles of forest are lost each yearequivalent to 36
football fields every minute
b. Amazon The Amazon lost at least 17% of its forest cover in the last half century due to human
activity.
6. Scroll down to the Why They Matter section. Scroll through the three images and review the captions.
List and explain why rainforests matter.
a. Unique Biodiversity
b. People Depend on the Forests
c. Carbon Sink
7. Return to the main page (www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon) and scroll down to the Species section.
Choose three animals found in the Amazon and describe them in the chart.
Animal
Description
Red Panda
The red panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat with a bear-like body and
thick russet fur. Red pandas are very skillful and acrobatic animals that
predominantly stay in trees. Red pandas are herbivores and live primarily in
Himalayas

Animal
Chimpanzee

Jaguar

Description
In their habitat in the forests of central Africa, chimpanzees spend most of their
days in the tree tops. They live in the Congo Basin and Chimps travels on two
Legs like humans.
Jaguars are strong swimmers and climbers and require large areas of tropical rain
forest and stretches of riverbank to survive. Jaguars can get up to 6 feet in length.
Jaguars are carnivores. Jaguars are getting hunted witch is a sad issue.

Part II (Native Peoples): Use www.survivalinternational.org/about/amazontribes to learn about the native

peoples of the Amazon rainforest.
8. How many people live in the Amazon rainforest, and how are they organized?
There is about One million Indians living in the Amazon. They are divided into about 400 tribes, each with its
own language, culture and territory.
9. To what extent have they had contact with outsiders? Explain your response.
Many have had little to no Contact with outsiders in over 500 years, this is probably because they want to keep
their culture preserved and they probably couldnt talk to the outsiders anyway due to them speaking different
languages.
10. Create a t-chart that compares and contrasts your daily life with that of the people of the Amazon. Include
at least four points of comparison.
Compare- We both have access to Health Care, Sometimes I will help grow food with my mom in a garden
similar to hoe they grow their own food.
Contrast- I am not nomadic and I stay in one place, I dont rely on hunting for food
11. Why are land rights so important to the Amazon tribes? Read the text and watch the video clip in the Land
= Life section to answer this question.
The land rights are so important to the Amazon tribes because they have dyed fighting for land. Its important to
the Amazon tribes because they have lived on the land for so long that it is really important to them and they
want to pass it down to their children.

12. Do you think most Americans agree with the viewpoint expressed by the woman in the video clip? Explain.
I dont think that Americans care that much about the viewpoint expressed by the woman in the video clip
because Americans are rude and only care about industrialization and making things modern.

Part III (Current Challenges): Use www.theguardian.com/environment/amazon-rainforest to research

some of the current challenges facing the Amazon rainforest. Please be mature in handling photographs of
native people, as their dress is quite different from ours!
13. Choose articles that interest you about each of the topics in the chart. Read them and complete the chart.
Challenge
Impact (2 sentences)
Possible Solutions (2 sentences)
Deforestation
Deforestation leaves many impacts, such as We can prevent Deforestation by passing
the biodiversity has no place to live. The
laws to stop the entering of illegal wood
trees help to create oxygen that we need to
into America. Also the Cooperations can
survive. The forest also absorb the carbon
make impacts by using zero-deforestation
emission which is needed.
policies.

Mining/Drilling

Mining and Drilling impacts the animals in

the forest from pollution. Mining and
Drilling also impacts the water because the
water becomes all polluted.

Crime

The crime is going up over conflicts with

land or mining. Criminal gangs were
destroying the Rainforest by burning it
down and selling the land.

Protesting against Mining and Drilling

could persuade them that it is impacting the
Rainforest. They could be Mining and
Drilling in a different area so it doesnt
affect the animals and water.
There could be more officials helping to
protect the Rainforest. They would arrest
the gang members to control to stop the
destroying of the Rainforest.

14. Go to edition.cnn.com/2013/07/25/sport/football/football-brazil-world-cup-manaus/index.html and

review the article there. What challenges did the rainforest pose for Brazil in its efforts to prepare for the
2014 World Cup?
The challenges that the Rainforest had on the efforts to prepare for the 2014 World Cup were that that had to
build the entire stadium in time. They had some parts of the stadium were built in different areas such as
South Brazil, Portugal, and Germany. Building was a problem because of the intense rainy seasons they had.
15. How did the regions emphasis on environmental protection influence the stadium project?
They made the stadium so that the Rain water could water the field to save on water. The Stadium uses the
wind and sunlight to help power the stadium. The Indigenous Tribes like the eco-friendly stadium and how
it works.