Comprising a whopping 5.5 million kilometers and spanning over 9 countries, the Amazon Rainforest is host to some of the biggest ecosystems on our planet. Named after the valorous warrior women of Greek mythology, the forest is far more complex than the boring stats presented to children in our classrooms when studying the Amazon. With over 390 billion trees, some of them taller than 100 feet, the largest river in the world, and millions of rare wildlife species, it is rightly known as ‘the lungs of the earth.’
Existing as a vertical world of three layers—the Canopy, the Understory, and the Forest Floor—the Amazon rainforest might just be the most interesting geographical phenomenon of the home that we call Earth. From dragon-like anacondas to electrifying eels, transparent frogs to pink dolphins, and jaguars to flying snakes, the wonders of its wildlife humble the naive humanity that prides itself on knowledge.
The self-sustaining forest recycles its nutrients, and the vast vegetation allows it to create its own weather. This also serves as a caution to its explorers, as it only takes a few hours for a human body to decompose in such conditions.
The history of the Amazon’s discovery extends back to the 1490s, when a Spanish navigator named Vicente Yàñez Pinzòn encountered the Amazon River while sailing. The river’s fresh water flowing into the Atlantic mesmerized Pinzón so much that he named it Rio Santa Maria de la Mar Dulce, translating to “River of Saint Mary of the Sweet Sea.”.
The full exploration of the forest, however, was initiated in the early 1500s, when Francisco De Orellena, a Spanish explorer and conquistador, began his own expedition towards the Atlantic, crossing the Amazon Rainforest on his way. It is on this expedition that Orellena and his men encountered the single-breasted, extremely fierce women of the forest, who rebelled against the male-dominated society and are reported to have been the first feminists of the world.
The history of the Amazon would be incomplete without the mention of El Dorado, a mythical city of gold. The myth has its roots in a sacred ritual of the Muisca people, in which the tribal chief would cover himself in gold dust and sail out to the middle of Lake Guatavita in order to offer gold and treasures to their gods. This ritual, when reported by the explorers, got exaggerated to a kingdom of gold. Several centuries have passed since then; the ancient expeditions of Ginzalo Pizzero have transformed into modern ones by Paul Rosolie. The kingdom of gold is yet to be discovered; the search, however, has led to massive discoveries. Thus proving the local tradition of the seekers of El Dorado becoming an essential part of the Amazonian history.
Like all else, this region of nature has also been painted by tragedy. The famous uncontacted tribes of Amazonian cannibals, once well connected and socially apt, fell victim to the European colonization. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, these tribes were massacred for land, labor, and resources. This brutal campaign of greed resulted in a majority of these tribes getting enslaved and murdered, while the survivors resorted to the law of the jungle by moving deep into the forest. The generational trauma inflicted upon the innocent indigenous population of the forest has led to their mistrust of civilization; this is the reason behind several missionaries being nailed to crosses in their attempt to communicate with the isolated tribes. The horrors of colonization have resulted in the erasure of history and a loss of valuable indigenous knowledge of the forest we yearn to know.
The Amazon Rainforest’s example is that of a favorite child protected by Mother Nature, but the intruder it faces today is brutal enough to sever its neck for the jewels it seeks.
The great rainforest has been standing tall on the face of the earth for millions of years. Each of its billions of trees has a history deeply connected with the population; from the natives taking shelter from British invasions to its saviors building treehouses, it has offered a welcoming home to everyone in need. But alas, the home of titanoboa is now in grave danger.
Forest fires are at an all-time high, leading to deforestation and a disruption in the self-regulating system of the forest. The real threat, however, is posed by the logging and poaching that have been legalized by the local government for its own motives. Great chunks of the forest have been razed to the ground by loggers, presenting a sad picture of the current state. Amazon is currently standing at the precipice of survival, as it continues to fight for its existence; an increase in forest fires and logging may cause irretrievable damage to the water system. This would be a point of no return, an unfathomable tragedy for a rainforest that has survived the countless blows of time.
As billions of heartbeats, human and animal alike, fight for the forest’s survival, there are a few voices that reign above. One of those is that of Paul Rosolie.
Paul Rosolie, a US teen madly in love with the forest, moved to the Amazon in 2009 and has turned into a real-life Tarzan ever since. He owned the forest when no prominent NGOs had started their work yet and managed to befriend the local tribes as they claimed him as one of their own. Through Jungle Keepers, his organization aimed at protecting the Amazon; he has secured over 250 thousand acres of land from logging, poaching, and all external threats. Rosolie and his team have worked day and night to create a platform with a global audience, creating awareness by putting their own lives at risk by attempting to do things like filming being eaten alive by an anaconda. Their initiatives have boosted tourism in the Amazon by offering bug-free tours of the forest, boosting the local economy. Moreover, they have also recruited local loggers into their NGO, exposing the downside of capitalism that forces people to work against their own environment for financial survival.
While Rosolie and his team’s work is phenomenal, it’s little more than a drop in the ocean. Amazon spans over millions of acres, all in need of saving. I, therefore, personally appeal to my reader to do everything in your might, be it donation or awareness, to save the only paradise on earth, so we may have one place with the same air as the one our first ancestors breathed.