The Amazon Watch

By Aidan Kim

The Amazon Watch

Indigenous Peoples

Your Mission: Save the Amazon

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Deforestation History

The Amazon is home to about 10% of the world's known species and offers researchers globally an opportunity to learn more about so many species

The Amazon Rainforest produces up to 20% of the world's oxygen

The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest in South America, known for it's vast biodiversity and its crucial role in regulating the Earth's atmosphere

The Amazon - Background Information

As deforestation efforts encroach on their land, indigenous individuals are forced to migrate off the lands which they have resided in for thousands of years and abandon their way of life to survive. As forests are cleared, culture, livelihood, plant life, biodiversity, access to water and sustainability are all negative impacted.

Indigenous individuals, who have been residing in the region for millenia, have many aspects of their lives intertwined with their sacred grounds. Lots of indigenous individuals still live sustainably, using traditional methods and knowledge which have been passed down for generations to survive off the resources that the Amazon provides them with.

Indigenous People in the Amazon

Deforestation, before it became a globalized industry, existed on a small scale and was mainly carried out by indigenous tribes (early 20th century). In the 1950s, the American government encouraged deforestation to help boost the economy. This practice saw rates of deforestation efforts exponential increase, and as cattle ranching became a popular technique (and boosted the meat industry in Brazil), thousands of acres were lost.

Deforestation History

The COP26 in 2021 saw over 140 countries (with 90% of the world's rainforests distributed among them) come to an agreement - deforestation efforts would be halted and the effects restored by 2030

Different anti-deforestation laws have been passed since the Paris Agreement in 2015, which many countries pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce deforestation. Brazilian legislature have also helped pass laws to help indigenous folks from being evicted from their lands

Combatting Deforestation Internationally

Founded in 1996, the Amazon Watch is a NPO which aims to combat deforestation and raise awareness to fix loopholes in Brazilian laws which allow for deforestation efforts to continue. The group aims to combat climate change and hold different corporates accountable for the damage that they have done to the rainforest. On an international level, the Amazon Watch raises global awareness about the critical role the rainforest plays in regulating Earth's ecosystem.

The Amazon Watch

One of Brazil's most lucrative economies is their meat exports industry, accuring more than $11 Billion for the country of Brazil. Therefore, cattle ranching has been popularized but to keep up with the increasing demand of ranching space, forests are being continuously cut down. The Watch aims to hold certain corporations accountable for their contributions to the deforestation efforts.

One of the Watch's goals is to advocate for indigenous rights. Indigenous tribes are still being coerced into leaving their lands because a lot of them don't speak fluent English. Therefore, they are not aware of the loopholes in the law which allow for deforestation efforts to continue to dehome them and relocate individuals. The Watch has been successful in passing more than 10 laws which would restore land and also provide rehomed individuals with compensation.

Amazon Watch Efforts