Lately, every day people are hearing about fires in the Amazon, which is quite alarming. Naturally, since we send lots of people to the Amazon, we get people asking if the fires are going to affect their trip.
We have checked with our local operators in Brazil, and they all said that they are not affected. This is because almost all of them are based out of Manaus, in the state of Amazonas, which is just one of the states in the Amazon region.
One of our cruise operators said:
"The news reports are indeed alarming, but please be assured that there is no risk to the travelers' experience on our cruises. While concern for deforestation is legitimate and important, the perspective that may be hard for Europeans and North Americans to grasp is the grand size of Amazonia in Brasil. It's almost as big as the continental Unites States. So yes, the pace of deforestation has increased, but the scale is so large that it is not perceivable in the State of Amazonas. Where we are located we are not impacted by the fires in the State of Rondonia at all. There is no smoke in the air. We are fortunate that the State of Amazonas is only about 3% deforested and where the cruises take place, on the Rio Negro, there is no commercial logging or agricultural development so we are able to enjoy the wild forest.
While we share this great concern for rainforest conservation, we are somewhat comforted by the fact that the deforestation is far away and that there is still time to preserve this magnificent rainforest. We absolutely support efforts for rainforest conservation, and one of the most important and necessary steps in this endeavor is environmental education. This is a mission of ours for our thirty years of operations and we remain dedicated and committed to sharing the beauties of the Amazon and the need to preserve them. "
Another said:
"About the fires it’s a shame for us! But anyway we are not in the way of the fires because we are in the middle of the rainforest and this happens because the cattle and the big areas that they need are in places like Acre, southern Para, Amapá and others popular for farms are really devastating. So don’t worry about the fires here but pray for our amazon I’m really sad about all that happens."
"The news reports are indeed alarming, but please be assured that there is no risk to the travelers' experience on our cruises. While concern for deforestation is legitimate and important, the perspective that may be hard for Europeans and North Americans to grasp is the grand size of Amazonia in Brasil. It's almost as big as the continental Unites States. So yes, the pace of deforestation has increased, but the scale is so large that it is not perceivable in the State of Amazonas. Where we are located we are not impacted by the fires in the State of Rondonia at all. There is no smoke in the air. We are fortunate that the State of Amazonas is only about 3% deforested and where the cruises take place, on the Rio Negro, there is no commercial logging or agricultural development so we are able to enjoy the wild forest.
While we share this great concern for rainforest conservation, we are somewhat comforted by the fact that the deforestation is far away and that there is still time to preserve this magnificent rainforest. We absolutely support efforts for rainforest conservation, and one of the most important and necessary steps in this endeavor is environmental education. This is a mission of ours for our thirty years of operations and we remain dedicated and committed to sharing the beauties of the Amazon and the need to preserve them. "
Another said:
"About the fires it’s a shame for us! But anyway we are not in the way of the fires because we are in the middle of the rainforest and this happens because the cattle and the big areas that they need are in places like Acre, southern Para, Amapá and others popular for farms are really devastating. So don’t worry about the fires here but pray for our amazon I’m really sad about all that happens."
What seems to be happening is that farmers and ranchers are setting fires near their property in order to clear out more land for their commercial use, since the Brazilian government has made commercialization a priority and seems to be relaxing environmental concerns. It was reported on August 25th that federal police are investigating a group that is suspected of having set fires in one region. According to the story, over seventy people, including trade unionists, farmers, traders, and land grabbers agreed, through a group on WhatsApp, to set fire to the roadsides of a highway.
Looking at the map, you can see that Acre and Rondonia are to the south of Amazonas. There have also been fires in northern Matto Grosso, but far from the ecotourism lodges to the south. There are also fires in Bolivia and Paraguay, south and west of those Brazilian states.
Are they affecting the Peruvian Amazon? Iquitos is a major starting point in northern Peru. It is on the Amazon River to the west of Brazil (about 370km from the border), so you can see that it is to the north of the fires. Acre is 466km east of the Tambopata National Reserve (like the distance between New York and South Carolina) in southern Peru so it is not affected either.
Now that the Brazilian government, with help from other countries, has decided to try to put out the fires, we should hopefully see some changes soon
Are they affecting the Peruvian Amazon? Iquitos is a major starting point in northern Peru. It is on the Amazon River to the west of Brazil (about 370km from the border), so you can see that it is to the north of the fires. Acre is 466km east of the Tambopata National Reserve (like the distance between New York and South Carolina) in southern Peru so it is not affected either.
Now that the Brazilian government, with help from other countries, has decided to try to put out the fires, we should hopefully see some changes soon
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