10 january 24, 2011

ast August, Ed Stafford of Great Britain became the first person to hike the length of the Amazon River in South America. It took him nearly two-and-a-half years

and nine pairs of shoes to complete this ambitious undertaking. Along the way, he encountered 6 meter (20 foot)-long anaconda snakes, electric eels, and caiman crocodiles. He faced starva-tion and the threat of drowning as he waded, chest-deep, through the river.

For Stafford, this trek was about more than just adventure. He took on the challenge to see firsthand the problems facing the Amazon rain forest, through which the long river winds. He hoped his journey would inspire others to take action to protect this precious resource. “The planet won’t survive without large rain forests,” Stafford says. “The more people who care about the Amazon, the better.”

a Tough journeyStafford began his expedition

on April 2, 2008, at the source of the Amazon, in Camana, Peru, and

headed for the mouth of the river, in Maruda, Brazil (see map, below). The river flows 6,800 kilometers (4,200 miles) eastward and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. In August 2008, a guide named Gadiel “Cho” Sanchez Rivera joined Stafford. After 860 days of walking, Stafford finally reached the Atlantic Ocean. He and Cho jumped in the water to celebrate their journey’s end.

“I was proud and somewhat defi-ant,” Stafford says. “Everyone told me it was impossible to go that far into the jungle.” Although Stafford

proved the nay-sayers wrong, the trek was certainly a challenge. In addition to facing deadly animals

and crossing rough terrain, Stafford was stung by hundreds of wasps, thousands of mosquitoes, and count-less other biting insects. He also encountered hostile native tribes. One tribe’s chief threatened to kill him if he stepped on tribal land. But once most people learned that Stafford wasn’t a threat, they were happy to help him.

The jungle’s stifling heat and high humidity made the trek even more

tiring and difficult. “[I was] soaking wet with sweat every day, all day,” Stafford says. Facing the threat of starvation, Stafford survived on pira-nha and trout. He got leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease spread by sand-flies. The disease could have eaten away his nose and face. Each night, he slept in pitch darkness on a hammock strung between trees.

One man walks the entire Amazon River tocall attention to the rain forest’s plight

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The Trek: by the numbers $39,000 amount stafford has raised for rain forest charities so far

ThreaTs To The amazon

Agriculture: forests are cleared for cattle ranching and soybean

farming. rain forest soil is nutrient-poor, so farmers must exploit new areas of forest every few years.

Climate Change: as earth’s temperature rises, rainfall could

decrease in the amazon, killing large portions of the forest.

Logging: loggers cut down trees for cheap timber, often illegally.

Mining: trees are removed to mine under-ground minerals. mining

waste contaminates water.

Oil and Gas Drilling: companies clear forest to drill for oil and gas

and construct pipelines.

Roads and Dams: roads are built through the forest to gain access

to resources. Dams built to provide electricity flood the forest.

860 number of days stafford’s journey lasted 50,000 approximate number of mosquito bites stafford got

JUNGLE JOURNEY: Six expeditions have navigated the Amazon River by boat. Ed Stafford (pictured) is the first to make the trek on foot.

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[video extra] Watch Ed Stafford answer questions about his journey: http://schools.rainforestsos.org /amazon-blog/videos

Conservation groups like the WWF are urging other South American nations to follow in Brazil’s footsteps. The group is working with the agri-culture sector to help make existing farmland more productive so that farmers and ranchers won’t need to expand and cut down more of the forest. And they’re trying to make sure roads and dams are built where they will have the least impact.

Stafford is helping the cause by making people aware of the vital need to keep Earth’s rain forests intact. “It’s vital that people realize that deforestation is still going on,” says Stafford. “If they know how valuable the rain forest is, then the Amazon can be saved.” 9

—Jennifer Marino Walters

a ForesT in PerilDespite the dangers, Stafford per-

sisted on his walk, knowing it was all for a good cause. The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rain forest—and it’s in trouble.

Tropical rain forests are dense groups of trees located in very warm regions with annual rainfall of at least 254 centimeters (100 inches). The Amazon rain forest covers about 40 percent of South America and stretches across eight countries. But roughly 17 percent of it has been lost to deforestation, or the clearing of trees. Huge areas of land have been destroyed to make room for agri-culture, roads, dams, and more (see Threats to the Amazon, p. 11).

“If deforestation continues at existing rates, 55 percent of the Amazon could be destroyed by 2030,” says Margaret Symington, a biologist with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). That would be devastating. Thirty million people live in the Amazon. This forest ecosystem is home to more species of plants and animals than anywhere else in the world (see

Rain Forest: Top to Bottom, p. 13). Ten percent of all known species, including endangered species like jaguars and giant otters, live there.

But the Amazon is important for more than just its biodiversity, or richness of species. People around

the world rely on rain forests for food and medicines made from their plants. Rain forests also stabilize the world’s climate. Their trees absorb and store carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. Carbon dioxide is produced when people burn coal, natural gas, and oil for fuel. Large amounts of this greenhouse gas trap too much heat in the atmosphere, causing temperatures to warm.

“If you cut down all of the Amazon tomorrow and burned it, the carbon that would be emitted would be the equivalent of 15 years of total man-made emissions,” says Symington. “That would have a huge effect on global climate.”

saving The amazonMany people are working to save

the Amazon. Brazil has put a portion of it under government protection. In 2009, the number of trees cut down in Brazil’s rain forest dropped to its lowest level in 20 years.

12 january 24, 2011

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4,200 length of the amazon river, in miles, from source to sea 9 pairs of shoes stafford wore out on his trek

COLORFUL BUT TOXIC: This dart frog secretes poison from its skin that paralyzes predators. Amazon natives apply the toxin to blowgun darts.

CAMP KITCHEN: For several weeks, Stafford was out of food and survived on palm hearts and piranha.

rain foresT: Top To BoTTommore species live in the amazon than in any other place on earth. its tropical rain forest has four layers, or strata. each is home to many plants and animals.

it’s your choice

1. into which ocean does the amazon river empty?A atlanticB pacificC indianD arctic

2. which of the following was not a danger ed stafford faced while hiking through the amazon?A insect bitesB infectious diseasesC starvationD flash floods 3. rain forests help stabilize earth’s climate by ___________. A removing oxygen, a greenhouse

gas, from the airB providing lots of shade to keep

the land coolC absorbing and storing heat-

trapping carbon dioxideD reflecting heat from the sun

3 number of fierce piranha stafford ate in one day (he was never bitten)

EMERGENT LAYERhere, the rain forest’s tall-est trees tower 60 meters (197 feet) high. many insects and birds live in these open-air high-rises.

CANOPYthis dense layer of foliage ranges from 46 to 18 m (150 to 60 ft) above the forest floor. it receives most of the sun and rain, helping the billions of leaves here undergo photosynthesis (process plants use to convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into oxygen and food). this area is also where the greatest number of forest creatures live.

UNDERSTORYlittle sunlight reaches this area, which extends from 18 m (60 ft) to the forest floor. plants rarely grow taller than shrub height. tree frogs and many insects reside here.

FOREST FLOORthe forest floor is humid and dark with few plants. it is littered with rapidly decomposing leaves and debris. large animals, like jaguars, hunt here, and tapirs forage for food.