The Amazon is a vast region that contains one in ten known species on Earth, 1.4 billion acres of dense forests (half of the planet's remaining tropical forests), 4,100 miles of winding rivers and 2.6 million square miles in the Amazon basin, about 40% of South America.

Amazon forests suffer as global demand for products such as beef and soy increases. Forests are cleared for more and more cattle grazing pasture and cropland. There is also high demand for the natural resources found in the Amazon, but weak law enforcement to safeguard them. In addition, inefficient extraction processes lead to the destruction of nature and wildlife. In recent times, warmer temperatures and less rainfall due to climate change have produced droughts of historic proportions. Long dry spells wither crops, decimate fisheries and lead to forest fires. This can result in significant shifts in the makeup of ecosystems and a loss of species.

There is a clear link between the health of the Amazon and the health of the planet. The rain forests, which contain 90-140 billion metric tons of carbon, help stabilize local and global climate. Deforestation may release significant amounts of this carbon, which could have catastrophic consequences around the world.

What WWF is Doing

Each year, the Amazon loses forested areas the size of the state of Delaware. Agricultural expansion, ranching, infrastructure projects, energy exploration and illegal logging are to blame. WWF helps in the following areas:

Soy farming: WWF works with the Soy Roundtable—made up of soy producers, processers and exporters—to improve the sustainability of their practices and minimize impact on the Amazon and its wildlife.

Cattle ranching: WWF works with the beef industry to create standards that increase efficiency and reduce waste. This includes educating ranchers about why it is not necessary to convert more forests into pasture to increase profits. WWF works through a Beef Roundtable to develop principles and criteria that increase the productivity of existing cattle ranches and prevent establishment of new ranches in high conservation value forests.

Hydropower: To meet growing energy demands, Brazil has the option to use dams. WWF provides scientific support to help find dam locations that will do the least harm to the environment.

Illegal and unsustainable logging: High demand for timber products, weak laws and poorly implemented trade rules lead to logging that destroys nature. WWF works to create market conditions that conserve the world’s forests, but also provide economic and social benefits for businesses and people.

Infrastructure: In Colombia, construction of an important road had the potential to disrupt the lives of local communities and harm a forest reserve. WWF’s participation in the planning process succeeded in creating the most environmentally friendly road possible and ensured that the needs of local communities were considered.

Learn more about WWF's work in the Amazon.