Amazon

The Amazon’s rainforests and rivers sustain millions of species
© Juan Pratginestos

Water and forests—two iconic images of the Amazon—face an uncertain future with climate change. Together they support the world’s richest area of plant and wildlife diversity, such as jaguars, poison dart frogs and scarlet macaws.  And more than 33 million people rely on the Amazon’s rivers and rainforests for their homes and livelihoods.

Already, warmer temperatures and less rainfall have combined to produce droughts of historical proportions. The Amazon’s two worst droughts in the last hundred years occurred in 2005 and 2010. Long dry spells wither crops, decimate fisheries, and lead to forest fires.

River levels have dropped to historical lows in recent years, affecting the people and wildlife that depend on the Amazon’s waters. The drought of 2010 caused the population of pink river dolphins in Peru’s Pacaya-Samiria Reserve to drop by almost half. And the habitats of other animals are shrinking, such as the pirarucu, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish.

In higher elevations, where the headwaters of the Amazon begin, local farmers have been experiencing a different set of climate challenges. Over the past thirty years, rainfall has become increasingly erratic, and at times, intense.

Jaguars live in Amazonian forests.
© Martin Harvey

Farmers’ crops have suffered from soil erosion and damage from heavy rains, along with spoilage from increasing humidity. Shifting rainfall patterns have affected planting and harvesting times too, which ultimately disrupts production.

Our work

Building resilience at the Amazon’s headwaters
WWF is helping farmers protect their crops from severe rainfall and droughts, while ensuring nearby wildlife areas can adapt to a warmer world.  Read more