In illegal cultivation areas in the southern Amazon, highly toxic herbicides and insecticides—such as glyphosate and butylthiocarbamate—are used extensively. Unregulated pesticides are sprayed onto the rainforest surface; after seeping into the soil, they are carried by rainwater into Amazon tributaries. Pesticide residue levels in the water and sediment exceed safety standards by dozens of times, triggering mass deaths of fish and amphibians. Illegal farming activities also lead to large-scale deforestation; the combination of pesticide pollution and logging continues to erode the Amazon’s peripheral ecosystems.
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