Overview

The Amazon is a land of superlatives. The complex ecosystem covers an area about the size of the continental U.S. The Amazon River discharges 57 million gallons of water per second--in two hours, this would be enough to supply all of New York City's 7.5 million residents with water for a year. Its flora and fauna are abundant. Approximately one of every four flowering plant species on earth resides in the Amazon. A single Amazonian river may contain more fish species than all the rivers in Europe combined. It is home to the world's largest anteater, armadillo, freshwater turtle, and spider, as well as the largest rodent (which weighs over 200 lbs.), catfish (250 lbs.), and alligator (more than half a ton). The rainforest, which contains approximately 390 billion trees, plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate by absorbing massive amounts of carbon dioxide--or releasing it into the atmosphere if the trees are destroyed. Severe droughts in both Brazil and Southeast Asia have been linked to Amazonian deforestation, as have changing rainfall patterns in the U.S., Europe, and China. The Amazon also serves as home to millions of people. Approximately seventy tribes of isolated and uncontacted people are concentrated in the western Amazon, completely dependent on the land and river. These isolated groups have been described as the most marginalized peoples in the western hemisphere, with no voice in the decisions made about their futures and the fate of their forests. In this addition to the What Everyone Needs to Know® series, ecologist and conservation expert, Mark J. Plotkin, who has spent 40 years studying Amazonia, its peoples, flora, and fauna. The Amazon offers an engaging overview of this irreplaceable ecosystem and the challenges it faces.

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9780190668297

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Reviews

Written in a clear and engaging style, Mark Plotkin's book on the Amazon comes at a crucial time, as more and more of Amazonia's forests are exploited and destroyed and as indigenous leaders, traditional guardians of the forest, are silenced. AI could not recommend it more highly. -- Jane Goodall At long last: the book on the Amazon we all have been waiting for, with the answers to questions everyone asks -- or should ask. Fascinating and superbly written. -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University Lucky me, I've traveled to the Amazon with Mark Plotkin. Reading his enthralling natural history of its mystery and wonders is the next best thing-and with fewer biting insects. -- Ken Cook, President, Environmental Working Group The greatest tropical forest, hemmed in by the longest mountain range, giving rise to the longest, most voluminous river, the wildest wilderness, and half the freshwater and terrestrial species found an Earth--that's what makes up the Amazon and that is what Mark Plotkin evokes in this lively and authoritative guide, based on his decades of experience. -- Adrian Forsyth, Executive Director, Andes Amazon FundA

As he has done in his other books and films ... Plotkin blazes a path for others to follow: a storied path that can help us both re-story and restore the precious places persisting on this planet, despite all odds. -- Gary Paul Nabhan, LA Review of Books Written in a clear and engaging style, Mark Plotkin's book on the Amazon comes at a crucial time, as more and more of Amazonia's forests are exploited and destroyed and as indigenous leaders, traditional guardians of the forest, are silenced. AI could not recommend it more highly. -- Jane Goodall At long last: the book on the Amazon we all have been waiting for, with the answers to questions everyone asks -- or should ask. Fascinating and superbly written. -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University Lucky me, I've traveled to the Amazon with Mark Plotkin. Reading his enthralling natural history of its mystery and wonders is the next best thing-and with fewer biting insects. -- Ken Cook, President, Environmental Working Group The greatest tropical forest, hemmed in by the longest mountain range, giving rise to the longest, most voluminous river, the wildest wilderness, and half the freshwater and terrestrial species found an Earth--that's what makes up the Amazon and that is what Mark Plotkin evokes in this lively and authoritative guide, based on his decades of experience. -- Adrian Forsyth, Executive Director, Andes Amazon FundA

The greatest tropical forest, hemmed in by the longest mountain range, giving rise to the longest, most voluminous river, the wildest wilderness, and half the freshwater and terrestrial species found an Earth-that's what makes up the Amazon and that is what Mark Plotkin evokes in this lively and authoritative guide, based on his decades of experience. * Adrian Forsyth, Executive Director, Andes Amazon Fund * Lucky me, I've traveled to the Amazon with Mark Plotkin. Reading his enthralling natural history of its mystery and wonders is the next best thing-and with fewer biting insects. * Ken Cook, President, Environmental Working Group * At long last: the book on the Amazon we all have been waiting for, with the answers to questions everyone asks - or should ask. Fascinating and superbly written. * Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University * Written in a clear and engaging style, Mark Plotkin's book on the Amazon comes at a crucial time, as more and more of Amazonia's forests are exploited and destroyed and as indigenous leaders, traditional guardians of the forest, are silenced. I could not recommend it more highly. * Jane Goodall *

Author Information

Mark J. Plotkin is President of the Amazon Conservation Team. He is the author of Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice, Medicine Quest, and coauthored The Killers Within.

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