The Amazon under threat

The world’s largest rainforest plays a crucial role in maintaining the global climate and is home to 10% of all species

WITH an area of more than 5,5 million km², the Amazon is the largest rainforest on Earth. It covers about 40% of the South American continent and stretches across nine countries – Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. There are 35 million people living in this rainforest, of which 9% are indigenous groups.

About 10% of all the known plant and animal species on our planet is found in this region, as well as 5% of all known bird species. The Amazon Rainforest is home to about 427 mammal species, 1 300 bird species, 378 reptile species and more than 400 amphibian species. The Amazon River is almost 7 000km long and contains the largest number of freshwater fish in the world.

Let’s look at a few interesting animal species:

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) looks like a large guinea pig and is the largest rodent on Earth. Its shoulder height can reach 60cm and it can weigh nearly 70kg. It lives in groups near water. It’s not endangered

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is the largest of the four living anteater species and grows 2m long. Its distinguishing feature is its especially long snout, with which it slurps up bugs such as ants and termites. Its conservation status is vulnerable.

The green iguana (Iguana iguana) is a popular exotic pet. It’s a herbivore and the males can grow to more than 2m from head to tail. Its conservation status is least concern.

The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a large bird of prey with a distinctive crest. Females can reach 105cm in length and are nearly twice as big as males and their 13cm claws are larger than a grizzly bear’s. It’s a near-threatened species.

The golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) gets its name from its reddish gold fur and impressive mane. It grows to 25cm long but its tail can reach 38cm. It’s endangered.

The common or green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is the largest, heaviest and most powerful snake in the world. It can grow to more than 9m long and weigh up to 250kg! It isn’t venomous but strangles and crushes its prey. Glass frogs belong to the Centrolenidae family. Most of them are lime green with transparent bellies. You can see their organs through their tummy skin – and even watch their hearts

beating and food moving through their guts. Some species are critically endangered.

The common basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus) is a reptile that stays close to rivers and streams. It’s also known as the Jesus lizard because it can run on water thanks to its webbed toes. The lizard uses this tactic to escape its enemies. Its conservation status is least concern.

Sloths are extremely slow mammals that live in trees and sleep up to 10 hours a day. There are two types, two-toed and three-toed (also known as an ai), and six species. They eat mostly leaves and have a slow metabolism, which is why they move so slowly. Algae that grows on their fur gives it a green tint, which serves as camouflage. The pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) is critically endangered. The Amazon River dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), also known as the boto or pink river dolphin, is silvery grey when young but turns pink as it grows older. It grows up to 3m long and can weigh up to 160kg. It has poor eyesight but finds its way by making high sounds that bounce off nearby objects (echolocation). The dolphins eat mostly fish. It’s endangered.

Ara macaws are large, colourful parrots with long tails. There are eight species. They’re intelligent, social birds and remain loyal to their mate for life. They can crack nuts and seeds with their strong beaks and can mimic sounds such as human speech. You can tell ara macaws from other parrots by their bigger beaks, long tails and bare face patches. The illegal pet trade has devastated some of their populations.

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a big cat with large spots that looks a lot like a leopard but is larger and stronger. It can reach 2m in length and weigh 96kg, while a leopard reaches about 160cm and 31kg in weight. It hunts alone, climbs trees to look for prey and likes to swim. Its conservation status is near threatened.

THREATS

SFires destroy vast parts of the rainforest every year. Nasa (the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has satellites with sensors that can detect unusual heat variations (hot spots caused by fires). In 2020 sensors picked up 1,4 million heat variations in the Amazon, compared with 1,1 million in 2019. Most of these fires are started deliberately by humans to clear land for agriculture.

Deforestation is the largescale chopping down of trees. In the Amazon the main reason for this is to make way for cattle ranches and subsistence farming. Commercial plantations of palm trees and soya beans are also being established on the edges of the rainforest. Palm oil from palm trees is used in many products such as margarine and beauty products, while soya beans is used as cattle fodder.

Dams with hydroelectricity plants are being installed in the Amazon River. They disturb the flow of water and sediment, which can lead to the destruction of aquatic species such as the river dolphin. When the dams are built in protected areas and in the traditional lands of indigenous communities, it can cause much damage and disruption.

Roads are built to link the new farms, plantations and dams to the outside world. This makes the jungle even more accessible to newcomers who chop down more trees and start more fires.

Illegal mining has sprung up in several places. The miners extract gold using mercury, which pollutes the lakes, rivers and groundwater. Mercury isn’t only bad for animals and plants, but also for local residents. They can, for example, be poisoned by eating fish caught in polluted water.

IMPORTANCE

Humans release vast quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels such as coal. CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which causes Earth’s temperature to rise. So more CO2 means faster global warming.

The Amazon is an important carbon sink, which means it stores carbon and slows the pace of global warming. Plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere by absorbing it for photosynthesis, and release oxygen, so imagine how much CO2 the millions of plants in the Amazon absorb and how much oxygen they release.

If rainforests continue to be destroyed, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will also increase, accelerating global warming.

The green iguana can reach 2m in length and is a popular pet. LEFT: The Amazon rainforest is threatened by deforestation as can be seen here in the Brazilian province of Maranhão ABOVE: Rainforest trees grow very tall as they have to compete for sunlight. The giant anteater is the largest in the world and has a long snout which it uses to reach ants inside their nest. The jaguar looks like a leopard but is larger. Unlike many other cats it doesn’t avoid water and likes to swim. The golden lion tamarin is an endangered monkey. It gets its name from its red gold fur and mane.

A three-toed sloth is also known as an ai because it makes a high-pitched cry when agitated. The Amazon River dolphin turns pink as it gets older. Its populations is threatened by dams being built. A Tupi Guarani woman and her child. The Amazon is home to many indigenous tribes, who’ve developed a lifestyle that’s well integrated with the benefits and constraints of the forest over thousands of years.

Fires such as this one in Charagua, Bolivia, decimate large parts of the rainforest every year. The millions of plants in the rainforest remove vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

A blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararana).