The September 5, 1850 the Amazon province was created in Brazil and since then it has become a date of celebration for the entire biome in this country.
More than half of the Amazon is in Brazil, and it is much more than a beautiful landscape. is considered The world’s lungas absorbs more than 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). This helps us avoid the concentration of greenhouse gases, responsible for the greenhouse effect, which, in turn, produces global warming.
Is about the largest area of tropical forest in the world. However, not only the vegetation is at risk, but also the animals and communities that inhabit those lands.
The Amazon is home to 40,000 species of plants, 427 mammals, 1,300 birds, 378 reptiles, 400 amphibians, and 3,000 freshwater fish, according to WWF. Furthermore, the Amazon River Basin is the largest in the world; It contains 20% of the fresh water on the Earth’s surface. The area is inhabited by 400 different indigenous peoples. If deforestation continues, the amount of CO2 now absorbed by the forest will continue to decrease. In fact, three decades ago, it caught twice as many tons as it does now. Consequently, CO2 will be released back into the atmosphere and global warming could increase.
In addition, the Amazon rainforest has a key role in regulating the world’s climate. Its forests regulate rainfall and maintain the water cycle. It is also essential for the production of fresh water and the conservation of plant species that have not yet been discovered by science and could have benefits in medicine.
International scientific knowledge united to preserve the Amazon
The magnitude of the fires in recent years in the Amazon of Brazil and Bolivia led to thirty experts from the Pan-Amazonian countries (Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) to meet in september for prepare the “Scientific Framework to Save the Amazon”which served as input for the synod on the region convened by Pope Francis,” Colombian scientist Germán Poveda, a member of the scientific steering committee of the Scientific Panel for the Amazon, a group that emerged as a result of this meeting and that was revealed last week.
The Scientific Panel for the Amazon is preparing a assessment that will be the most comprehensive review of the state of the “lungs of the planet”. This report is divided into three parts. “In the first we are going to explain how the Amazon works: its geology, its biodiversity,” Andrea Encalada, from the University of San Francisco in Ecuador, and co-chair of the panel, told DW. “The second is about the effects that we have human beings on this ecosystem,” he added.
The last part includes solutions. Thus, “the report aims to help generate decision-making based on timely and updated technical and scientific information,” said Bolivian Daniel Larrea, coordinator of the Gentes de la Amazonía group, in conversation with DW.
A BROAD AND DIVERSE VISION OF THE AMAZON IN DECLINE
Composed by 160 experts in natural and human sciences, and with a gender balance, “many of the chapters will have the participation of leaders from the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin,” added Larrea. “Their perceptions are key to understanding the socio-environmental processes that occur in the Amazon and find agreed solutions for the future of the region”, he assured.
Although the evaluation will be published in March 2021, “we will have a first version in the second week of September,” the co-chair advanced. However, those interviewed agree that the current situation is critical. “More than 17% of its natural forest and studies indicate that if deforestation exceeds 25%, the Amazon could become a savannah,” Poveda warned.
Protecting this region is essential to help curb global warming, regulate the temperature of the environment, conserve animal and plant species, and respect the ancestral lands of the communities.