Amazonia’s Uncertain Future

I have already outlined a number of threats to Amazonia like cattle ranching, mining, and climate change, but what follows are some of the most urgent—​and ominous—​risks and challenges that lie ahead. Is cattle ranching a major cause of Amazonian deforestation? Brazil possesses one of the...

Amazonian Biota

Plants What is ayahuasca? From Argentina to Australia, from Israel to Istanbul, a once-​obscure Amazonian liana, admixed with a few other plants, is now celebrated—​and even venerated—​as a plant of power, knowledge, and healing that has spawned two state-​recognized neo-​religions. Ayahuasca is—​first and foremost—​a...

History: The Struggle for the Amazon

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas? Signed in a town 100 miles (161 km) northwest of Madrid on June 7, 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas marked an important milestone in the history of the Amazon. At the time, Portugal and Spain were the world’s two major seafaring...

Rivers

The Amazon is a river of unparalleled vastness. Born high in the southern Andes of Peru, the Amazon flows north and then east, forming a national boundary with Colombia before crossing much of northern Brazil and then emptying into the Atlantic, draining an area of...

Conclusion

How can Amazonia be saved? Protected areas form the backbone of rainforest conservation. Amazonia is home to several colossal national parks: both Chiribiquete in Colombia and Tumucumaque in Brazil are substantially larger than Belgium, while Alto Purus in Peru exceeds the size of New Jersey. These...

Indigenous Peoples

When did the first humans arrive in Amazonia? Deciphering the prehistory of ancient Amazonia presents a multitude of challenges. Bodies do not readily mummify in the ubiquitous heat, humidity, and constant precipitation. There exist no written records of pre-​Columbian Amazonia that can be deciphered Champollion-​like with some...

Geology, Soils, and Vegetation

What is the geological history of Amazonia? The supercontinent Gondwana began breaking up approximately 180 million years ago. South America and Africa started to drift apart about 40 million years after this as the southern Atlantic Ocean formed between them. A highland arose on the eastern edge of South America,...

Introduction

What is a tropical rainforest? Rainforests occupy a special place in the imagination. Literary, historical, and cinematic depictions range from a ghastly green hell to an idyllic Garden of Eden. In terms of fiction, they fired the already fervent imaginations of storytellers as diverse as...