EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Ten, Number One November/December 2000 Group Studies Ecology In Amazon Rain Forest A group of 18 people, 14 from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and 4 from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), traveled to Brazil for two weeks in late September to explore the fragile ecosystems of the Amazon river system rain forests. The group, sponsored by the Environmental Justice Office of the PC (USA) and led by Ecotours of Providence, RI, embarked at Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, and traveled 150 miles up the Rio Negro (Black River). An agronomist from Cornell University presented daily lectures during the trip. The Rio Negro is tea-colored, caused by the tannins and other decayed vegetable matter that is deposited in the river during the six months of the year when most of this region is flooded. From its high-water mark in June to its low point in November, the Rio Negro falls more than 30 feet. The plant and animal species there have become highly adapted to their harsh environment and many different species of plants, fish and animals have developed over the eons. There are more species of fish in this one stretch of the Rio Negro than in all of North America. Threats to the rain forest come not so much from mining, farming and ranching as from the elimination of single species that could cause a catastrophic chain reaction of extinction among other species. Researchers are scrambling to learn more about the intricacies of the rain forest before development can cause irreparable harm to the precious region. from Jerry L. Van Marter, Coordinator News Service, Presbyterian Church (USA), 100 Witherspoon St., Louisville KY; jerry@ctr.pcusa.org Home     Table of Contents