HYBRID NATURES

The Amazon rainforest is the largest in the world and has the richest biodiversity of any terrestrial ecosystem, hosting 10% of all know species. By 2020, there were between 1,300 and 1,500 species of birds were living in the Amazon rainforest, as well as more than 1,000 species of frogs, 3,000 species of fish, 450 species of reptiles and 430 species of mammals. They also suspect there might be even more than 20 million species of invertebrates, with ants making up to 30% of the animals' biomass in the Amazon. It is home to about 40,000 species of flowering plants, including 16,000 species of trees (2,000 of them yet to be found), distributed in almost 400 billion trees.

Source: Conservation International (2025) The Amazon: What Everyone Needs To Know (2020)

Forests play a major role in climate change. They both absorb and emit CO2, but also can release stored carbon, due to deforestation. Southeastern Amazonia already releases more carbon than it absorbs, and scientists estimate that it is close to the tipping point, where this rainforest would turn into a savannah, affecting rainfall across South America.

Source: World Resources Institute (2023)

The Amazon rainforest receive, on average, 60 to 120 inches (152 to 300 cm) of rain per year and the combination of heat and rainfall produces a high humidity, sometimes close to 95%. Canopy trees transpire 200 gallons (760 l) of water annually, estimating 20,000 gallons (76,000 l) for every acre of canopy trees that contribute to the formation of rain clouds and generate as much as 75% of their own rain and 50% of their own precipitation. Deforestation affects climate stability, water cycles, and the quantity and quality of water.

Sources: Mongabay (2012) Damm, Börner, Gerber, et al. (2024)

There are 385 Indigenous ethnic groups residing in the Amazon biogeographic region (approximately 1.5 million people, by 2023). For Indigenous people and other communities, their land is the basis for social identity culture, spirituality, security, employment, welfare and resources.
Between 2001 and 2021, areas managed by Indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest were significant carbon sinks, removing an average of 340 million tons of CO2, each year. Lands outside their protection were more susceptible to deforestation, collectively becoming a source of carbon. Lands legally held or titled to them have even lower deforestation rates that the untitled ones.

Source: World Resources Institute (2023)

Approximately a 17% of it’s original extension has been lost over the las 40-50 years. Scientist estimate that loosing 20% of the Amazon could turn this carbon sink into a carbon source and trigger a large-scale change of the ecosystem and water cycles, transforming it into a savannah and releasing more than 90 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere (equivalent to 2.5 times greater than the world’s annual fuel emissions).
Brazil holds around 60% of the Amazon rainforest and loses 1.5 million hectares of it each year. The most common causes for deforestation are agriculture, logging, mining, gas and oil, infrastructure and fires. Changing the land use complicates the situation of local populations, which are key players in protecting the Amazon rainforest.

Sources: World Resources Institute (2023) DGB Group (2023)

The main threats leading deforestation and degradation are infrastructure -transportation and hydroelectrical facilities-, oil and gas, mining, agriculture -specially meat production- and fires. Brazil, Bolivia, Guyana and Peru saw a significant increase of tree cover lost areas due to fire in 2024, compared to 2023, during the drought season. Fires also affect local population -human and non-human species- and their natural habitats, and have a strong impact on climate regulation and air quality.

Sources: Goldman, E., Carter, S. and Sims, M. (2023) Damm, Börner, Gerber, et al. (2024)

Fires in the Amazon rainforest affect local population (human and nonhuman species) deforesting and modifying their natural habitats, and have a strong impact on climate regulation, water cycles and air quality. Fires add to the atmosphere PM2.5 and increase the levels of air pollutants (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide).
Every year, there are 10 million deaths caused by air pollution accumulative effects and 8 million of them are related to fossil fuel combustion (equivalent to 20% of all deaths worldwide) In 2022, 97.3% of the global population breathes air that exceeds the established air quality standards, threatening their health. Air pollution is linked to heart and respiratory diseases, cancer, strokes, Alzheimer, dementia and asthma.

Sources: Damm, Börner, Gerber, et al. (2024) Wallace-Wells (2022)