3.2. Relationship between rainforest and mangrove with People
Relationship between tropical rainforests and mangroves, and people
• Places of habitation (e.g., longhouse, stilt house)
• Sources of raw materials (e.g., wood, minerals)
• Places for recreation (e.g., trekking, camping)
• Sources of food (e.g., hunting and gathering, aquaculture)
Extraction of resources from tropical rainforests and mangroves
• Deforestation
• Enhanced greenhouse effect
Relationship between tropical rainforests and mangroves with People
Places of habitation
o About 60 million people live in the tropical rainforests e.g. Yanomami in the Amazon rainforest and the Penan in the rainforest in Sarawak.
o Rainforest provide the indigenous people with daily necessities such as food, clothing and medicine.
o The Moken people inhabit the mangroves along the coasts of southern Myammar and Thailand. They hunt for fish in the mangroves as a source of food and trade some for rice and other necessities. The mangrove also provide them with construction materials to build the traditional houseboats or huts which they live in.
· Sources of raw materials
o Wood used as fuel for cooking.
o Timber is wood used to build or make things.
o Topical hardwoods such as teak, ebony, mahogany and meranti are valued for their strength, durability, texture and beauty.
o Products made from tropical hardwoods include doors, window frames and furniture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vijLre760w
Places for recreation
Tropical rainforests are recreational sites for people who live in towns and cities to get close to nature.
Trekking, camping and birdwatching are common activities that people take part in while visiting tropical forests.
Trekking is a way for people to exercise for active lifestyle.
The natural sights, smells and sounds of the forest have a calming effect on people, which helps to give them a sense of well-being.
Check out the 21 hiking trails, including our nature reserves of tropical rainforests and mangroves, which provide opportunity for trekking in Singapore!
River cruise to view the Mangrove is part of Ecotourism in Malaysia
The Matang Mangrove in Tai Ping, Malaysia.
University students here to study the Mangrove
Boardwalk on the Mangrove for a tranquil hike.
There is even a Chalet in the nature reserve.
Sources of food
Rainforest
o The indigenous people obtain food either by hunting (animals and fishes) and gathering (wild fruits or nuts) or growing crops just enough to feed them known as subsistence cultivation.
o The shifting cultivators first clear the land by burning the vegetation which will also provide the nutrients to fertilise the soil and grow their crops. When the nutrients in the soil are used up and the soil cannot support any plants, they would move t another plot of land in the forest. The original plot is left alone to regain its fertility naturally.
Mangrove-Aquaculture
Fish farms near the mangrove in Langkawi, Malaysia
Cockle farm alongside the Mangrove Kuala Sepetang River near Taiping in Malaysia
Sawmills that process illegally logged trees from the Amazon rainforest are seen near Rio Pardo, in the district of Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, September 3, 2015. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
Enhanced greenhouse effect
o Deforestation increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as a carbon. When the trees are cut, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere.
o Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases which traps heat leading to an increase in global temperatures.
o Increased temperatures can cause ice caps to melt, resulting in the rise in sea levels and flooding. Low-lying islands such as Kiribati and Vanuatu located in the Pacific Ocean may be submerged and disappear into the sea.
Let's look at how deforestation impact on the Xingu tribe in the Amazon: