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THE
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazonian region occupies a total area of more than
7.5 million square kilometers, being part of the territory of nine
countries: Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Surinam,
Guiana and French Guiana .
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The Amazonia has 3,54 million square kilometers of
continuous forest-covered areas, the largest in the world.
Paradoxically, however, it is a soil with low fertility: 78% of it is
acid and difficult to use for agriculture. Biodiversity is also the
largest in the world: while there are 4 to 25 tree species per hectare
in North America, there are between 40 and 300 different tree species in
the Amazon forest. There are more than 5,000 species of trees. |
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The volume of rain in the Amazon river basin is truly
amazing: more than 15 trillion cubic meters per year. Of the overall
rainfall, 48% evaporates, 52% flows to the rivers, and ultimately to the
sea. |
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The rainforest ecosystem changes significantly this
average: in its environment, only 25% is evaporated and 25% goes to the
rivers: the major part is retained in the forest itself.
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THE FAUNA
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The Amazon forest may be considered a kind of
"ecological filter" for carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, because
the plants in the forest absorb more CO2 than they release.
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Unfortunately, the accelerated human occupation of the
Amazonia is causing a series of environmental problems, due to the amount of
destruction of its original ecosystem.
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It has been estimated that approximately 12,5%
of the original forest cover, or 500,000 km2, has been deforested or
burnt. Logging companies, miners in search of gold and other valuable
metals and agricultural occupation are the main culprits. Although the
destruction rates have decreased lately, it still continues at a
worrying pace. |
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The Amazon forest is extraordinarily rich in all forms of
animal life, from insects to mammals. A cubic meter of soil has 100 times
more insects and worms there than in the Northern hemisphere. The gigantic
volume of water and the mild temperatures make a kind of fertile incubator,
too: there are more than 3,000 fish species in Amazon, representing 85% of
all species living in South America, and 15% of the species in the world.
However, only 40% of these species have been studied by scientists, and
about 36 fish species are economically exploited.
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The region has many astounding records in terms of
fauna. It has more than 100 species of New World monkeys (the smallest
one is no larger than a fountain pen; the largest is comparable to a
chimpanzee), thousands of bird species, like the colorful macaws (arara s)
and toucans (tucan os)
and dozens of exotic and interesting animals such as capybaras (the
largest rodent in the world), tree sloths, alligators ( jacarés),
the feared spotted jaguar (onça), turtles and gigantic anacondas, which
can reach up to 40 feet (12 meter long)
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This region encompass a large area of undisturbed
nature, the conservation of this area is critical. As a locally owned
and operated company, we reinvest the money generated by our
fishing tourism operations
back into the local community. Furthermore, a significant portion of our
revenue goes to fund research, conservation, and social development
programs. |
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