The Lungs of the Planet

I sat down tonight with a cup of tea, planning on writing a list of things I wanted to do or achieve before the age of 30.

The first thing on my list... Don't die in Ecuador.
The second thing on my list... Spot the following animals in the Amazon: A SLOTH (which I'm most excited about), an anaconda, a manatee, a pink river dolphin, different kinds of macaws, toucans, giant anteaters and a fully grown goliath bird eating spider (yes, only ONE)!
From there, naturally, I got a little sidetracked.
I was SO excited for my upcoming trip so begun to look up what other animals dwelled in the beautiful Amazonian tree tops and river banks. I then stumbled across the 'Pirarucu fish', a giant 10ft long, 440 pound fish dating back to the Jurassic period 200 million years ago, How AMAZING!

I kept reading...

The pink river dolphins – on the verge of extinction!?? Hyacinth Macaws – threatened species due to illegal bird trade and deforestation.
The Three-toed Sloth – endangered due to rapid deforestation (my heart sunk)
Jaguars – Endangered because of deforestation and being hunted for fur.
Golden Lion Tamarin Monkeys - These tiny little monkeys are endangered too!!

By this stage I was getting a little upset, but don't get me wrong, I am not totally naive to deforestation. I know it exists, I know to what extent it exists, but I have never looked into it on this level. I begun to think – when I am trecking through the Amazon, it might be the ONLY opportunity I will ever get to see these amazing animals. Or even worse, if I ever have the pleasure of returning, will it be unrecognisable?

The Amazon currently stands as the worlds largest remaining natural resource, yet the World Wildlife Fund states that if deforestation continues, it will only be 15 to 25 years until the state of the Amazon will reach a point of no return and recovery will be impossible.

It is commonly known as the “Lungs of the Planet” due to it providing a massive 20% of the worlds oxygen, there is something so spectacular about knowing every 5^th breath we take is a gift from the Amazon. It is because of this that we must take greater measures to protect this amazing source of life.

In 2007, Greenpeace in conjunction with other non-profit organisations released a plan to stop the deforestation of the rainforest completely by the year 2015. This proposal was put forth and partially agreed to by the Brazilian government, as Brazil are the main contributors this would substantially decrease deforestation of the Amazon. Although deforestation dramatically dropped by 42% in 2009, in 2010 there was still 6,451 square kms of deforestation in Brazil alone. (Data taken from INPE) However, Brazil is on course to cut deforestation by 80% in 2020...

....We can only hope.

The Amazon Rainforest is a wonderland of biodiversity and the thought of it makes me heart flutter. Many people love to holiday by the sea or see the sights of a foreign city, but I have always been magnetised to the beauty of the rainforest. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm not a dreamer, or that I know a decent amount about the topic, because all I TRULY know is that this is one part of the world that we MUST respect and treasure. From the unbelievable amount of stunning flora and fauna, to the untouched Amazonian tribes. This spiritual, pure place, alive with the sights and sounds of nature in it's most condense form needs to be protected.

Just have a think about where your beautiful mahogany furniture is coming from, and at what cost. Or where your meat is raised.
Just think.

So.... my list of things to do before I'm 30 turned into this, a tree-hugging hippy rant amount the Amazon. Although it added one more thing to my list.

30 things to do before I'm 30
1. Don't die in Ecuador
2. See said animals in the Amazon
3. Do everything in my power to save the Amazon Rainforest, one tree at a time.
...List to be continued.

A tiny tree hopper in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest has lived there for millions of years. To the tree hopper, who can only see as far as the next tree, is blissfully unaware of the threat of man closing in around him.