They grow vegetables in the clearing for a few years, then abandon it and move on. After two or three crops have been taken up from a plot of land the store of nutrients is used up and crop yields become very low. When the tree canopy is removed the fierce heat of the sun dries and hardens the soil and the torrential rain washes it away. Mining Many rainforests are rich in oil deposits and mineral reserves such as bauxite, coal, copper, diamonds, gold, iron ore, kaolin, nickel, tin and uranium. While mining is a minor cause of deforestation, land is cleared for access and the mines are often in areas which are the only habitats of certain plant and animal species, so the small amount of deforestation can cause a disproportionate amount of damage.
Mining often releases poisonous wastes into rivers destroying the animal and plant life.
It exposes the soil to erosion and affects the local and global climate. For thousands of years rainforests have been home for people who until recently have had little contact with the outside world. Many of these people still live in primitive conditions untouched by outside influences and live off the natural resources of the rainforest. However, developers see rainforests as unoccupied land and the rights of forest dwellers are often ignored. The destruction of the rainforests forces them off their land and many have died from diseases against which they have little or no defence.