Why does the Amazon matter?

The Amazon is probably the most famous rainforest on Earth. It’s
home to Indigenous communities, one of the world's biggest rivers
and a diversity of plant and animal life found nowhere else. But
it’s also a region rich in sought-after resources — gold, iron
ore, bauxite, coffee and rubber — and vast areas of forest have
been cleared for cattle and soy production. Scientists warn that
deforestation and climate change are drying the region, fuelling
fires, and risking a dangerous tipping point when the rainforest
can no longer sustain itself and begins to release more carbon
than it absorbs. This week, hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan
Dunbar ask why we need the Amazon, what would happen if it
disappeared, and what can still be done to protect it. They speak
to a Brazilian ecologist who has spent two decades studying the
forest and the fires that threaten it. Guest: Dr Erika Berenguer,
Senior Research Associate, University of Oxford and Lancaster
University


Producers: Nik Sindle, Diane Richardson, Graihagh Jackson, Jordan
Dunbar, Grace Braddock Sound Mix: Tom Brignell, Dave O'Neil
Editor: Simon Watts


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