Transcript

With treetops stretching for millions of square kilometres, the Amazon rainforest is one of the largest areas of wilderness on the planet.

Amazon Rainforest
South America

As the word suggests, wildernesses are wild.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that nobody lives there.

The Kayapo Tribe

The Kayapo tribe have called the Amazon home for centuries.

They live in harmony with the rainforest. They respect it. They try not to change or damage it.

But as outside demand for land and resources grows, their home is increasingly under threat.

These Kayapo have gone to the Brazilian government to protest against plans to build a dam.

This dam would provide much–needed electricity for the country, but it would also cause great damage to the Kayapo’s land.

The plans involve redirecting water from the Xingu river and flooding a vast area of the rainforest that the Kayapo live in.

Xingu river

The Kayapo’s land is also under threat from logging and some farmers want to clear the rainforest to make fields for cattle.

In an effort to preserve some of the remaining natural wilderness, laws have been passed banning development in sections of the rainforest.

These protected areas of land are called reserves.

reserve
protected area of land
logging and clearing banned

The Kayapo live in one such reserve but there is increasing pressure to reduce its size.

"The farmers and those without land are getting closer and closer to our reserve. In the past the reserve was immense. But now it is small. They want to take our land away from us."

Here, and elsewhere around the world, governments must find a way to provide their people with the land, building materials, food and energy they require while also protecting the natural environment and the people who live there.

Reserves are protected areas of land.

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