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.
Beautiful because it captures the whole rainforest and the beauty with the colors and everything.
2. Click on Overview and review the information, including the visuals. List the 8 nations that the
Amazon rainforest is located in.
- Brazil
- Columbia
-

Bolivia

- Venezuela

Peru

- Guyana

Ecuador

- 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?
- Latitude
- Rainfall
-

Local soil

- Prevailing Temperature

4. What makes rainforests special?

The wide variety of species and food and the way the diverse group of animals survive off of eachother.
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 46-48 million square miles are lost each year
b. Amazon 17% has been destroyed
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. Rainforest provide for our everyday needs. Due to deforestation we lose more and more
resources each year.
b. Forest trees and other plants soak carbon dioxide and store it. Which we need it to make it into
oxygen to breathe and survive.
c. Many diverse species and deforestation will cause the animals to become extinct.
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
Giant Panda
It is a peaceful creature, with a distinct white and black coat of fur. The panda has
been on the WWF logo since 1961. Eats anywhere from 26-85 lbs of bamboo a
day. Rarest of the bear family. When born it is the size of butter.
Tree Kangaroo
They were discovered in 1990. It has a chestnut brown coat with a light belly
patch and double stripe of gold down their back. This species is rare and is

Animal

Description
coming close to endangerment due to all the deforestation.
Malayan Tiger
They are found in the Malayan Peninsula. Has been established as endangered in
2008. They are known for their black gold and white coat. Along with they see no
difference between them and the Indochinese Tigers.
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?
About 1 million and have 400 different groups. They all have acquired their own language, culture, and
territory.
9. To what extent have they had contact with outsiders? Explain your response.
Depending on their location they might have had some sort of contact. The closer out of the forest they have and
the farther in the forest they have not had contact with outsiders.
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.
My Life
Wake up
Take shower
Come to tech school
Come to PW
Go home and eat
Watch TV
Go to bed
Tribes life
No electricity
Hunt their food
No educational system

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.
Land is important to them because thats their home. Theyre comfortable there with hunting their food and then
finding more resources to accommodate them and their lives. And when we as the outsiders go and destroy their
land we dont look good. Mostly because were taking away their resources and their everyday life.
12. Do you think most Americans agree with the viewpoint expressed by the woman in the video clip? Explain.
No, because we dont necessarily care about any other cultures then ours only because it wouldnt benefit us
in any type of way. And for us to just blatantly ignore others and their way of life is quiet pathetic and shows
our lack of interest in learning others peoples way of life/
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
Landowners who own more than 500 are
Brazil is to target smallholders to control

Mining/Drilling

Crime

responsible for more than 48%of the

deforestation.
Big companies want to drill in parts of the
amazon.
Companies are illegally trying to cut down
hidden trees.

deforestation.
Tribes that are not happy with what
companies are trying to do causing them to
put their lives on the line to preserve their
lands.
There should be laws to limit deforestation.
There are not enough laws set in place to
save and preserve the forest.

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?
Some challenges that could happen due to the stadium they want to build. Numerous protest have been
occurring because they believe the stadium is too close to the amazon and a lot of people feel strongly
against destruction against the amazon. They would much rather not have any more destruction to the
amazon compared what is already done.
15. How did the regions emphasis on environmental protection influence the stadium project?
There have been eco-friendly elements applied to the stadium such as the fact that both sunlight and wind
will be harnessed for power.