The article that I chose to use looked at population growth and deforestation in Petén Guatemala. The population in 1960 was about 21,000 people and has risen to 600,000 today, which is over a 10% growth each year. This drastic rise in population forced the new citizens to find new land to survive. In Petén, the process of deforestation was designed to meet the new growing populations needs, but this process of removing trees will have a lasting effect on the growing population. This process of relocating people also made it extremely difficult to provide consumer goods, infrastructure, and health services. Without these necessities, families were being hurt due to the massive influx of new people.
Ultimately, the country will run out of room to house these people and will certainly create a rise in deaths. Countries should focus more on feeding their people while working within the natural environment rather than destroying the environment. Soon there will not be any naturally occurring forests and humans will be to blame, hopefully we never get to that point because it may be too late.
Our posts both focused on population rates, though yours went in depth about one specific region while mine focused on the world’s population at large. You bring up a good point that we should be finding solutions to our rising population in conjunction with nature, not while destroying it. The 10% population growth per year that you described between the 1960s and today, is astonishing compared to the 1% yearly world population increase. For me this really put into perspective what lasting effects there could be for individual regions, rather than simply the world as a whole.
Wow, a 10% increase a year is a lot when dealing with populations. I think something interesting to study would be why the population has grown so drastically since 1960 in Petén Guatemala. As you and Abby have mentioned, the US should play a role in solving the population problem while at the same time preserving the environment. The environment plays such an important role in how we live, and by not preserving it, can lead to disastrous effects on the human society.
I found your blog really interesting. That is a huge increase in population for such a small country. It would be interesting to compare the percent decrease in wildlife that reside in the surrounding forests and compare it with the rise in human population.
I think you bring up really interesting points in your post. The 10% increase is extremely significant and it is clear that there is a need for other solutions rather than cutting down trees. If we continue at the rate we are going, species living in the forests will also loose their homes and be forced to adapt to new environments.