Prep Assignment:
In preparation to visit Manaus, Brazil, students educated themselves on the various issues in the Amazon region including deforestation, overfishing, and contamination. The four assigned videos and other helpful links gave insight to how devastating these threats actually are to the biodiversity, ecology, and caboclos, or people of the Amazon. If these threats are not moderated within the next several years, a “tragedy of the commons” is bound to occur, effecting not only Brazil as a country but the entire globe.
One of the most significant problems afflicting the Amazon Rainforest is deforestation. Most of the saw mills throughout the region are illegal and ran by locals. By destroying the habitat in their own backyards, these people make about eleven dollars per tree harvested. This miniscule paycheck increases as it’s passed through middlemen and the exploiters at the end of the chain sell the trees for $215 each. While illegal loggers manipulate the land unsustainably, Mil Madeireira harvests the forest for a greater good. This organization studies the region and chooses trees whose loss will not affect the ecosystem, plants three trees for every one cut, and only cuts trees that have reached a certain maturity. If each illegal saw mill operated similarly, we may not be losing the forest at the rate which we are. At the end of the day, only one third of the wood obtained is usable and 150L of sewage resulting from logging is dumped into rivers every day.
Deforestation is not one of the only sources of contamination affecting the Amazon River. Mercury contamination occurs when commercial gold mining uses the element to extract the gold. The mercury drains into the Amazon River and embeds itself in the bodies of the 5,000 species of fish. According to the documentary, the fish caught from the Amazon have more than double the amount of mercury in their flesh than the FDA allows for human consumption. Caboclos also describe the waters in the region to be constantly on the rise due to La Nina, which is occurring five to eight times more frequently than it used to. This rising and falling of the waters combined with the lack of trees holding the soil down alter the habitat for both the caboclos and the wildlife.
The beautiful and diverse fish of the Amazon River fall vulnerable to deforestation and contamination respectively, but the most significant threat is overfishing. Local caboclos fish using unique techniques and catch only enough to feed their families and sell one at the market. The commercial fishing industry, however, uses unsustainable methods and exploits rare species for profit. Naturalist Michael Goulding, who studies the loss of biodiversity in the Amazon, noted that fish sold in markets today are much smaller than their 1970s ancestors. Goulding went as far as saying that if the fish are not conserved, the fishing industries will only prosper for another four to five years.
After watching the assigned videos, I was shocked with the severity of threats that prey on the Amazon region. Before learning about how deforestation truly occurs, it never occurred to me that Brazilians were taking part in the removal of forest, or that it was illegal. The way it was depicted reminded me of the way that factory farms are run today in the United States. Although activities are highly regulated in the U.S., there is much controversy over the abuse that animals endure during growth and slaughter. The difference lies in the government’s lack of regulation and hardcore nature of the loggers, the narrator noting that if his camera was seen, they would lose their heads. It also gives a significant meaning to the old riddle, “if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”, suggesting that if no one is listening to the cries of the trees are as they are slaughtered, there is no need to face the reality of negative effects we are posing on the most bio diverse region of the world. Unfortunately, the human race may not hear the tree fall until it is too late to reverse the positive feedback loop.
I found the statistic about high mercury concentration to be very interesting and it makes me question the mercury content found in the Amazon people. Gold miners are hired for cheap labor and make very little for the four grams of gold they collect daily. It begs the question of, is it really worth it? Is the pollution and devastation worth it for such a nominal amount of money? After all, loggers make only five percent of the final profit from their hard work and labor. On the contrary, with a salary of less than one thousand USD per year, the Amazon natives need all the income they can find.
What I found most interesting about the Amazon region was the flooded forest. In the wet season, the video showed the waters rising, fish swimming through the treetops, and aquatic species interbreeding with animals on land. This feat of evolution makes the Amazon the most diverse place on Earth. Freshwater dolphins and sting rays show how their saltwater ancestors adapted as the water turned to freshwater. The reversal of the flow of water due to plate shifting is also extremely intriguing given the size of the River itself.
After watching these videos, I am most excited to observe the exotic species in real form, everything from sloths to water monkeys. The people of the Brazilian village will describe their unique way of life and struggles that they face every day due to the exploitation of their home. Hopefully we will get to observe and experience some of the special rituals that they practice and their use of biodiversity, similar to the woman growing medicinal plants in the video. By watching these videos and researching some of the other links on my own, students get a real sense of life in the Amazon region and will acclimate to the culture easier.
In preparation to visit Manaus, Brazil, students educated themselves on the various issues in the Amazon region including deforestation, overfishing, and contamination. The four assigned videos and other helpful links gave insight to how devastating these threats actually are to the biodiversity, ecology, and caboclos, or people of the Amazon. If these threats are not moderated within the next several years, a “tragedy of the commons” is bound to occur, effecting not only Brazil as a country but the entire globe.
One of the most significant problems afflicting the Amazon Rainforest is deforestation. Most of the saw mills throughout the region are illegal and ran by locals. By destroying the habitat in their own backyards, these people make about eleven dollars per tree harvested. This miniscule paycheck increases as it’s passed through middlemen and the exploiters at the end of the chain sell the trees for $215 each. While illegal loggers manipulate the land unsustainably, Mil Madeireira harvests the forest for a greater good. This organization studies the region and chooses trees whose loss will not affect the ecosystem, plants three trees for every one cut, and only cuts trees that have reached a certain maturity. If each illegal saw mill operated similarly, we may not be losing the forest at the rate which we are. At the end of the day, only one third of the wood obtained is usable and 150L of sewage resulting from logging is dumped into rivers every day.
Deforestation is not one of the only sources of contamination affecting the Amazon River. Mercury contamination occurs when commercial gold mining uses the element to extract the gold. The mercury drains into the Amazon River and embeds itself in the bodies of the 5,000 species of fish. According to the documentary, the fish caught from the Amazon have more than double the amount of mercury in their flesh than the FDA allows for human consumption. Caboclos also describe the waters in the region to be constantly on the rise due to La Nina, which is occurring five to eight times more frequently than it used to. This rising and falling of the waters combined with the lack of trees holding the soil down alter the habitat for both the caboclos and the wildlife.
The beautiful and diverse fish of the Amazon River fall vulnerable to deforestation and contamination respectively, but the most significant threat is overfishing. Local caboclos fish using unique techniques and catch only enough to feed their families and sell one at the market. The commercial fishing industry, however, uses unsustainable methods and exploits rare species for profit. Naturalist Michael Goulding, who studies the loss of biodiversity in the Amazon, noted that fish sold in markets today are much smaller than their 1970s ancestors. Goulding went as far as saying that if the fish are not conserved, the fishing industries will only prosper for another four to five years.
After watching the assigned videos, I was shocked with the severity of threats that prey on the Amazon region. Before learning about how deforestation truly occurs, it never occurred to me that Brazilians were taking part in the removal of forest, or that it was illegal. The way it was depicted reminded me of the way that factory farms are run today in the United States. Although activities are highly regulated in the U.S., there is much controversy over the abuse that animals endure during growth and slaughter. The difference lies in the government’s lack of regulation and hardcore nature of the loggers, the narrator noting that if his camera was seen, they would lose their heads. It also gives a significant meaning to the old riddle, “if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”, suggesting that if no one is listening to the cries of the trees are as they are slaughtered, there is no need to face the reality of negative effects we are posing on the most bio diverse region of the world. Unfortunately, the human race may not hear the tree fall until it is too late to reverse the positive feedback loop.
I found the statistic about high mercury concentration to be very interesting and it makes me question the mercury content found in the Amazon people. Gold miners are hired for cheap labor and make very little for the four grams of gold they collect daily. It begs the question of, is it really worth it? Is the pollution and devastation worth it for such a nominal amount of money? After all, loggers make only five percent of the final profit from their hard work and labor. On the contrary, with a salary of less than one thousand USD per year, the Amazon natives need all the income they can find.
What I found most interesting about the Amazon region was the flooded forest. In the wet season, the video showed the waters rising, fish swimming through the treetops, and aquatic species interbreeding with animals on land. This feat of evolution makes the Amazon the most diverse place on Earth. Freshwater dolphins and sting rays show how their saltwater ancestors adapted as the water turned to freshwater. The reversal of the flow of water due to plate shifting is also extremely intriguing given the size of the River itself.
After watching these videos, I am most excited to observe the exotic species in real form, everything from sloths to water monkeys. The people of the Brazilian village will describe their unique way of life and struggles that they face every day due to the exploitation of their home. Hopefully we will get to observe and experience some of the special rituals that they practice and their use of biodiversity, similar to the woman growing medicinal plants in the video. By watching these videos and researching some of the other links on my own, students get a real sense of life in the Amazon region and will acclimate to the culture easier.
Day One:
Welcome to Brasil! We arrived in Manaus late last night and spent a luxurious night in our first hotel. After sleeping in, the group ventured out to a local restaurant where lunch was served buffet style. Each plate was labeled in Portuguese, which seems strikingly similar to Spanish. I served myself what appeared to be chicken with rice and beans and a salad. I also became acquainted with a staple food in Brazil, manioc flour, which the boys have begun referring to as “booty corn” (responsible for the famous Brazilian booty).
After lunch, Tait exchanged our U.S. dollars for Reals in what we were told was a sketchy encounter. I switched over $100, which got me back about 260 Reals. We then met the lovely lawyer Thaisa who showed us around Manaus and educated the group on the local history in the area. Our first stop was the Teatro Amazonas opera house in the center of town. The street around the opera house is lined with a pattern of white and black stones imported from Europe. While many believe this pattern is an imitation of that found on the beaches of Copacabana, the unique array actually represents the emerging of the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers. The theatre holds 700 people and currently conducts one performance every week.
I was very intrigued to learn of the history behind the Teatro Amazonas and study the intricacy and detail put into all the artwork. Our tour guide definitely needed to work on his English but we were able to understand a majority of the little that he said. I found it interesting to learn that Manaus was the second city in Brazil to obtain electricity, and the opera house actually had circular windows in the dressing rooms on the top floor to help with ventilation and provide natural sunlight. After the theater, the group went to the port that services all incoming and outgoing shipments.
Thaisa told us of the flat bottomed boats that served to avoid obstruction with ocean vegetation. From the port, it takes two weeks to get to the ocean. This is a long journey that many sailors make very often in Manaus. Adjacent to the port was the market, where locals purchase fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. It was clear that the locals were reliant on this income for survival and I questioned how fresh this produce actually was at the end of the day in the hot Brazilian sun. The market apparently closes very early, sending us back to the hotel and out to the mall for dinner.
At the end of this first day in Brazil, I am overwhelmed. I am still tired from our 3am arrival, my feet hurt from walking, and my mind is blown with culture shock. It is clear that my lifestyle and worldview differs immensely from the people that I have encountered in Manaus. I am anxious for tomorrow’s adventures in the Amazon!
Welcome to Brasil! We arrived in Manaus late last night and spent a luxurious night in our first hotel. After sleeping in, the group ventured out to a local restaurant where lunch was served buffet style. Each plate was labeled in Portuguese, which seems strikingly similar to Spanish. I served myself what appeared to be chicken with rice and beans and a salad. I also became acquainted with a staple food in Brazil, manioc flour, which the boys have begun referring to as “booty corn” (responsible for the famous Brazilian booty).
After lunch, Tait exchanged our U.S. dollars for Reals in what we were told was a sketchy encounter. I switched over $100, which got me back about 260 Reals. We then met the lovely lawyer Thaisa who showed us around Manaus and educated the group on the local history in the area. Our first stop was the Teatro Amazonas opera house in the center of town. The street around the opera house is lined with a pattern of white and black stones imported from Europe. While many believe this pattern is an imitation of that found on the beaches of Copacabana, the unique array actually represents the emerging of the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers. The theatre holds 700 people and currently conducts one performance every week.
I was very intrigued to learn of the history behind the Teatro Amazonas and study the intricacy and detail put into all the artwork. Our tour guide definitely needed to work on his English but we were able to understand a majority of the little that he said. I found it interesting to learn that Manaus was the second city in Brazil to obtain electricity, and the opera house actually had circular windows in the dressing rooms on the top floor to help with ventilation and provide natural sunlight. After the theater, the group went to the port that services all incoming and outgoing shipments.
Thaisa told us of the flat bottomed boats that served to avoid obstruction with ocean vegetation. From the port, it takes two weeks to get to the ocean. This is a long journey that many sailors make very often in Manaus. Adjacent to the port was the market, where locals purchase fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. It was clear that the locals were reliant on this income for survival and I questioned how fresh this produce actually was at the end of the day in the hot Brazilian sun. The market apparently closes very early, sending us back to the hotel and out to the mall for dinner.
At the end of this first day in Brazil, I am overwhelmed. I am still tired from our 3am arrival, my feet hurt from walking, and my mind is blown with culture shock. It is clear that my lifestyle and worldview differs immensely from the people that I have encountered in Manaus. I am anxious for tomorrow’s adventures in the Amazon!
Day Two:
We awoke bright and early this morning for a trip to the Amazon river and rainforest. We got on a boat with about thirty other people and embarked on a two hour journey to a small touristy pull off. Along the river, we passed a floating town with houses, a church and even a small school. The assumed residents of these homes stood outside with their dogs and waved to us, and it made me somewhat sad to think of how these people must feel. In retrospect, this boat tour most likely has a planned itinerary through this village as part of the touristic lure. Whether or not these natives are compensated for the invasion of privacy that they are subject to on a daily basis, it is painful to imagine the image cast on Americans and tourists from other wealthy nations.
Later on the tour, students realized that native people are not the only species exploited in the Amazon region. As we approached our destination, a small motorboat practically crashed into the tour boat and on jumped two teenagers carrying a baby sloth, anaconda and alligator. Chaos ensued as the animals were passed from person to person and countless photos were taken. While I normally would not agree with this form of animal abuse, in the moment it was hard to pass up a chance to molest such beautiful exotic animals. As any first world human being would, I took advantage of the situation and tipped them 5 Reals.
Once they collected a sufficient amount of donations, the gentlemen jumped back on their motorboat and disappeared into the jungle. The tour bus then led us to a small village where we were greeted and welcomed with a ceremonious dance. The performance and overall vibe was somewhat corny, however, we were told that the tribe is actually much bigger than the small group that we met and actually lives a few miles into the forest. Although students wished for a longer hike to see the entire village, the entire experience was exhilarating and left us with a strong appreciation for Amazon culture and its preservation
The boat trip concluded with a short swim with pink river dolphins, which are apparently very spiritual in Amazon culture. The dolphins were attracted to our kicking feet with dead fish and tourists got a chance to stroke the smooth skin on the mammals’ backs. Each animal had apparent scars all over its body which we presumed marked a history with boat propellers. This last encounter with native species solidified my impression of the Amazon as the boat pulled away and a trail of smoke blazed in the distance from a logging operation only a few miles down the river.
As we headed for home, the boat paused briefly at the collision of the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers. Stretching for miles in each direction, a clear line separated the brown water of the Amazon from the dark black of the Rio Negro. This line, according to the tour guide, is due to the differences in density and the high levels of sedimentation in the Rio Negro. One of the other passengers we met from Sao Paolo tried to preserve this effect in a jar but the volume was such that the two waters mixed.
While the group did not hike as much as expected, I was very impressed by the amount of Amazon I saw today. Not only did students get a firsthand glimpse of the poverty and exploitation throughout the region, but it was also very interesting to see the immense amount of diversity both in species and lifestyle. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!
We awoke bright and early this morning for a trip to the Amazon river and rainforest. We got on a boat with about thirty other people and embarked on a two hour journey to a small touristy pull off. Along the river, we passed a floating town with houses, a church and even a small school. The assumed residents of these homes stood outside with their dogs and waved to us, and it made me somewhat sad to think of how these people must feel. In retrospect, this boat tour most likely has a planned itinerary through this village as part of the touristic lure. Whether or not these natives are compensated for the invasion of privacy that they are subject to on a daily basis, it is painful to imagine the image cast on Americans and tourists from other wealthy nations.
Later on the tour, students realized that native people are not the only species exploited in the Amazon region. As we approached our destination, a small motorboat practically crashed into the tour boat and on jumped two teenagers carrying a baby sloth, anaconda and alligator. Chaos ensued as the animals were passed from person to person and countless photos were taken. While I normally would not agree with this form of animal abuse, in the moment it was hard to pass up a chance to molest such beautiful exotic animals. As any first world human being would, I took advantage of the situation and tipped them 5 Reals.
Once they collected a sufficient amount of donations, the gentlemen jumped back on their motorboat and disappeared into the jungle. The tour bus then led us to a small village where we were greeted and welcomed with a ceremonious dance. The performance and overall vibe was somewhat corny, however, we were told that the tribe is actually much bigger than the small group that we met and actually lives a few miles into the forest. Although students wished for a longer hike to see the entire village, the entire experience was exhilarating and left us with a strong appreciation for Amazon culture and its preservation
The boat trip concluded with a short swim with pink river dolphins, which are apparently very spiritual in Amazon culture. The dolphins were attracted to our kicking feet with dead fish and tourists got a chance to stroke the smooth skin on the mammals’ backs. Each animal had apparent scars all over its body which we presumed marked a history with boat propellers. This last encounter with native species solidified my impression of the Amazon as the boat pulled away and a trail of smoke blazed in the distance from a logging operation only a few miles down the river.
As we headed for home, the boat paused briefly at the collision of the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers. Stretching for miles in each direction, a clear line separated the brown water of the Amazon from the dark black of the Rio Negro. This line, according to the tour guide, is due to the differences in density and the high levels of sedimentation in the Rio Negro. One of the other passengers we met from Sao Paolo tried to preserve this effect in a jar but the volume was such that the two waters mixed.
While the group did not hike as much as expected, I was very impressed by the amount of Amazon I saw today. Not only did students get a firsthand glimpse of the poverty and exploitation throughout the region, but it was also very interesting to see the immense amount of diversity both in species and lifestyle. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!
Day Three:
For the last day in Manaus, Tait has scheduled us for us to visit the beach and hang out with a local resident in town, Davison. Davison attends university not far from where we were staying and told us about the uniqueness of the Brazilian education system. According to Davison, there are two ways for a citizen to attend college: public or private university. For public university, students must take entrance exams for acceptance; however, the cost of education is free. On the contrary, wealthy kids typically attend private university due to its low acceptance rates and their ability to pay. Davison was raised in a less than wealthy family and attends a respectable public university at which he speaks six different languages.
Education was not the only subject Davison spoke of. He also told us of the inconsistencies in government and the clout that wealthy people actually hold in Brazil. Just weeks before we arrived in Manaus, there was a wealthy community that was unhappy with the amount of noise created by the exotic parrots and other birds living in the nearby trees. To lessen this annoyance, the community joined together and gassed the forest, extirpating every form of life, including the birds. This story was incredibly heartbreaking given the sociological sentience placed on many animals, namely birds by first world countries.
The group followed Davison’s directions to the beach where I tried acai for the first time as well as the local ice cream, leche con frutas. Fencing off the beach was a black wall that Davison described as a water treatment facility, filtering the garbage and sewage from the water flowing into the water. While this wall represented the dividing line between clean and dirty water, there was surprisingly still people swimming on the dirty side of the wall. As Davison described, these swimmers were probably apathetic to the fact that that they were swimming in dirty water.
Compared to other bodies of water in Manaus, this beach was relatively clean and students were able to dip their feet in. In fact, Harley Pollack even jumped in and socialized. Aside from a few random pieces of trash along the coastline, the water was clear and had no odor. This was remarkable considering the strong odor of sewage originating from many other bodies of water that we passed in Manaus.
A rain storm drove us off the beach and to the mall where we ate dinner and shopped around. Being in a different side of town, this mall was comparably nicer than the other one that we had previously frequented and the prices reflected it. It was at this time that I realized how much American music is played in Brazil. This made me wonder whether the Portuguese speaking locals are able to understand the lyrics or if they just enjoy the beat. From here we parted with Davison, exchanging Facebooks, Instagrams and phone numbers, promising to keep in touch.
For the last day in Manaus, Tait has scheduled us for us to visit the beach and hang out with a local resident in town, Davison. Davison attends university not far from where we were staying and told us about the uniqueness of the Brazilian education system. According to Davison, there are two ways for a citizen to attend college: public or private university. For public university, students must take entrance exams for acceptance; however, the cost of education is free. On the contrary, wealthy kids typically attend private university due to its low acceptance rates and their ability to pay. Davison was raised in a less than wealthy family and attends a respectable public university at which he speaks six different languages.
Education was not the only subject Davison spoke of. He also told us of the inconsistencies in government and the clout that wealthy people actually hold in Brazil. Just weeks before we arrived in Manaus, there was a wealthy community that was unhappy with the amount of noise created by the exotic parrots and other birds living in the nearby trees. To lessen this annoyance, the community joined together and gassed the forest, extirpating every form of life, including the birds. This story was incredibly heartbreaking given the sociological sentience placed on many animals, namely birds by first world countries.
The group followed Davison’s directions to the beach where I tried acai for the first time as well as the local ice cream, leche con frutas. Fencing off the beach was a black wall that Davison described as a water treatment facility, filtering the garbage and sewage from the water flowing into the water. While this wall represented the dividing line between clean and dirty water, there was surprisingly still people swimming on the dirty side of the wall. As Davison described, these swimmers were probably apathetic to the fact that that they were swimming in dirty water.
Compared to other bodies of water in Manaus, this beach was relatively clean and students were able to dip their feet in. In fact, Harley Pollack even jumped in and socialized. Aside from a few random pieces of trash along the coastline, the water was clear and had no odor. This was remarkable considering the strong odor of sewage originating from many other bodies of water that we passed in Manaus.
A rain storm drove us off the beach and to the mall where we ate dinner and shopped around. Being in a different side of town, this mall was comparably nicer than the other one that we had previously frequented and the prices reflected it. It was at this time that I realized how much American music is played in Brazil. This made me wonder whether the Portuguese speaking locals are able to understand the lyrics or if they just enjoy the beat. From here we parted with Davison, exchanging Facebooks, Instagrams and phone numbers, promising to keep in touch.