Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas.

The main sources of

deforestation in the Amazon are human settlement and development of the land. [37] Prior to the early
1960s, access to the forest's interior was highly restricted, and the forest remained basically intact.
[38]
Farms established during the 1960s were based on crop cultivation and the slash and
burn method. However, the colonists were unable to manage their fields and the crops because of
the loss of soil fertility and weed invasion.[39] The soils in the Amazon are productive for just a short
period of time, so farmers are constantly moving to new areas and clearing more land. [39] These
farming practices led to deforestation and caused extensive environmental damage. [40] Deforestation
is considerable, and areas cleared of forest are visible to the naked eye from outer space.

Between 1991 and 2000, the total area of forest lost in the Amazon rose from 415,000 to 587,000
square kilometres (160,000 to 227,000 sq mi), with most of the lost forest becoming pasture for
cattle.[42] Seventy percent of formerly forested land in the Amazon, and 91% of land deforested since
1970, is used for livestockpasture.[43][44] Currently, Brazil is the second-largest global producer
of soybeans after the United States. New research however, conducted by Leydimere Oliveira et al.,
has shown that the more rainforest is logged in the Amazon, the less precipitation reaches the area
and so the lower the yield per hectare becomes. So despite the popular perception, there has been
no economical advantage for Brazil from logging rainforest zones and converting these to pastoral
fields.[45]

The Amazon River Basin is home to the largest rainforest on Earth.

The basin -- roughly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United
States -- covers some 40% of the South American continent and
includes parts of eight South American
countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyan
a, and Suriname, as well as French Guiana, a department of France.
Reflecting environmental conditions as well as past human
influence, the Amazon is made up of a mosaic of ecosystems and
vegetation types including rainforests, seasonal forests, deciduous
forests, flooded forests, and savannas. The basin is drained by the
Amazon River, the world's largest river in terms of discharge, and
the second longest river in the world after the Nile. The river is
made up of over 1,100 tributaries, 17 of which are longer than 1000
miles, and two of which (the Negro and the Madeira) are larger, in
terms of volume, than the Congo (formerly the Zaire) river. The river
system is the lifeline of the forest and its history plays an important
part in the development of its rainforests. - See more at:

The Amazon is a vast region that spans across eight rapidly developing countries: Brazil,
Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, an
overseas territory of France.
The landscape contains:

One in ten known species on Earth

1.4 billion acres of dense forests, half of the planet's remaining tropical
forests

4,100 miles of winding rivers

2.6 million square miles in the Amazon basin, about 40 percent of South
America

There is a clear link between the health of the Amazon and the health of the planet. The rain
forests, which contain 90-140 billion metric tons of carbon, help stabilize local and global
climate. Deforestation may release significant amounts of this carbon, which could have
catastrophic consequences around the world.

(WWF, 2015)

(Butler, 2010-2014)

(Sheli, 2002)