Amazonas

Tropical rainforests cover only about 6% of the earth’s surface, but they are home to 80% of all animal and plant species. Between the 10 ° north and south latitude, the green band stretches along the equator around the globe. In the area of influence of the mighty Amazon river, the biodiversity is particularly great. There are more than 492 different species of mammals here, 65 of which were newly discovered between 1999 and 2015. The 1,373 different species of birds found only here are even more numerous, 79 of which were described for the first time in the 16 years mentioned. There are also fish, plants, amphibians and reptiles. Permanent sun exposure, constant rain and an evergreen canopy of leaves over the richest river on earth allow the development of screamingly colorful life in this region.

If only it weren’t for the human being. If only it weren’t for modern man. With his machines, with his industry and with his hunger for land, he is in the process of destroying this ecosystem and the diversity of life. This process has only been going on for about 20 years. Until then, the rainforest, which was formed around nine million years ago, was at rest. Only now have the agricultural industry and politics set their sights on the biological reserve. Regardless of whether climate change and the rise in CO2 levels in the air are responsible for global warming, clearing and rededication of the area into agricultural areas threaten the diversity of life and thus human health and well-being.