Fisherman in Laos. Click image for more pictures of fishing. (Photo by R. Butler)
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IMPORTANCE OF RAINFOREST RIVERS TO PEOPLE
By Rhett Butler | Last updated July 31, 2012
Tropical rivers have always played an essential role in the ecology
of the rainforest, but they have also been important in the lives of forest and non-forest peoples. Before the arrival of the Europeans,
sprawling civilizations and smaller societies formed along major waterways which served as a means of transport
and communication, a route for trade, and a source of fish and fresh water. However, because of their location along
major rivers, such settlements were the first to disappear, either directly affected by warfare or indirectly affected
by the onslaught of European diseases.
Today, large tropical rivers remain important forms of infrastructure providing a cheap, reliable, and easy means
for transportation and communication. Major rivers ports like Iquitos, Peru, and Manaus, Brazil, are trade centers
where forest products are exchanged for outside goods. Often, the only access to such ports, isolated by the surrounding
forest, is by water or air. For example, there are no roads leading into to Iquitos and all construction materials,
automobiles, and other essentials must be shipped into the city by river or air.
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Amazonian River Boat, Brazil 1999
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Besides providing a means for commerce and communication, tropical rivers are a key source of protein, in the form
of fish, for the population. However in some areas, fishermen report smaller catches as regional overfishing takes
its toll. The river also provides services for city dwellers by fertilizing the surrounding soils every flood season
and by taking away the tons of human waste and pollutants that city dwellers dump into the river.
Tropical fish provide an important source of income for many city dwellers, especially in the Amazon, which is home
to some 3,000 species of fish. Many of the fish seen in temperate-zone aquarium shops are imported from Brazil and
Peru.
Review questions:
- Why is the Amazon River important to local people
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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
INTERACT
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Recent news
China approves another mega-dam that will imperil endangered species
(05/21/2013) Chinese environmental authorities have approved construction plans for what could become the world's tallest dam, while acknowledging that the project would affect endangered plants and rare fish species.
Amazon's flood/drought cycle becoming more extreme, less predictable
(05/14/2013) The Amazon River's hydrological cycle has become more extreme over the past two decades with increasing seasonal precipitation across much of the basin despite drier conditions in the southern parts of Earth's largest rainforest, finds a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters. The research analyzed monthly Amazon River discharge at Óbidos, a point that drains 77 percent of the Amazon Basin, and compared it with regional precipitation patterns.
Rainforest tribe urges Norwegian king to recall energy executive
(05/13/2013) In an unusual bid to stop a series of dams that will flood their rainforest home, a group of tribesmen in Borneo are urging King Harald V of Norway to call one of his subjects home. The subject is Torstein Dale Sjøtveit, a Norwegian citizen who is the CEO of Sarawak Energy, a Malaysian firm that is building several dams in the state of Sarawak. The hydroelectric projects are controversial because they require the forced displacement of indigenous communities and will flood large tracts of rainforest.
Deforestation will undercut effectiveness of rainforest dams
(05/13/2013) Deforestation may significantly decrease the hydroelectric potential of tropical rainforest regions, warns a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. The study, used climate, hydrological, and land use models to forecast the impact of potential forest loss on hydropower generation on the Xingu River, a major tributary of the Amazon where the world's third largest dam — Belo Monte — is currently under construction.
New endangered list for ecosystems modeled after 'Red list' for species
(05/09/2013) The IUCN has unveiled the first iteration of its new Red List of Ecosystems, a ranking of habitats worldwide.
More rainforest news
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