Latin America DBQ Killough LHS-North. Document 1. Span of the Amazon rain forest in South America. Source:

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1 1 Span of the Amazon rain forest in South America. Source:

2 2 The above chart is a representation of deforestation in square miles per year since 1985 to Source:

3 3 4 Amazon Expedition Source: Discovers Dozens of New Animals National Geographic June 5, 2007 Sporting a flashy pattern of lavender on black, this newfound species of toad is among two-dozen animals that scientists discovered recently in the highlands of the northern Amazon. The survey's findings underscore the importance of protecting Suriname s rare and delicate mountain forest habitats as the human footprint in the region grows, the scientists said. "Suriname has some of the Amazon's most pristine and intact rainforest, which offers huge potential for scientific research and economic investment," CI's [Conservation International] Leeanne Alonso, who led the survey, said in a statement.

4 5 How Costa Rica Prospers By Protecting Its Ecosystems March 16, 2006 By John Tidwell Thinking creatively, the government engaged landowners by making environmental protection less about law enforcement and more about opportunity. Costa Rica promoted ecotourism, which showed that thriving rain forests could be as profitable as coffee plantations. This strategy worked so well that today, ecotourism is Costa Rica's principal industry. The strategy that changed Costa Rica's fortunes the most was one that proved ecosystems had value, not just for beauty but for the vital services they provided. Science showed that without forests, river systems dried up and land often became lifeless. Pay a farmer more to manage his forested land than he got by clearing it, and vital resources could be preserved. The idea wasn t new, but Costa Rica became the first country to make it national policy. In fewer than 20 years, Costa Rica has risen from economic failure to one of Central America's leading nations. Tropical jungle again covers more than half the country, ecotourism annually pumps about $825 million into the economy.

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6 8 Alarming increase of poverty in Latin America By Luis Fernando Astorga Gatjens, IID and Jaime López There are more than 200 million poor people in Latin America and this figure is expected to increase from 43% in 2001 to 44% in 2002, stated the November 7, 2002 study of the Commission of Economics for Latin America (Comisión Económica para América Latina (CEPAL). Honduras (79.1%), Nicaragua (67.4%), Paraguay (61.8%), Bolivia (61.2%), Ecuador (60.2%), Guatemala (60.4%), Colombia (54.9%) y El Salvador (49.9%), are on the top of the poverty list among the countries of Latin America with the highest poverty rates. Other countries like Peru (49%), Venezuela (48.5%) y Mexico (42.3%) were indicated as having high levels of poverty. This report indicates that at 11.4% Uruguay has the lowest poverty rate in Latin America. This is followed by Chile with a poverty rate of 20% and Costa Rica with 21.7%. The countries occupying the middle positions of this poverty scale are Brazil (36.9%) and Panama (30.8%). The drastic magnitude of change in the poverty rates for some countries is alarming, they reflect significant deteriorations of economic and social indicators in a short time: Country Poverty % Year Argentina Uruguay

7 9 The Nature Conservancy has brokered the largest debt-for-nature swap under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act a deal that will secure long-term, science-based conservation for Costa Rica s tropical forests: The United States will forgive $26 million in debt owed to it by Costa Rica. This move will in turn provide necessary funds that will be used to finance forest conservation in Costa Rica over the next 16 years, protecting one of the world s richest natural treasures for future generations. And science the Conservancy's hallmark is at the center of the deal. "This debt swap is unique in that it utilizes scientific analysis to determine the sites towards which the funds will be directed, says Zdenka Piskulich, program director for the Conservancy in Costa Rica Rural to Urban Migration - Latin America Source: ECLAC, Social Panorama of Latin America 2007

8 Which is more vital for the future of Latin America, economic development or preservation of natural resources? In your group, you will analyze documents and decide if they support economic development or preservation of natural resources in Latin America then you will write a thesis supporting your opinion. 1. Background knowledge: Write down your background knowledge in 1-2 paragraphs. We ve been talking about these topics in class so you and your partners should have some knowledge already. Background knowledge is very helpful when analyzing documents. 2. Analysis: You will choose 8 documents to analysis. Try to choose a balance of documents that support both sides of the argument. Once you choose your documents, you will paste them on your poster one the appropriate side. Beside each document, you will write a statement explaining how/why it supports that side. Each group member will write on at LEAST 2 post its or poster. Example: 1 supports preservation of the rainforest because 1 supports economic development because 3. Thesis Statement: After you have analyzed the documents, you will write a thesis statement. You will choose a side and use the documents as well as background knowledge to support your opinion. To write the thesis statement you should restate the question then support it with 3 different concrete reasons. Example: Preservation of the rainforest is vital for the future of Latin America. This is the first line of a Thesis Statement. You need to follow it with support. Thesis Statement DON Ts Don t Repeat the same concrete evidence. Don t Use speculations you don t have to, you have documents in front of you to prove your point Don t get to wordy get right to the point. 4. Poster Arrangement: o Write the question at the top of your poster. o Draw a line down the middle of the poster, label one side Economic Development and the other side Preservation of the Rainforest o Paste the documents on the appropriate side. o Use post it notes beside the documents for your analysis. (Or you can just write on the poster) o Write the Background knowledge on a sheet of paper, label it and paste it on your poster.

9 o Write the Thesis on a sheet of paper, label it and paste it on your poster POSTER EXAMPLE: Which is more vital for the future of Latin America, economic development or preservation of natural resources? Preservation of Rainforest Background Knowledge Economic Development Thesis Statement