Deforestation in the Amazon: Joe Schnaier talks about protecting animal species in the rainforest

Nature lovers like me, Joe Schnaier, are amazed with the beauty and splendor of the Amazon, a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. As a matter of fact, the rainforest is shortlisted in 2008 as a candidate to one of the New7Wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation.
But as beautiful as it may be, the sad truth is that the Brazilian Amazon is being destroyed little by little because of illegal logging. According to data gathered by mongabay.com, since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed.

What I really worry about this, which I emphasize most of the time in my Joe Schnaier blogs, is its effects on the different animal species that are living in the rainforest. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s leading conservation organization, shares the same sentiment. WWF has been working with the government of Brazil to increase the protection and improve the management of the Amazon so that known animal species and those that are not yet discovered will be prevented from disappearing.

Speaking of which, I read previously in treehugger.com news about a group of scientists who travelled to Mato Grosso, a Brazilian state that is home to a largely unexplored section of the Amazon rainforest. According to the news, they discovered several rare species like giant anteater, giant armadillo, giant otter, jaguar and ocelot, and what is believed to be a new species of monkey.

As amazing as it may be, these species are in danger of extinction if people don’t find ways to stop illegal activities in the forest. For this reason, I believe we have to act and find ways to save the forest while it is still early.

Follow Joe Schnaier on Twitter for more of his thoughts about the environment.