spreads

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Cutting Season_Secrets World’s of Trees
Impacts
CONTUNE
IMPACTED PLACES
MADAGASCAR ▼ The small-scale
but widespread clearance of forests,
primarily for firewood and charcoal
production, is jeopardizing the island’s
habitats. As a result, several charismatic
species such as lemurs and chameleons
that evolved here over millions of years
may become extinct before the end of
the century. ► SOUTHERN CHILE ▼
Globalization and its effects are taking
an extreme toll on the region’s health.
Weak regulatory and government
enforcement capacity mean there is
little defense against aggressive commercial
development in the region.
Unsustainable logging and conversion
of habitat to plantations of pine and
eucalyptus—used to create wood chips
for export—have dramatically reduced
native forest cover. ► YANGTZE ▼ The
Yangtze River Basin is faced with enormous
environmental challenges arising
from population pressure and rapid
economic development. In the last 50
years, the population has more than
doubled, with the heaviest concentrations
along the river. The economic
boom led by rapidly expanding industry,
sprawling cities, infrastructure
development, and mineral extraction
is having a major impact on the biodiversity
and ecosystems in the region.
► AMUR-HEILONG ▼ While poaching
has declined in recent years thanks to enforcement efforts, enthusiasm for traditional Chinese medicine still
feeds a booming wildlife trade in products such as bear gall bladder, tiger paw and ginseng.