Protecting the Amazon

The Amazon rainforest is both a biodiversity hotspot and home to an estimated 30% of the world’s plant and animal species and plays an important role in the global climate. Unfortunately, nearly 75% of the rainforest has been degraded over the past several decades. From slash-and-burn clearing for agriculture to wholesale cutting for cattle ranching, human activities are threatening to push the Amazon rainforest past its tipping point, ultimately converting it to a carbon source instead of a carbon sink. There are, however, a number of ongoing attempts to slow the loss of the Amazon rainforest and support its recovery. You’ll consider three potential approaches: developing a carbon credit market, encouraging silvopasturing agricultural techniques, and expanding conservation efforts through ecotourism. Your challenge is to identify an approach that will not only protect large swaths of threatened Amazon rainforest in the face of ongoing climate change but will also support local communities.