The Effects Of Deforestation In The Amazon

Indigenous peoples have been taken advantage of by large institutions throughout history. Modern development has created a new set of issues for these people to overcome. Deforestation in the Amazon region highlights the struggle between progress towards a modern world and the grief it causes for the world’s indigenous populations that occupy the land in question. Progress or modernization is often used to justify the negative actions of powerful corporations, while those effected are left to start anew, with no assistance from those who put them in this position. Indigenous social structures are at risk and their peoples are deeply disadvantaged through deforestation. Native populations tend to live off the land; deforestation destroys the
Progress, development and modernization are to be defined as the processes of changing something to adapt to modern needs. The Indigenous peoples referred to are those populations that have historically occupied regions in the Amazon and are culturally distinct from other peoples in the area. The Amazon Forest region ranges across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and contains a portion of the Amazon River. Deforestation is any conversion of naturally forested land to non-forested area. Historically, indigenous peoples have occupied this land without much interruption. The new desire for development in this area will impact these peoples
Indigenous peoples have inhabited the Amazon region for thousands of years. Losing this land would cause chaos throughout their social structures. An entire population would be evacuated from their historical land and displaced. The native communities will not become obsolete, nor will they be able to relocate. The loss they face will be one of culture, tradition and community. The native identity is rooted in the connection they have to their land. It is extremely difficult to pass on tradition to future generations without the land lived on by previous generations. The cultural traditions, beliefs and sustenance patterns that make up the history of native civilization will be lost. They have made it their mission to create public concern surrounding the loss of forested land, gaining much support from environmentalists (Milliken, 245). Through displacement, these communities will have to diverge and assimilate to urban ways of life. The adaptation to Western life usually brings about new issues, this is noticed in the Residential School System. Numbers of those living under the poverty line increases; giving rise to disease, drugs, alcohol, etc. As emphasized by Stephens, “Following a common pattern, her life history interweaves her own memories of hunger, neglect, loneliness and violence endured while at residential