Amazon rainforest under threat

The Brazilian Amazon has changed significantly over the past two decades that I have been photographing it. The pace of deforestation grew, then regressed, and recently has again increased. Its worst recorded drought took place in 2005. Agriculture and mining eroded into the rainforest further. The world’s third-largest hydroelectric project was constructed. Some things, like the use of fire to clear land have remained constant however. The condition of the Amazon is of great concern for us, as it is quite literally the lungs of the planet: one fifth of Earth’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon. It is a significant factor in the fight against global warming. And now it and the indigenous people who have been its inhabitants and stewards for millennia are under even more of a threat, as the new government of Brazil has made it a top - and shortsighted - priority to ignore their rights and exploit the Amazon as much as possible. In 2018, deforestation of the Amazon increased by 22% over the previous year, driven by agribusiness and land-grabbers. As the world demand for its resources continues to expand, the Amazon will continue to shrink without protection.