Ecosystems Research Journal The Amazon Rain Forest Natalie Hyde CRABTREE Publishing Company www crabtreebooks com
Mission to the Amazon I am packing for another adventure As a conservation ecologist I study how to preserve the relationship between living things and their environment I have been asked by the Amazon Research Association to observe the effects of deforestation in the Amazon rain forest Deforestation means cutting down forests or a group of trees I will start my journey in Peru and end where the mighty Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil As I make my way down the longest river in the world I will note any changes to different types of habitats I have been asked to report on how deforestation is affecting plants and animals the health of the habitat nesting sites indigenous people climate change The Association also wants me to report on any new projects that are having a positive effect on preserving this ecosystem 4
I want to confirm some facts about the Amazon rain forest before I leave It is the largest tropical rain forest in the world at over 1.4 billion acres 5.5 million square kilometers Over half of it is in Brazil It also crosses the borders of eight other countries in South America These countries include Peru Ecuador and Colombia There is a link between the health of the Amazon rain forest and the health of the planet Earth is becoming warmer because too much of the gas carbon dioxide is building up in the planet’s atmosphere This is called global warming Humans and animals breathe out carbon dioxide Plants take in this gas A large rain forest can take in a lot of carbon dioxide to prevent the planet from warming up It also helps keep the average weather conditions around the world from changing quickly The rain forest is also home to about half of the animal and plant species on Earth I am looking forward to seeing animals such as parrots and poison frogs in the rain forest 5
