534
accounts for more than a quarter of the Earth’s rainforests, and within the Amazon
Basin, tens of millions of people depend on ecosystem services provided by the forest. Fish in the Amazon River and its tributaries are an important source of protein
in the region. Annual floods replenish nutrients in floodplain areas that are used for
agriculture. The rivers of the Basin are important vectors for transportation, logging
and timber production are major industries in many cities and towns, and collection
of non-timber forest products provide important sources of income to support rural
livelihoods. The rainforest also helps reduce the risk of fire, helps reduce air pollution, and sequesters carbon dioxide that would otherwise contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions.
19.3.2 Watershed Issues at the Food–Energy–Water Nexus
The ecosystems of the Amazon River Basin provide a wide range of ecosystem
goods and services, including habitat, regulation of hydrological flows, erosion control, and food provision, especially migratory fish. Per capita, fish consumption is
high in the Amazon Basin relative to other parts of the world. Average per capita fish
consumption was estimated to be 94 kg/year among riverine populations in the
Amazon Basin, and 40 kg/year among urban populations, rates that are 5.8 and 2.5
times the world average, respectively (Isaac and Almeida 2011). Other important
ecosystem services that support and sustain life include food provisioning, water
supply, nutrient cycling, soil formation, water regulation, and climate regulation,
among others (Foley et al. 2007).
There are numerous challenges at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems
in the Amazon River Basin. The river itself supports fisheries that are important
sources of food, but it also provides the source of energy for hydroelectric dams,
and of water for the irrigation of food and feed crops. The production of food and
energy have contributed to economic development in countries throughout the
Basin, but those activities have also led to widespread environmental degradation,
including deforestation, sedimentation, nutrient runoff, and increased greenhouse
gas emissions. Environmental degradation has been further exacerbated by
overfishing.
The Amazon River Basin is being rapidly degraded and faces a range of threats,
including the impacts of hydroelectric dams, mining, overfishing, and deforestation
(see Sects. 13.2.3 and 20.2.1). Much of the Basin is facing increasing pressure from
infrastructure development and the resulting collapse of fisheries. Developing countries in the region are rapidly pursuing hydropower infrastructure construction,
among other large infrastructure projects, to improve their position in the global
economy. Infrastructure development is also an important component of the economic development strategies of these countries, including increasing capacity to
produce food, generate energy, provide opportunities for employment and income,
and improve the overall quality of life of their citizens.
R. B. Richardson
accounts for more than a quarter of the Earth’s rainforests, and within the Amazon
Basin, tens of millions of people depend on ecosystem services provided by the forest. Fish in the Amazon River and its tributaries are an important source of protein
in the region. Annual floods replenish nutrients in floodplain areas that are used for
agriculture. The rivers of the Basin are important vectors for transportation, logging
and timber production are major industries in many cities and towns, and collection
of non-timber forest products provide important sources of income to support rural
livelihoods. The rainforest also helps reduce the risk of fire, helps reduce air pollution, and sequesters carbon dioxide that would otherwise contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions.
19.3.2 Watershed Issues at the Food–Energy–Water Nexus
The ecosystems of the Amazon River Basin provide a wide range of ecosystem
goods and services, including habitat, regulation of hydrological flows, erosion control, and food provision, especially migratory fish. Per capita, fish consumption is
high in the Amazon Basin relative to other parts of the world. Average per capita fish
consumption was estimated to be 94 kg/year among riverine populations in the
Amazon Basin, and 40 kg/year among urban populations, rates that are 5.8 and 2.5
times the world average, respectively (Isaac and Almeida 2011). Other important
ecosystem services that support and sustain life include food provisioning, water
supply, nutrient cycling, soil formation, water regulation, and climate regulation,
among others (Foley et al. 2007).
There are numerous challenges at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems
in the Amazon River Basin. The river itself supports fisheries that are important
sources of food, but it also provides the source of energy for hydroelectric dams,
and of water for the irrigation of food and feed crops. The production of food and
energy have contributed to economic development in countries throughout the
Basin, but those activities have also led to widespread environmental degradation,
including deforestation, sedimentation, nutrient runoff, and increased greenhouse
gas emissions. Environmental degradation has been further exacerbated by
overfishing.
The Amazon River Basin is being rapidly degraded and faces a range of threats,
including the impacts of hydroelectric dams, mining, overfishing, and deforestation
(see Sects. 13.2.3 and 20.2.1). Much of the Basin is facing increasing pressure from
infrastructure development and the resulting collapse of fisheries. Developing countries in the region are rapidly pursuing hydropower infrastructure construction,
among other large infrastructure projects, to improve their position in the global
economy. Infrastructure development is also an important component of the economic development strategies of these countries, including increasing capacity to
produce food, generate energy, provide opportunities for employment and income,
and improve the overall quality of life of their citizens.
R. B. Richardson