The Amazonian rainforest is the largest and most diverse ecosystem in the world and the majority of the forest is exist within Brazil, with around 60%. This spectacular habitat is home to about 2.5 million insect species, tens of thousands of plants, and some 2,000 birds and mammals. One in five of all bird species are found in the Amazon rainforest, and one in five of the fish species live in Amazonian rivers and streams. Scientists have described between 96,660 and 128,843 invertebrate species in Brazil alone. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia. As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. One in ten known species in the world lives in the Amazon rainforest. This constitutes the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world.
The facts listed above can only give a small image of the huge importance to protect it. The rainforest has been in existence for at least 55 million years but has never seen such quick changes as in recent years. Traveling in the Amazon it is unavoidable to witness signs of deforestation. Even in the most remote place, only accessible by several days travel on boat through narrow rivers it is almost impossible to find a lasting Mahogany tree due to its economical worth. The main sources of deforestation in the Amazon are timbre, human settlement and development of the land. In 2018, about 17% of the Amazon rainforest was already destroyed. Research suggests that upon reaching 20–25%, the tipping point to flip it into a non-forest ecosystem, degraded savannah, will be reached. In August 2019 there were a record number of fires. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose more than 88% in June 2019 compared with the same month in 2018 and is unfortunately showing no signs of slowing down.
I am very thankful to have made two trips to this wast state and ecosystem in western Brazil. The first visit in 2010 was to Pousada Rio Roosevelt in the southern part of Amazonas. At the time this was a newly opened lodge with one option of access, by plane. Together with my dear friend Edson Endrigo, me and my family flew a propeller plane for one hour over an untouched mass of green to land on what was simply a dirt road in the forest. This visit gave the opportunity to observe newly discovered species to science in a very unexplored terrain. My second visit started in Manaus, which is the largest city in the Amazon basin with its 1.8 million inhabitants. Despite being a huge city, the rainforest is ever present and a quick drive outside the center takes you to a canopy tower that gave fantastic views of Woodpeckers, Puffbirds and Tanagers. This trip was later continued to the northern most state of Roraima on the border to Venezuela.
