Is the Amazon River being destroyed?

The Amazon is in crisis as forests are threatened by deforestation, fires, and degradation; surface water has been lost; and rivers are increasingly disconnected and polluted. This immense pressure—if not slowed or stopped—will irreversibly damage the Amazon and the overall planet in the very near future.



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Cattle ranching is a leading driver of deforestation in the Amazon, accounting for around 80 percent of the destruction there, and the release of 340 million tons of carbon per year.

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While deforestation has decreased significantly in the Amazon this year, the forest is still burning at an alarming rate.

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Extreme drought drives Amazon River port to lowest level on record. Amid extreme drought across South America exacerbated by climate-change related heat extremes and El Niño, major tributaries of the Amazon River are reporting record-low water levels.

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Tackling these challenges necessitates coordinated action on local, national, and global levels. “We need immediate support. The Amazon river is drying up in the worst possible way, and all that's left for our Indigenous brothers to drink is dirty water,” says Hernández.

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INPE's deforestation alert system, known as DETER, indicates that forest clearing in Brazil's section of the Amazon totaled 563 square kilometers in August 2023. This is a 66% decline — equating to nearly 1,100 square kilometers — compared to the same month the previous year.

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With the current rate of deforestation, the world's rainforests will be gone by 2100. The rainforest is home to more than half of all species on Earth.

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Scientists warn that decades of human activity and a changing climate has brought the jungle near a ?tipping point.? With nearly a fifth of the forest lost already, scientists believe that tipping point will be reached at 20% to 25% of deforestation.

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The Amazon River in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.

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Travelling the world and the Amazon on a cruise is usually safe, and the majority of trips pass without incident. The worst thing that may happen to you while on a ship may be to feel seasick for a while, even after the trip is over.

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