# Presentation: 578667

## REGIONAL SLIDES

**REGIONAL SLIDES**

## LATIN AMERICA

- Santa Cruz, Bolivia
- Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras
- Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Iguazú, South America
- Rondonia, Brazil
- Valdivian, Chile
- Brasilia, Brazil
- Santiago, Chile
- Yungay, Peru
- Escondida, Chile

**LATIN AMERICA**

## LATIN AMERICA

-  Latin America is very rich in water resources; the region contains four of the world’s 25 largest rivers—the Amazon, Paraná, Orinoco and Magdalena

-  20%of global runoff—the renewable water source that constitutes fresh water supply—comes from the Amazon Basin

-  The highest absolute forest loss is taking place in Brazil

**LATIN AMERICA**

-  6 of the 9 hotspots rich in bird biodiversity are in Latin America – richest is the Andes (2 139 species) and Amazon basin is second (961 species)

-  Mining has had a long history in Chile and Peru and now accounts for more than 6% of each country's GDP

*Sources: GEO 2006; Mines and Communities 2005*

## Conversion of forests to farmlands in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

-  1975: Forested landscape

-  2003: Large corporate agricultural fields transform the landscape

**Notes:**
Santa Cruz is situated in Bolivia’s rich, fertile lowlands, a region highly suitable for agriculture. In the 1975 satellite image, the region’s forested landscape appears as a dense, essentially unbroken expanse of deep green that extends to the Rio Grande (Guapay) River. By 1986 (inset image), roads had been built that linked the region to other population centers. As a result, large numbers of people migrated to the area. A large agricultural development effort (the Tierras Baja project) led to widespread deforestation as forests were clear-cut and converted to pastures and cropland. By 2003, almost the entire region had been converted to agricultural lands, including the area east of La Esperanza across the river. In the area north and west of Los Cafes (upper left), notice the grid of squares on the landscape, each with an internal star-shaped pattern. At the center of each square is a small community.

## Shrimp farms replacing mangroves in Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras

- 1987-1999: shrimp farms and ponds have mushroomed, carpeting the landscape around the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras, in blocks of blue and black shapes

**Notes:**
Honduras is second only to Ecuador in the production and export of cultured shrimp from Latin America. Vast areas of the delta have been converted into farms for the cultivation of shrimp. The rapid growth of shrimp aquaculture in Honduras has caused both environmental and social problems. Shrimp farmers are depriving fishers, farmers and others of access to mangroves, estuaries and seasonal lagoons; destroying mangrove ecosystems, altering the hydrology of the region, destroying the habitats of other flora and fauna and precipitating declines in biodiversity; contributing to degraded water quality; and exacerbating the decline in Gulf fisheries through the indiscriminate capture of other species caught with the shrimp post larvae that are used to stock ponds. These two images provide a visual comparison of the increase in coverage by shrimp farms in the Gulf of Fonseca over time. It is evident from the images that between 1987 and 1999, a period of about 12 years, the total area under shrimp farming has increased tremendously.

## Changes in Ecuador’s largest sea port: Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador

- Ecuador’s primary city and largest sea port

- 1985-2000: Loss of mangrove and growth of aquaculture can be seen

**Notes:**
Guayaquil is Ecuador’s largest city and primary sea port. It is located on the Guayas
River, which empties into the huge Gulf of Guayaquil along the country’s southern coastline. Throughout the Gulf, mangroves have been steadily converted to shrimp aquaculture ponds for producing farmed shrimp. In a 15-year period, coastal area developed for shrimp aquaculture grew by approximately 30 per cent, from 90 000 hectares (222 395 acres) in 1984 to 118 000 hectares (291 584 acres) in 2000 (CLIRSEN 2000). Roughly 70 per cent of Ecuador’s shrimp farming activities are located in the Gulf of Guayaquil.  In this pair of satellite images, the loss of mangroves and growth of the aquaculture industry can be seen along the coast and in the altered dendritic patterns (branching like a tree) of coastal waterways, especially those on the large island of Puna. Mangroves provide fish breeding grounds and wildlife habitat, act as natural barriers against storm surge, and filter groundwater.  Converting mangroves to aquaculture ponds has wide-reaching environmental implications.

## Visible changes in Iguazú National ParkSouth America

- Visible changes in Iguazú National ParkSouth America

-  1973: Forest cover is extensive throughout the region

-  2003: Extensive deforestation in Paraguay

**Notes:**
Iguazú National Park, located in Argentina near its borders with Brazil and Paraguay, contains remnants of the highly endangered Paranaense Rain Forest. Isolated from other rain forests by natural barriers, the Paranaense developed a distinct and highly diverse ecosystem with thousands of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians unique to the area. The famous Iguazú Falls are located within the boundaries of the National Park and are shared by Argentina and Brazil. Between1973 and 2003, dramatic changes to the landscape occurred in this region. In 1973 the forested area spread across the borders of the three nations. By 2003, however, large areas of the forest in Paraguay and Brazil, and smaller amounts in Argentina, had been converted to other forms of land cover, creating a mosaic of diff erently colored land use areas. Note the variation in land cover patterns among the different countries—reflections of different land use polices and practices.

## Changes in tropical forests of RondoniaBrazil

- Changes in tropical forests of RondoniaBrazil

-  1975 -Healthy natural vegetation

-  1989 -“Fishbone” pattern on the landscape indicate agriculture fields

-  2001 -Agriculture continues to replace forest cover

**Notes:**
Approximately 30 per cent of the world’s tropical forests are found in Brazil. In a continuing effort to decentralize the Brazilian population and exploit undeveloped regions, government constructed the Cuiaba-Port Velho highway through the province of Rondônia. Completed in 1960, the road serves as the access route for infrastructural development in the region, previously occupied solely by indigenous people. In 1975, the region was still relatively pristine, with much of the forest intact. By 1989, the distinctive fishbone pattern of forest exploitation had appeared and by 2001 had expanded dramatically. The highway has become a major transportation route for immigrant farmers seeking income-producing opportunities. Migration into the area continues unabated.

## Regular monitoring of Amazon Rainforest

- Almost one fifth of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared. 26,000 sq km August 2003 to August 2004 alone; 6% higher than the previous 12 months

- Deforestation was worst in the state of Mato Grosso

## Forest plantation effort decreases native forests in Valdivian, Chile 

- Forest plantation effort decreases native forests in Valdivian, Chile

- Small scale logging of native forests, livestock and agriculture have been replaced by large scale timber production

-  1975-2001: Show changes in land use during the last 30 years

**Notes:**
Chile has been recently considered as one of the most economically competitive countries in Latin America. Rapid growth in Chile’s production and export of forest products is based on the expansion and management of exotic species forest plantations in the last 30 years. However, some studies have demonstrated that such expansion of forest plantation has produced a decrease in native forests in the south central region of the country. These two Landsat, MSS and ETM scenes taken in 1975 and 2001, respectively, show changes in land use during the last 30 years. Many endangered tree and shrub species have been affected] by this change, which has also led to a dramatic reduction of landscape diversity as well as goods and services from forestlands. The traditional landuse practices of small-scale logging of native forests, livestock and agriculture have been replaced by large-scale timber production that puts endemic endangered tree and shrub species at risk.

## Unplanned growth of Brasilia, Brazil

- 1973-2001: Unplanned urban development resulted in a collection of urban “satellites” around the city

**Notes:**
Inaugurated on 21 April 1960, Brazil’s new capital of Brasilia began with a population of 140 000 and a master plan for carefully controlled growth and development that would limit the city to 500 000. Urban planner Lucio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer intended that every element—from the layout of the residential and administrative districts to the symmetry of the buildings themselves— should act in harmony with the city’s overall design. This consisted of a birdshaped core with residential areas situated between the encircling “arms” of Lake Paranoá. The city was a landmark in town planning and was recognized as a World Heritage site in 1987.  As these images reveal, unplanned urban developments arose at Brasilia’s fringes resulting in a collection of urban “satellites” around the city. Several new reservoirs have been constructed since Brasilia’s birth, but the National Park of Brasilia stands out as a densely vegetated expanse of dark green that has remained relatively unchanged. In 1970, the population of Brasilia and its satellites was roughly 500 000. The population now exceeds 2 000 000.

## Home to more than one-third of country’s population – Santiago, Chile

- The explosive growth of Santiago urban area

**Notes:**
Santiago, the capital of Chile, is home to more than one-third of the country’s total population of 15 million. Santiago’s rapid growth is part of a national trend, but it is also a reflection of the large numbers of immigrants who are moving into the city. Santiago’s population growth has led to a horizontal expansion of the city, principally towards the south and southeast. Chilean urban scholars speak of this expansion as the “urban stain” that continually exceeds and expands the limits of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago (MRS) while incorporating previously rural areas into it. Characteristics of Santiago’s urban sprawl are haphazard growth, low-density housing, poor transportation, and air pollution. In the time frame illustrated by these images, Santiago’s population has nearly doubled.

## City buried by an avalancheYungay, Peru 

- City buried by an avalancheYungay, Peru

- Earthquake triggers Avalanche, buries a city

- Scars of the events are still visible today

**Notes:**
Andean glaciers have long been involved in numerous avalanches, which have caused considerable material losses and casualties by the thousands. The events of 1962 and 1970, originating from Mt. Huascarán’s northern summit, were particularly deadly. On 31 May 1970, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake triggered a huge avalanche, 25 km (16 miles) long and moving at 280 km/h (174 mph), which wiped out the city of Yungay, claiming 18 000 lives. The scars are still visible today. Ice retreat has induced the formation of numerous peri-glacial lakes, dammed only by fragile moraine deposits. Subject to erosion, these walls may collapse, triggering fl ash floods—another threat for the local population.

## Earthquake ruined an entire cityYungay, Peru

- Earthquake ruined an entire cityYungay, Peru

- 1970: Earthquake wipes out Yungay, claims 18,000 lives

## Escondida – world’s largest copper mineChile

- Escondida – world’s largest copper mineChile

-  1989: Shows impoundments (white patch in the lower left corner

-  2003: Shows growth and expansion of the mine

**Notes:**
Located at an elevation of 3 050 m (10 006 ft), Chile’s Escondida Mine is an open-pit copper, gold, and silver mine and also the largest copper mine in the world. Isolated in the barren, arid Atacama Desert in the country’s far north, the Escondida Mine relies heavily on external well fields for the water used in its mining operations. Unlike similar mining operations, however, Escondida has a redeveloped tailings impoundment, which appears on the 1989 image as a white patch in the lower left corner. Impoundments of this type help reduce water consumption and enhance water conservation, two areas where mining activities typically fall short. The Escondida Mine also minimizes the impact of its operation on the environment by means of a 170-km-long (106 miles) underground pipeline that carries copper concentrate slurry from the mine to the port of Coloso. This underground scheme is efficient and ecologically sound, as the copper travels downhill without disrupting the environment. The 2003 image shows how the Escondida Mine has grown and expanded while at the same time continues to minimize negative impacts from its mining operations on the environment.

## Thank You!

- One Planet Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment

**Thank You!**

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- www.Earthprint.com

**LATIN AMERICA**