Human Activity Could Impact the Natural Water Cycle In Amazon, Scientists Calls For Conservation

(Photo : Getty Images/DANIEL MUNOZ/AFP)

Scientists are concentrating on modifications to a natural water cycle that are taking place outside of rainforests, which could permanently affect the Amazon.

Conservation Efforts

The El Niño and La Niña natural climatic trends have consistently resulted in times of drought or unusually wet rainy seasons in the Amazon. But a growing number of extreme climate events in recent years has prompted a global team of scientists to examine the water cycles that link the Atlantic to the Andes Mountains and remote regions of the Amazon more closely.

They have concluded that deforestation, river alteration, and climate change may be caused by human activities and have an effect on this natural water cycle.

In order to preserve this cycle, freshwaters in the Amazon should receive more attention, according to Elizabeth Anderson, a freshwater expert at FIU who co-led the study with other scientists.

Better data collecting, better data access for scientists and conservation managers, stronger partnerships, and zero-deforestation regulations to halt tree cutting are some of their ideas.

Scientists have long discussed the relevance of the waterway that connects the Andes Mountains to the Amazon lowlands, but the importance of the Atlantic Ocean was not as rapidly acknowledged until recently.

In an effort to get more attention for the Andes-Amazon-Atlantic (AAA) corridor and freshwater resources in Amazon conservation, scientists are attempting to increase public knowledge of these topics with the new study.

"In this century, there's been a huge increase in the number and extent of protected areas like national parks, reserves and Indigenous territories that are recognized officially in the Amazon, but the focus has really been on forests and terrestrial ecosystems," Anderson said.

AAA Corridor

There are 47 million people living in the Amazon region. The Amazon is the biggest rainforest on Earth that is still in existence, spanning eight countries and one territory. It is home to some of the most diverse assemblages of birds, animals, amphibians, and plants on the earth and supports one-fifth of the world's freshwater biodiversity. Its trees aid in slowing down climate change worldwide.

The AAA pathway's interconnectedness is essential to the Amazon's future and its ability to sustain the people, animals, and plants that call it home.

In order to maintain the AAA pathway, Anderson highlights the urgent need for coordinated approaches to environmental management, conservation, and governance.

The scientists recommend strengthening collaboration between interdisciplinary researchers, water managers, and local communities facing changes in the AAA pathway; monitoring all components of the AAA system; coordinating across political boundaries for improved data collection and management; and halting deforestation, restoring vegetation, and mitigating climate change in the Amazon.

"We hope this study will bring the AAA pathway to become a commonly recognized system, fostering a more holistic understanding of Amazon freshwaters and how they are connected with people and nature in other parts of South America and the world," said Claire Beveridge, FIU courtesy postdoctoral and co-lead of this study.