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The Amazon Rainforest
Hello Year 5!
We’ve created some resources to help you with your research for your geography projects that you have been asked to complete in your home learning pack.
We have also created some of our own examples of the tasks to inspire you.
These can be used to help you, but please continue to do your own research and talk about what you have found out with people at home.
We can’t wait to see your creations!
The Year 5 Team
YEAR 5 EASTER HOLIDAY PROJECT
Monday 6 April - Friday 17 April
The Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world and covers over 5.5 million square kilometres.
It’s so big that the United Kingdom and Ireland could fit into it 17 times!
The Amazon is found in the continent of South America and spreads across most of the north west of Brazil, as well as parts of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
How many countries does the Amazon Rainforest cover?
Did you know?
60% of the Amazon Rainforest is
in Brazil.
The Amazon River runs through
the rainforest and is made from
a network of hundreds of
waterways that stretch 6,840km!
Most scientists agree that the
Amazon is the world’s second
longest river after the River
Nile.
Who lives in the Amazon Rainforest?
• The Amazon Rainforest is home to around 2.5 million different insect species and over 40,000 plant species.
• It is also home to over 3000 types of fish and 430 mammals!
• 10% of the world’s known species live in the Amazon rainforest and 20% of the world’s bird species live there too.
• The Amazon is home to a whole host of fascinating – and deadly creatures, including electric eels, flesh eating piranhas, poison dart frogs, jaguars and some seriously venomous snakes.
• A typical four square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies.
• Around 400-500 indigenous Amerindian tribes call the Amazon rainforest home. It’s believed that about fifty of these tribes have never had contact with the outside world!
Vegetation in the Amazon Rainforest
As we learnt last week in geography, rainforest vegetation has four different layers:
• Emergent layer: The top layer where the trees emerge to reach the sun. Only the tallest trees emerge here.Who lives here? birds, butterflies and small monkeys live with bats, snakes and bugs.
• Canopy layer: Much of the rain is stopped here by the thick foliage. Most trees in the forest grow to this height. There are plants that grow in the canopy layer whose roots don't reach the ground. These are called air plants.Who lives here? birds, monkeys, frogs, and sloths, as well as lizards, snakes and many insects.
Due to the thickness of the canopy (the top branches and leaves of the trees), sometimes the Amazon floor is in permanent darkness. In fact, it’s so thick that when it rains, it takes around ten minutes for the water to reach the ground!
Vegetation in the Amazon Rainforest
• Understory layer: In this layer there are many vines, dense vegetation and not much light.Who lives here? birds, butterflies, frogs and snakes
• Forest Floor: The bottom layer of the rainforest is dark, damp and full of many dead leaves, twigs and dead plants. The forest floor is dark due to the trees above stopping the sunlight from entering the forest. It is estimated that only 2% of the sunlight actually reaches the floor.Who lives here? jaguars in South America, gorillas and leopards in Africa and tapirs, tigers and elephants in Asia.
Why are the trees so important?
Trees are necessary for our survival. Through photosynthesis, trees produce the gas we cannot do without; oxygen.
As we breathe in, we take in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.
Trees take in that carbon dioxide and turn it back into oxygen.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat. This process makes Earth much warmer than it would be without an atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is one of the things that makes Earth a comfortable place to live.
However, humans are producing too much carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels like coal and oil. This extra carbon dioxide is being trapped in the atmosphere and causing the Earth to heat up.
Rainforests also help maintain Earth’s climate. By taking in carbon dioxide they help to reduce the greenhouse effect. This helps slow worldwide climate change.
Why are rainforests so important for humans?
• They are home to animals, plants and humans.
• They give us medicine - a quarter of all natural medicines were discovered in the rainforest. Even so, we have only learned how to use 1% of these amazing plants, so imagine the possibilities if we could experiment with the other 99%!
• They give us food, eg. vanilla, chocolate, nuts, ginger and pepper.
• They give us resources, such as rubber and bamboo, wood, minerals and river networks.
Why are rainforests important to the water
cycle?
Rainforests store water like a huge sponge. In fact, it is believed that the Amazonian forests alone store over half of the Earth's rainwater!
Rainforest trees draw water from the forest floor and release it back in to the atmosphere in the form of swirling mists and clouds.
Without rainforests continually recycling huge quantities of water, feeding the rivers, lakes and irrigation systems, droughts would become more common, potentially leading to widespread famine and disease.
What effect do you think removing the rainforest might have on these groups?
Do you think it would it affect them all in the same way or would it affect
some worse than others?
What Is Deforestation?
Deforestation occurs when trees are cut down
across a wide area which is then permanently
cleared for another use.
There is some dispute as to the exact number,
but it is estimated that every 20 minutes, an area
of rainforest the size of 20 football pitches is cut
down. If this rate continues, there will be no
rainforests in 100 years.
Why are people cutting down trees?
• Trees are useful and valuable. Among other things, they are used for paper, building and firewood.
• The rainforest is home to a unique variety of tree species. Hardwoods such as teak or mahogany are strong and so are perfect for building and for making furniture. However, these trees are slow growing and are not easy to replace.
Subsistence Farming
This is also known as slash and burn and occurs when families cut down small parts of the forest and burn it to improve the soil and make room for cattle.
It is small scale and the forest can regenerate. But with more people taking more land, this chance of recovery is slower.
Up to 48% of all deforestation is caused by subsistence farming.
Commercial farming
This is farming that happens on a large scale. It is led by companies who need to produce on a much bigger scale to provide food and products for the wider world.
Forest is cleared permanently for:
• Cattle grazing: this provides meat for restaurant chains and supermarkets.
• Crops: such as sugar cane and palm oil.
Road building and settlement
Road building
• Loggers and miners build roads to get their materials out. People use the roads to enter the forest and build new settlements and set up industries. The Trans-Amazonian Highway in South America is 5,300 km long and has opened up some remote parts of Brazil to development.
Settlement
• Land is being cleared for new homes and settlements. There is more need for these in countries with increasing populations, especially around large overcrowded cities.
What are the effects of deforestation?
Climate change: Scientists believe deforestation has a worldwide effect on climate. Trees store carbon dioxide. When they are cut down, carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere and is known as a greenhouse gas which causes global warming.
Habitat loss: Animals and plants lose
their home so some may become
endangered or extinct.
What are the effects of deforestation?
Lack of biodiversity:
The number of different species becomes smaller.
Soil erosion:
Tree roots help hold the soil and prevent it being washed away. Without trees, the soil is washed into rivers and streams, blocking them, causing flooding and contaminated drinking water.
Droughts:
Trees are an important part of the water cycle. Without them, there will be a lack of rain.
What are the problems with Deforestation?
• Surely people making money is a good thing? People open factories such as paper mills or energy plants which then creates hundreds if not thousands of jobs for people.
• Farming provides us with milk, meat, fruit, vegetables, corn etc. What would we do without those?
• Deforestation clears land for people to create towns, villages and homes for people.
• Due to the trees, some areas of the countries covered by the rainforest are inaccessible. When the trees are cleared, resources and people can be transported far more easily.
What do you think?
• Is deforestation sometimes, always or never acceptable?
• If we continued to ruin the Amazon Rainforest at the rate that we have been, what do you think the effect will be on the Earth?
• If we stopped deforestation tomorrow, what do you think the effects would be on the Earth?
• Do you think that the welfare of humanity is more important than that of animals and plants?
• What do you think would be an appropriate solution to this issue?
What can be done to protect the rainforests?
• Selective logging - only cutting some trees down.
• Using elephants, horses or helicopters to drag or fly selected logs out.
• Replanting trees.
• Environmental laws which make logging illegal, though this is hard to police.
• Setting up national parks and nature reserves.
• Encouraging ecotourism where people travel sustainably and respectfully.
• Encouraging people to stop buying tropical hardwood.
• Helping poorer countries develop so they don't have to use rainforest resources unsustainably.
What can you do to help protect the rainforests?
Think about what choices you could make to try and play your part in helping to reduce deforestation.
One thing we do at school is to use scrap paper so that we don’t need to use new paper unnecessarily.
Another thing we do is to give you your maths homework online so that we don’t need to use paper.
What else can you think of that you already do and what could you do to make more sustainable choices?
Here are some photos of when Miss Salt went to the Amazon Rainforest!
Some of the Amazon was very boggy and had lots of plant life growing in it.
It was incredibly hot and humid – around 90% humidity whereas in London it is closer to 70% on average.
The average temperature is around 28c, whereas the UK has an average temperature of around 17c.
Climate in the
Amazon
Can you spot the crocodile?
These pictures were taken at a nature reserve that are helping to increase the number of crocodiles in the Amazon.
The crocodiles were not interested in eating us, but it was a bit scary! We had to move very slowly and silently so that we didn’t disturb them.
Socially distancing myself from the crocodile!
Here are some extra online resources to help:
• http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/rainforest.html
• https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/geography/physical-geography/amazon-facts/
• https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/media.ashx/rainforest-action-pack-in-house-print.pdf
• https://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpmnb9q/revision/4
• https://www.rainforestconcern.org/explore/forest-facts
• http://ypte.org.uk/factsheets/rainforests/introduction?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpfHzBRCiARIsAHHzyZoZHo98S7r_B1szPsoNj5r6fbabfFQanHmqKY8PXBluHZi7k1-0pSYaAkDBEALw_wcB
We hope this helps!
We can’t wait to see what you create. Please ask your adults to email pictures of your work or to attach them if you’re doing them on the computer to: [email protected]
We can then send you some feedback and feature your work in our Year 5 newsletter for everyone to see!
Have fun and stay safe!
