Brazil
Brazil is the largest country in South America and in fact is so large that it accounts for 48% of the continents area
Columbia is the 5th largest country in the world, with the USA being just a little bigger.
There is a range of areas in Brazil that are good for wildlife, not least the Amazon rainforest which still accounts for more than 3 million square km (roughly 1.27 million square miles).
Ecosystems found in this countries include
– The Amazon is the largest and is 3 times the size of the next biggest which is the Congo rainforest of Africa – The Cerrado is a vast tropical savannah in central Brazil which covers around 2 million square km. The area hosts over 800 species of bird, over 160 species of mammal, 150 amphibian species and 120 reptiles. – The Pantanal is a vast wetland, indeed the largest tropical wetland in the world. Because of its open nature, it is often far easier to see wildlife than in the Amazon. Species found there include giant Anteaters, Marsh Deer, Hyacinth Macaws and jaguars. However, 656 bird species have been recorded, along with 3500 plant species, 325 fish species, 159 mammals, 53 amphibian and 98 reptiles -The Atlantic rainforest is far smaller than the Amazon and only about 200,000 square km remain. A wide range of wildlife remains, though the Atlantic forest is greatly reduced from its historic size, and fragmentation is a serious threat to the remaining wildlife. This includes jaguars, golden lion tamarins, woolly spider monkeys, maned three-toed sloths and red-tailed parrots. Click here our page for the Atlantic forest. I hope that this will soon have links for your use
The oceans off the coast of Brazil are some incredibly biodiverse. It is not an area which has to date received much tourism, but that does not mean that these areas should be ignored. One of the areas that are best to look at, which is Atol das Rocas and Fernando de Noronha (clickable link). One of the reasons that this area is so exciting, is that it is recognized as one of the best places to see sharks. We await partners for the time being – do get in touch if you operate in this area.
We will add further ecosystems over time
Links to areas to visit will appear below. Please note, while it is not possible to add sightings to this map above. This is because the whole country is is a specific regional ecosystem. Over time every area will become clickable, so that you can access the ecosystem and record sightings.
Help us build up a map of where wildlife has been seen. Add any sightings of mammals that you encounter. As this map starts to be used, we will greatly reduce how long sightings remain free for anyone to see, so that hunters and poachers cannot use this as a resource. The idea is that over time we can build up an idea of exactly where we should look for them.
“Brazil is back” says Lula at COP27
In order to succeed in our fight against climate change, we need all countries working together. We need to retain all current Carbon dioxide sinks, as well as getting our carbon emissions down to near zero. This is why it is so encouraging, that now Brazil has come back to the table.
Brazil has enough unutilized cattle pastureland, to allow soy cultivation to increase by a third without any further deforestation
There is a constant tug of war, between developed countries which are encouraging developing countries to continue to protect their wildernesses, and the developing countries wish to be able to develop – to lift their citizens out of poverty. Granted, the majority of deforestation does not benefit the people on the ground, but it does …
Soy cultivation can expand in Brazil, by one third without cutting down another tree – by taking over unused grazing land
There is a constant tug of war, between developed countries which are encouraging developing countries to continue to protect their wildernesses, and the developing countries wish to be able to develop – to lift their citizens out of poverty. In one shot: soy farming at the front, rainforest behind and you can see cattle grazing …
Finale of the Brazilian election! Who will will, will the earth get a reprieve?
The worlds rainforests are concentrated in a small number of countries. As a result, there are a handful of countries where, they have the potential on their own to make climate change far worse. These countries include many of those in the Congo basin in Africa, and the countries of south east Asia. Perhaps the …
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So, the Brazilian people first vote was not clear enough to avoid a run-off – will the Amazon rainforest get a reprieve?
Yesterday, the first round of the Brazilian election was not clear enough. While Lula (Jair Bolsonaro competitor) received 48.3% of the vote – however, the Brazil law requires a vote to be over 50%. As a result, the winner and the runner up – Bolsonaro, go to a run-off set for the 30th of October. …
Sainsbury has stopped selling all or some beef from Brazil along with 5 others
In Brazil, one of the main drivers of deforestation is for pasture for beef. It is therefore completely foolish for those in developed countries to eat Brazilian beef – if we do, we are paying them to do the world (and therefore us) incalculable harm. Importantly, these people can wait. If we have a moratorium …
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Brazil knows what its doing is wrong, so it is trying to silence those pointing it out
Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters are getting frustrated. The whole world can see that the direction the country is taking is extremely dangerous. Rather than changing tack they have decided to silence the detractors. Whether environmental researchers, academics or officials, it seems that no one is safe. Increasing numbers of these professions are being forced …
JBS a beef giant in Brazil has promised to go deforestation free – in 14 years; response?
Much of the deforestation that is occurring in Brazil is to make more room for cattle grazing. The promise of a beef giant to stop deforesting in 14 years is not worth anything. Apart from anything, it is likely that the have calculated that it will take 14 years to clear the land that they …
Unsurprisingly, Brazil leads the Amazon in deforestation this year
Over 2 million acres of forest was lost from the Amazon this year, with 76% of this falling within the boundaries of Brazil. Nearly 95% of deforestation is found within a small distance of roads or rivers. As a result, Bolsonaro and similar politicians can claim to build roads to help with developments, when actually …
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A third dam in last 5 years is about to rupture in Brazil
Dams are often talked about as a fantastic way to cut carbon emissions. Aside from the fact that many dams in the world are more like a battery (water is pumped up when electricity is cheap and then flows down when it is expensive creating electricity) dams built in rainforests have such a huge initial …
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Jair Bolsonaro is having a similar impact on environmental laws in Brazil to the impact of Donald Trump in the USA – will the effect be longer lasting?
Just like Trump in the USA Jair Bolsonaro has taken an axe to the environmental protections that Brazil has created over decades. Also just like Donald Trump, the majority of these moves have been done by Executive act. Between march and may last year, Jair signed 195 infralegal acts – and just like under Trunp …
As as deadly fires plague brazils Pantanal Wetlands, there are fears that those who escape will fall ill with covid
Fires in the pantanal Wetlands are running a 200% of the rate of those same fires in 2019. With almost every action that Jair Bolsonaro takes, something that could be predicted to make the problem worse, the world seems to not be making itself heard. It is a well-known fact what causes forest fires, just …
Brazilian frog thought dead for 50 years shown to be alive
Megaelosia bocainensis, a frog thought extinct for 50 years was found using eDNA which is DNA living organisms left behind in the environment. It should be noted that a living member of this species was not found. However increasingly this technique is being used with great success, for tracing seriously endangered animals. It is also …
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Why do I follow politics in Brazil and the USA (apart from the UK where I’m based)
I live in England, which is one of the reasons why why I write about English politics reasonably often. This blog being about wildlife, the only politics that concern me is is environmental and science based. I realize that some of my readers have from other countries in the world, an England is a small …
The Brazilian Amazon rainforest is burning worse than it almost ever has, time to defund forest fire fighting
Friday evening on the 11th september was clearly a very strange confusing time in the Brazilian parliament. The Bolsonaro administration house and announcement stating it would defund all deforestation and fire fighting (total loss of about 60 million dollars). However within hours they did a full about turn and reinstated all the funding. As well …
There are 20000 gold miners within theYanomami Park in Brazil but they only have to get out because of coronavirus
Under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, there has been a distinct lack of respect for protected areas and dislike of enforcing the rules by the government. A judge has ordered the 20,000 gold miners with in the Yamonami park out of the park for the duration of the coronavirus outrage to protect the tribal people …
Corvid 19 could decimate indigenous groups living un-contacted in Brazilian reserves- as Invaders get nearer
Throughout the exploration of the last few centuries meetings between indigenous people’s and the explorers have really been good.
The attack on the Brazilian rainforest by Bolsonaro continues – On to indigenous lands
As European settlers moved around the world, they often treated the local population badly. In a significant portion of the world this bad behaviour took the form of small parts of the land being given to the the local population and the rest of the country being taken by the Settlers. In some places such …
Mc Donald’s doesn’t import beef from the Amazon, but much of the British beef is fed on soy- grown on deforested land in Brazil
Mc Donald’s has made a big issue out of the fact that they are no longer buying beef from amazonia. I fully approve of this move, but it appears that they are now importing large quantities of soy grown in the Amazon, and still requiring deforestation. Huge monoculture of soy, are as damaging (possibly more) …
Have you seen the YouTube adverts put out by the Brazilian government? – Brazil by Brasil
I was quite a startled by what they felt they could put in to their advert and felt the need therefore to write a response. I cannot find any statistics to tell me how many people have watched this video but for some reason I have been shown it many times over the last few …