Português | Español | Deutsch | [+]“The loss of biodiversity is the only truly irreversible global environmental change
the Earth faces today.” – Biologists Rodolfo Dirzo and Peter Ravencarmen –Walking through the Amazon, we encounter more species of trees in a 30-minute time period than we would if we walked across the entire continent of North America. There is simply no other place like it anywhere. Today we are asking for your financial commitment to protect this biodiverse ecosystem because it is under threat.It’s more than just trees that are at stake – the Amazon is home to over 2.5 million insect species, tens of thousands of plants, and 2,000 birds and mammals. To date, at least 40,000 plant species, 2,200 fish, 1,294 birds, 427 mammals, 428 amphibians, and 378 reptiles have been scientifically classified in this region. And there are thousands more that have yetto be formally documented, along with myriads we have yet to evenencounter.But resource extraction and the resulting deforestation is destroying the biodiversity of the Amazon and threatening to wipe out countless species. Amazon Watch works to prevent expansion of oil drilling and industrial development throughout this region. Such projects always begin with the creation of roads, whether the industrial expansion is from oil drilling in Yasuni National Park in Ecuador or mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon. Roads enable access to untouched areas, bringing massive deforestation and more threats to Amazonian cultures. In fact, 95 percent of deforestation in the Amazon occurs on land less than five kilometers from a road.
That’s why our work to delay, disrupt and ultimately stop the expansion of these projects must grow to meet the increasing threats to the Amazon. In the last forty years we have lost ONE HALF of the world’s wildlife! That staggering fact should be a wake-up call for us all. How can we fail to act when our planet is in such great peril? Please join Amazon Watch and contribute today to protect the richest source of the remaining life on our planet.
Be a Seed for Change 
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