Blog 1:As Roads Spread in Rainforests, The Environmental Toll Grows

Roads all over the world from the Amazon to Brazil, in North America, India, China, and Siberia have been a problem lately. In the tropical forests, roads are the biggest factor of tropical forest destruction. The roads will be cutting down forest where there are habitats. Also they are using lumber and not replacing it fast enough with new trees creating more greenhouse emission. Through the government and local residents’ eyes, these roads are an economic development that can help easier access to the natural resource that the county provides but also easier to get to local markets and for medical service to be provided. But are the trees being cut down in the habitats of animals that bring these animals with close contact with the roads and promotes a large mortality rate. Even if these areas were not being destroyed entirely, slight damage to the forest would cause major damage to the animals by throwing off the nesting place or migratory patterns.

I believe that this is a very major deal for the land and the animals to be affected this greatly. As an environmental study major, I have learned that even though there has been damage done, people tend to fit the needs of themselves first before they would think about the environment.  With the world hooked up on the natural resources and it being in such high demand, the fact that only trees are standing in the way would not be enough for the government to hold off. People are also in need of medical care and, where that is important, they are forgetting that with the more destruction they create the sicker they will get. They are also destroying the more natural ways to cure people in the tropical forest. This is the animals’ home and we do not want our home to be destroyed so why are we killing off animals just for our pure selfishness. 

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/as_roads_spread_in_tropical_rain_forests_environmental_toll_grows/2485/