<P> In addition, Brazil is currently the second - largest global producer of soybeans after the United States, mostly for livestock feed, and as prices for soybeans rise, soy farmers pushing north into forested areas of the Amazon . As stated in the Constitution of Brazil, clearing land for crops or fields is considered an' effective use' of land and is a first step toward land ownership . Cleared property is also valued 5--10 times more than forested land and for that reason valuable to the owner whose ultimate objective is resale . The soy industry is an important exporter for Brazil; therefore, the needs of soy farmers have been used to validate many of the controversial transportation projects that are currently developing in the Amazon . </P> <P> Cargill, a multinational company which controls the majority of the soya bean trade in Brazil has been criticized, along with fast food chains like McDonald's, by active groups such as Greenpeace for accelerating the process of the deforestation of the Amazon . Cargill is the main supplier of soya beans to large fast food companies such as McDonald's which uses the soya products to feed their cattle and chickens . As fast food chains expand, fast food chains must increase the quantity of their livestock in order to produce more products . In order to meet the large demands of soya, Cargill is forced to expand its soya production by clear cutting parts of the Amazon . </P> <P> The first two highways: the Rodovia Belém - Brasília (1958) and the Cuiabá - Porto Velho (1968), were the only federal highways in the Legal Amazon to be paved and passable year - round before the late 1990s . These two highways are said to be "at the heart of the' arc of deforestation'," which at present is the focal point area of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon . The Belém - Brasília highway attracted nearly two million settlers in the first twenty years . The success of the Belém - Brasília highway in opening up the forest was re-enacted as paved roads continued to be developed unleashing the irrepressible spread of settlement . The completions of the roads were followed by a wave of resettlement and the settlers had a significant effect on the forest . This new driver of forest loss suggests that the rise and fall of prices for other crops, beef and timber may also have a significant impact on future land use in the region, according to the study . </P> <P> Logging in Brazil's Amazon is economically motivated . Although illegal logging is not, it is the most widespread problem . The economic opportunity for developing regions is driven by timber export and demand for charcoal . Charcoal - producing ovens use large amounts of timber . In one month, the Brazilian government destroyed 800 illegal ovens in Tailândia . These 800 ovens were estimated to consume about 23,000 trees per month . Logging for timber export is selective, since only a few species, such as mahogany, have commercial value and are harvested . Selective logging still does a lot of damage to the forest . For every tree harvested, 5 - 10 other trees are logged, to transport the logs through the forest . Also, a falling tree takes down a lot of other small trees . A logged forest contains significantly fewer species than areas where selective logging has not taken place . A forest disturbed by selective logging is also significantly more vulnerable to fire . </P>

How has deforestation impacted the environment in brazil