The lack of a plan to preserve the Amazon rainforest
A study conducted by a network of researchers from 6 countries has identified that 68% of environmental protection and indigenous lands in the Amazon are under threat. The menace comes from infrastructure projects, plans of economic development, and land exploitation activities. The most damage is inflicted by projects supported by local and federal governments, such as new roads—of the 136,000km built so far, 26,000 are within protected areas.
While the pace of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has slowed 72% since 2004, the trend has been reversed in the past year—rising 13.7%. Despite being home to 62% of the rainforest, Brazil is far from the only culprit. In the Peruvian Amazon, there have been 190 recorded oil spills in the past 20 years.
For Gustavo Faleiros, founder of InfoAmazônia—a project to raise awareness through in-depth reporting on the region and a partner organization of The Brazilian Report—South America needs a common plan for the Pan-Amazon, which spans across 8 countries, instead of each country being worried only...