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About one-fifth, or 20 percent, of the Amazon rainforest has disappeared in the past 50 years.
Forest has been lost due to farming, building cities, and logging. The loss of forest harms the millions of different plants and animals that live in the Amazon River region. It also affects humans around the world.
Some of the world's best scientists are trying to save the rain forest. National Geographic explorer Dr. Thomas Lovejoy is one of those scientists. We talked to him about the Amazon and why it matters.
NG: You have worked in the Amazon for more than 50 years. How have you seen the region change?
TL: In the 1960s, there was only one highway in the entire Amazon region. That's an area as large as the continental United States, with one highway and 3 million people. Today, there are between 30 million and 40 million people and countless roads. About 20 percent of the forest has disappeared, too.
There has been progress, though. Today, there are many more national parks in the Amazon. More than 50 percent of the Amazon is protected in some way. The real challenge is how to plan and manage the Amazon.
When we talk about protection of the Amazon, it's hard for many people because they don't feel connected to the region. How can we change that?
It's true that we are far away. But our daily lives are very connected to the Amazon.
For example, a snake called the bushmaster lives in the Amazon. This snake kills its prey with a poison that causes the prey's heart to stop. Scientists studied this snake to develop medicine for our hearts. Today, millions of people use these medicines to treat high blood pressure. They now have longer and more productive lives. People have a nasty snake far away in the Amazon to thank for it.
Climate change affects everyone on the planet. It is happening in part because of the extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Tropical forests trap a lot of carbon dioxide. The Amazon holds about half of the world's rainforests. Losing the Amazon would release that carbon dioxide and increase climate change.
The Amazon basically makes half of its own rainfall. Some of the rain from the Amazon travels south, which is really important for agriculture in Brazil and Argentina. Brazil is currently in a drought that might be the worst in its history. It is happening partly because the region is getting less rainfall from the Amazon.
What is your vision for the future of the Amazon?
There has been a lot of damage done and forest lost, but nothing is gone until it's gone.
We hope for the Amazon to return to be about 90 percent of what it was originally. We want it to be managed together by the nine Amazon nations: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, as well as French Guiana. We want to see the people in charge of transportation, energy, agriculture, and the other businesses in the region plan together. We think Amazon cities can have higher quality of life, too. That would keep people in cities, so there is less reason to cut down trees.
Thomas Lovejoy has been researching biodiversity in the Amazon for more than 20 years.
Photograph by Steve Winter, National Geographic
accomplish
Verb
to succeed or complete a goal.
ACE inhibitor
Noun
(angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor) drug used to combat high blood pressure and heart failure primarily by relaxing blood vessels and decreasing blood volume.
Noun
the art and science of cultivating land for growing crops (farming) or raising livestock (ranching).
Amazon River region
Noun
tributaries and drainage basin of the Amazon River.
angiotensin
Noun
hormone that regulates the constriction (narrowing) of blood vessels.
blood pressure
Noun
pressure exerted by blood on the walls of arteries.
Noun
series of processes in which carbon (C) atoms circulate through Earth's land, ocean, atmosphere, and interior.
carbon sink
Noun
area or ecosystem that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it releases.
catastrophic
Adjective
very bad.
concept
Noun
idea.
Noun
management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect.
continental United States
Noun
U.S. land continuously stretching from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans (not including the states of Alaska and Hawaii.)
convention
Noun
agreement or treaty on a specific matter.
Convention on Biological Diversity
Noun
international treaty to sustain and protect the diversity of life on Earth.
desertification
Noun
rapid depletion of plant life and topsoil, often associated with drought and human activity.
disperse
Verb
to scatter or spread out widely.
Earth Summit
Noun
(1992) informal name for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also called the Rio Summit.
environment
Noun
conditions that surround and influence an organism or community.
evaporate
Verb
to change from a liquid to a gas or vapor.
extent
Noun
degree or space to which a thing extends.
extraordinary
Adjective
unusual or uncommon.
familiar
Adjective
well-known.
highway
Noun
large public road.
illegal
Adjective
forbidden by law.
indigenous reserve
Noun
area of land set aside by the government for exclusive use by an indigenous community.
initial
Adjective
first.
integrate
Verb
to combine, unite, or bring together.
logging
Noun
industry engaged in cutting down trees and moving the wood to sawmills.
medicine
Noun
substance used for treating illness or disease.
national park
Noun
geographic area protected by the national government of a country.
pharmaceutical
Noun
drug or having to do with drugs and medications.
prey
Noun
animal that is hunted and eaten by other animals.
public
Noun
people of a community.
reserve
Adjective
not habitually used, but quickly available.
river system
Noun
tributaries, mouth, source, delta, and flood plain of a river.
tangible
Adjective
able to be touched or felt.
transportation
Noun
movement of people or goods from one place to another.
Noun
process in which there is an increase in the number of people living and working in a city or metropolitan area.
venom
Noun
poison fluid made in the bodies of some organisms and secreted for hunting or protection.
viper
Noun
snake with fixed fangs that secrete venom.
wildlife trafficking
Noun
poaching or other taking of protected or managed species and the illegal trade in wildlife and their related parts and products.
