What are the human uses of the Amazon River?

Question

What are the human uses of the Amazon River?

Answer

The Amazon River serves multiple human uses, ranging from economic activities to cultural practices. These uses have significant impacts on the environment and biodiversity of the region.

Economic uses of the Amazon River include:

Agriculture and Cattle Ranching: The Amazon River basin has been extensively used for agriculture and cattle ranching, leading to significant deforestation and land cover changes since the 1970s (Souza-Filho et al., 2016; Alho, Reis and Aquino, 2015).

Mining: Mining activities, particularly in regions like the Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon, have led to habitat fragmentation and water quality degradation (De Sousa et al., 2022).

Fisheries: The Amazon River supports subsistence and commercial fisheries, which are crucial for local economies. However, these fisheries are threatened by overfishing and environmental changes (Alho, Reis and Aquino, 2015; Mosquera-Guerra et al., 2022).

Cultural and traditional uses include:

Traditional practices: The Amazon River dolphins are used in traditional and medicinal practices, although this has led to concerns about their population decline due to unsustainable practices (Mosquera-Guerra et al., 2022).

Historical human settlement: The river has been a focal point for human settlement and activity for thousands of years, influencing the landscape and biodiversity through agriculture and other land uses (McMichael and Bush, 2019; Bush et al., 2015).

Environmental and ecological impacts include:

Biodiversity: The Amazon River is home to immense biodiversity, but human activities such as deforestation, mining, and pollution have led to habitat loss and decreased biodiversity (De Sousa et al., 2022; Silva et al., 2024).

Hydrological changes: Human-induced changes, such as deforestation and river modifications, have altered the hydrology of the Amazon, affecting flood dynamics and water quality (Souza-Filho et al., 2016; Coomes, Abizaid and Lapointe, 2009).

The Amazon River is integral to the livelihoods and cultures of the people in the region, supporting agriculture, fisheries, and traditional practices. However, these uses have led to significant environmental impacts, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, and changes in water quality and hydrology. Sustainable management and conservation efforts are crucial to balance human needs with ecological preservation.

References

1. Souza-Filho, P., De Souza, E., Júnior, R., Nascimento, W., De Mendonça, B., Guimarães, J., Dall’Agnol, R., & Siqueira, J., 2016. Four decades of land-cover, land-use and hydroclimatology changes in the Itacaiúnas River watershed, southeastern Amazon.. Journal of environmental management, 167, pp. 175-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.11.039
2. De Sousa, R., Silva, G., Bazzan, T., De La Torre, F., Nebo, C., Siqueira-Silva, D., Cardoso-Silva, S., Pompêo, M., De Paiva, T., Da Silva, F., & Da Silva, D., 2022. Connections among Land Use, Water Quality, Biodiversity of Aquatic Invertebrates, and Fish Behaviour in Amazon Rivers. Toxics, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10040182
3. Alho, C., Reis, R., & Aquino, P., 2015. Amazonian freshwater habitats experiencing environmental and socioeconomic threats affecting subsistence fisheries. Ambio, 44, pp. 412 – 425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0610-z
4. Mosquera-Guerra, F., Trujillo, F., Pérez-Torres, J., Mantilla-Meluk, H., Franco-León, N., Paschoalini, M., Valderrama, M., Oviedo, J., Campbell, E., Alfaro‐Shigueto, J., Mena, J., Mangel, J., Gilleman, C., Zumba, M., Briceño, Y., Valencia, K., Torres-Forero, P., Sánchez, L., Ferrer, A., Barreto, S., Van Damme, P., & Armenteras-Pascual, D., 2022. Strategy to Identify Areas of Use of Amazon River dolphins. **, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.838988
5. McMichael, C., & Bush, M., 2019. Spatiotemporal patterns of pre-Columbian people in Amazonia. Quaternary Research, 92, pp. 53 – 69. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.152
6. Silva, D., Silva, G., Siqueira-Silva, D., Bazzan, T., Silva, H., Silva, M., Bérgamo, A., Freitas, J., Porfírio, A., Pelegrini, G., & Araújo, C., 2024. A multi-evidence approach in an Amazonian River based on land use, water quality, histopathological effects and habitat selection behaviour in fish.. Chemosphere, pp. 142492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142492
7. Bush, M., McMichael, C., Piperno, D., Silman, M., Barlow, J., Peres, C., Power, M., & Palace, M., 2015. Anthropogenic influence on Amazonian forests in pre‐history: An ecological perspective. Journal of Biogeography, 42. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12638
8. Coomes, O., Abizaid, C., & Lapointe, M., 2009. Human Modification of a Large Meandering Amazonian River: Genesis, Ecological and Economic Consequences of The Masisea Cutoff on the Central Ucayali, Peru. **, 38, pp. 130 – 134. https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447-38.3.130
9. Harvey, C. 2023. One Third of the Amazon Has Been Degraded by Human Activities. Scientific American. [Online]. [21 November 2023]. Available from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/one-third-of-the-amazon-has-been-degraded-by-human-activities/

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