Despite its natural richness, the Amazon ecosystem is fragile and in peril. In Brazil, illegal logging, slash-and-burn agriculture and other human impacts are consuming the forest at the rate of over 9,000 square miles per year. More than one-fifth of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil has been completely destroyed and more than 70 species of mammal are endangered. The threat of extinction comes from several sources, including deforestation and poaching. Extinction is even more problematic in the Atlantic Forest, where nearly 93% of the forest has been cleared.
The immensity of the Amazon's challenge, like the scale of its landscape, requires a long-term conservation vision, backed by strong scientific expertise and the commitment of a global network of resources.
Tourism to wilderness regions like the forests of the Amazon Basin can do so much good if conducted in the right way. However the wrong kind of tourism can harm the natural environment that draws visitors in the first place. We support ecotourism operations that help protect biodiversity by creating incentives to protect it.
In the 1980's Brazil, under pressure from international conservation groups, started to ensure that efforts to develop the Amazon did not irrevocably compromise the nation's forest resources. Recent discoveries of oil and gas place further pressures. However, the Brazilian government is active in promoting sustainable exploitation of the huge resources in the Amazon. Environmental monitoring and licensing systems have been set up. National Parks conserve the flora and fauna. The rights of Indians are now recognized and their ways of life are protected in reserves.
