Wood extraction in Amazon
Wood extraction can be made using cultivated trees or native ones.
In the first case, trees are cultivated, mainly, in areas where the native rainforest was totally harvested. This activity is implement in reforested areas, that is, in areas where trees are introduced and farmed to posterior use, providing materials to industries, like resins, essences, cellulose for the paper production, wood for a variety of uses, etc. Reforestation uses non-native species, like pinnus species, pine trees and eucalyptus.In the second case, the extractivist activity uses native wood and is usually responsible for great damage to the environment, promoting deforestation in large areas, with serious consequences to the soil, fauna species and, also, for the disappearance of plant species. It provokes ecological unbalance and serious alterations in the ecosystems. This destruction is made by a lot of companies, and the main species harvested are: mahogany, cerejeira Barbados, wood cherry, peroba and Brazil-nut tree. Their scientific names are, respectively, Swietenia macrophylla, Amburana acreana, Aspidosperma discolor and Bertholleta excelsa. Brazilian legislation prohibit Brazil-nut tree harvest, but it has not been saved. This is an example of non-conservationist exploitation.
In contrast to those kind of exploitation, we found Extractive Reserves in some areas. Extractive Reserves are land spaces set aside for sustainable use and conservation of renewable natural resources by extractive populations. In these areas it is possible to carry out sustainable development, balancing ecological and social interests of local populations. This is an example of conservationist exploitation.
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