It accounts for more than half of the planet’s remaining
rainforest and is home to more than half the world's species of
plants and animals. But over the last 40 years, this great
verdant tract has been increasingly threatened by deforestation.
Clearing of the forest began in the 1960s and reached a peak in
the 90s when an area the size of Spain was cleared, primarily to
make space for cattle and soybean production. But the soil
exposed by this clearing is only productive for a short period
of time, meaning that farmers must continue to clear more land
to keep their businesses viable. Although deforestation rates
have now declined – hitting an all time low in 2011 - the forest
is still gradually disappearing, reducing the region’s scale and
biodiversity. But this felling also has an impact on the planet
as a whole because the forest also plays a critical role in
cleaning the air we breathe. It does this by sucking up the
global emissions of carbon dioxide from things like cars, planes
and power stations to na