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Lesson 3, Ex.2

Interviewer: There is no doubt that the Amazon rainforest is very important for the environment. But it is thought that an area bigger than France has been cut down since the 1970s, and recently trees are being cut down at an even more worrying rate.

Rosa Lemos de Sa: The Amazon rainforest is being given extra protection now, because the Brazilian government is worried about how quickly it is being destroyed. Politicians have decided they’ve got to do more to stop people illegally cutting down trees in the forest.

I: The Amazon forest is known as ‘the lungs of the world’. Why?

R: This is because the trees breathe in gases like carbon dioxide – which are harmful to us – and breathe out oxygen, cleaning the air for us. Deforestation in this area is likely to increase the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

I: Some experts say that forests depletion is also increasing ozone in the atmosphere and making people short of breath.

R: Fortunately, it’s a myth. Ozone depletion is happening due to chemicals (CFCs) released into the atmosphere by people. And deforestation is not making people short of breath as there is enough oxygen in the air to breathe.

I: 7.5 million hectares of rainforest are being cut down each year to make space for growing cattle and crops and for sale – that makes 20 football pitches every minute.

R: Human activities have made a terrible impact on the environment in the region. If people hadn’t cut down the trees to develop agriculture, the soil wouldn’t have become unable to produce good crops. Together with the trees, a huge number of species of plants and animals have disappeared, that could be useful to people in the future. If the habitat for wildlife hadn’t been lost, hunting wouldn’t have become more difficult for the local people and their cultures wouldn’t have been lost.

I: What can be done to protect rainforests?

R: You may think that it is just necessary to stop people cutting down trees. However, it’s not as simple as that. Most of the countries that have rainforests are poor and have high rates of population growth. They’re just trying to make some money.

I: So what do you think should have been done by the local authorities?

R: If a mixture of different crops and trees had been planted together, the soils would have stayed fertile. And if wildlife reserves had been set up, more money could have been made through tourism. It’s never too late to start making changes, though. The prices for rainforest products should be increased, sales of hard wood should be banned, damage caused by machinery should be reduced and traditions of the local people must be respected.