Your task is to develop a plan to improve the living conditions of those living in the rainforests.

You have carefully read and viewed all of the material in our “Brazil” file on ReggieNet. This information has given you insight into the lives of those living in the rainforests. As an expert and activist on conditions in the rainforest, you have been called to be a consultant for the Brazilian government. Past actions, as documented by the authors and filmmakers of the materials in our ReggieNet files, seriously impacted both Brazil’s international reputation, as well as the human rights of those living in the rainforest.

Your task is to develop a plan to improve the living conditions of those living in the rainforests. This assignment asks you to develop an action plan:

-What are the key problems faced by diverse peoples living in the rainforest?

-What solutions do you recommend?

-What social services are needed, and how/where will you provide such?

-What limitations and problems do you foresee in the provision of these services, particularly given the current political crisis in Brazil?

No works cited page needs to be included.

just in-text citations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiIicag_K9w

https://illstu.kanopy.com/product/eternal-amazon-amazonia-eterna

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-05-18/virus-heads-upriver-in-brazil-amazon-sickens-native-people

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/02/amazon-fires-brazil-rainforest-bolsonaro-destruction?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/in-the-amazon-the-coronavirus-fuels-an-illegal-gold-rush–and-an-environmental-crisis/2020/09/03/0a4c62e6-e624-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html

ANSWER

Improving the lives of Amazon Rainforest Inhabitants

The Amazon rainforest, located in the heart of Brazil, is the world’s largest rainforest. The beautiful and serene environment, characterized by tall trees and indigenous species, is also home to over 30 million people. The people are diverse, and each belongs to different tribes, preferring to stick to their traditional cultures and way of life. The amazon rainforest stretches for 5.5 million square kilometers, and in it passes the world’s second-longest river. The forest is also a hotspot of pure gold that has been exploited as part of boosting the country’s economy. However, the splendor of the amazon rainforest harbors its fair share of problems. Amid the spread of the devastating COVID19, problems associated with this ‘outside’ world are beginning to show. This essay will analyze the problems faced by the diverse people living in the amazon, possible solutions, and analyze the social services needed to survive these indigenous tribes.

Key problems

The first key problem for the diverse people living in the amazon rainforest is access to healthcare (Landau & Phillips, 2020). According to an article published in the Los Angeles Times, there are very few hospitals to cater for them with such a huge population. The spread of the COVID_19 pandemic has been devastating for them, and many have resorted to the traditional medicine of inhaling smoke from burning herbs as a way of treatment. The indigenous people from the 44 tribes have to travel through the thick plantation for many miles to access the one hospital located downriver in Manaus. The hospital is not only understaffed but also only has ten ventilators available to cater to critical patients. This is such a small number for a disease that affected over 100 000 people, as 11 were feared dead.

The COVID-19 testing kits are also few to cover the large population to keep track of its spread (Landau & Phillips, 2020). The lack of necessary and important medical facilities during the pandemic has seen over 2.2 million people migrating to a different part of the country for better medical care and attention. Those remaining have to travel for miles to meet government officials who give them food and medical supplies. However, these supplies keep getting rationed, and sometimes the government people fail to show up. The thick underground cover poses as a limiting factor for the government to reach the people in time. As a result, medical emergencies are not catered in time, leading to people succumbing if the traditional healing methods do not work.

Another problem that these people face is the constant wildfires that quickly destroy the trees and plantations (Landau & Phillips, 2020). Wildfires are a huge challenge for many rainforests, and the Brazilian government finds it hard to keep up with amazon fires. For instance, by September 2020, the country had recorded 29 307 fires in the rainforest, making it the highest number of fires since 1998 (Landau & Phillips, 2020). These fires are mainly caused by human activity, especially those engaging in illegal logging. The fires are also sometimes caused by the local population, with an accident or cooking fire left burning quickly spreads across the forest. The emergency helicopters belonging to the government often fail to show up in time to extinguish the fires, therefore forcing the local people to migrate and such for different homes. Such migrations are normally not welcomed, as some hostile tribes do not like the idea of cohabitating with other tribes. In worst scenarios, those who fail to migrate in time, or when the wind changes, get trapped in the fire, and many deaths have been confirmed due to this tragedy (Landau & Phillips, 2020).

The people living in the amazon rainforest face the problems associated with gold mining, even though the country banned it (McCoy, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the gold mining in the rainforest, as the government has been busily distracted with combating the virus. Many organized cartels fund these mining practices, which poses a problem for the people living near the minefields. Gold mining destroys the environment through digging and processing activities. After the gold is exhausted, miners set out to look for other potential sites, leaving an inhabitable for the local people. The chemical used in mining, especially mercury, is dumped in the rivers that the locals use to drink and feed their domesticated animals (McCoy, 2020). In addition, potential mining sites where the local tribes live create problems associated with migrating. As many locals do not embrace the idea of moving, these mining cartels use force as an alternative.

Finally, due to their detachment from the rest of the Brazilian population, the local people face the problem of participating in the regional and national political processes (Berardi, 2016).  The 44 tribes that exist in the Amazon rainforests are normally headed by the local chief. However, representation of the indigenous people in national politics is limited. This causes problems of having people of their own presenting their troubles and needs to the government. They rely on the government to provide and built essential amenities such as hospitals and dispensaries, but with no one representing their issue, such problems continue to persist. Recent efforts have seen representatives from the indigenous tribes representing them at the national government level. Still, due to their location, the government does not do any follow-up or even implement any bills for them. The amazon people have a lower life expectancy and have a high rate of child mortality. All these problems are attributed to a lack of important facilities, something that the government should provide for them.

Possible Solutions

The government should address the problem of access to healthcare by prioritizing people living in amazon rainforests during budget allocations. A large part of the budget should be channeled into building the necessary amenities crucial to human survival. Most of the traditional medications used are getting extinct, especially as mining occurs in the rainforest. As such, the need for hospital medication is becoming a major priority for them. The government should build major hospitals and create good road channels to ensure such hospitals do not go a long time before getting restocked. The hospitals also need to be built near the people, instead of traveling long miles for medical emergencies. The government should develop ways to construct important amenities without necessarily clearing a large part of the forest cover. Forest identity is important to the local people as part of their culture and tradition. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the forest still remains intact.

Wildfires can only be controlled by the government issuing stringent measures on illegal logging. Illegal logging is one of the leading causes of forest fire, with the people logging often living fire traces that spread out quickly, damaging the forest cover and affecting the local population. The local people need to be vigilant as well and report people found in the deep forest cover engaging in illegal logging. It is obvious that natural fires are also a problem, but action needs to be taken for the factors that can be controlled.

The government also needs to issue more stringent rules for gold mining in the Amazon rainforest. As much as they are overwhelmed during the pandemic, the ministry of mining and security can work in cohesion and send more people n the ground. With the expertise of mining staff, they will be able to track the mining sites and catch the people involved. More jail terms and fines should be imposed on those found guilty.

Finally, the government should prioritize the political aspect of the local people. The ruling presidents should do more political trips and campaigns to keep in touch with the tribes living in the rainforest. Through a personal engagement, the government will realize the situation of these local [people. They will also see the sense and importance of having them represented in the government and advocate for important bills that are in their favor to be passed.

Social Services Needed in the Amazon Rainforest

Hospitals and Doctors

Brazil is one of the countries in the world that has recorded the highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths. According to an article published in the Los Angeles Times, a remote community of Betania with a population of 4,000 has only five doctors. As the coronavirus continues to spread in the amazon rainforest, there is a need for more hospitals and doctors, as the survival of the people is at stake.

Schools

The local tribes have long embraced informal education that has always been passed through generations. However, the recent generation is slowly embracing the ways of life from their external environment. With illiteracy being high among these tribes, there is a need to develop schooling systems for their children to be educated. This will be beneficial for them in the long run, as some of them may end up being doctors and serve their own people.

Political Crisis and Potential Barriers

The political crisis in Brazil has continued to intensify with the recent resignations of the heads of the army, navy, and air force. This move is seen as a protest against President Jair Bolsonaro’s attempt of taking over and exerting undue control over the military. As this continues to happen, Brazil has recorded over 12.6 million people infected by the virus, with 314,000 people dead. The political crisis has also been promoted with numerous protests citing the failure of the president to handle the COVID-19 situation. Many protesters are calling for the president to lock down the country to control and prevent the spread of the virus. But President Bolsonaro remains vigilant in his decisions, claiming that closing the country will be an economic disaster for the prosperity of the nation.

Consequently, proposing the provision of such social services will be hard to see the proposals come to fruition. Building schools will be difficult, as more funding has been set by the government to cater for COVID-19 vaccines and other medical facilities. The country has been distracted and fully invested in combating this disaster affecting the nation. It will also be impossible to propose such bills in parliament, as tensions are still rife over the resignation of the key heads of security forces of the country. Subsequently, most of the efforts of the country are centered on this fallout and handling the coronavirus.