The Amazon Heats Up." The Post, September 4, 2006 "The Amazon Rain Forest Is on Fire." Associated Press, July 21, 2003 The media often exaggerate and sensationalize news. This can be true about the Amazon rainforest and its destruction by burning. But the situation is far more complicated. Many news sources, including The New York Times and The Washington Post have, on occasion, incorrectly described deforestation in the Amazon as a result of fires set by indigenous peoples. This is not the case. The Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest and is home to about six million native people. They are collectively known as the Arawaks, who live in scattered settlements in the forest. While this is the case for the largest towns in the area, the Amazon is also home to tribes, many of which still live as hunter-gatherers and whose existence predates contact with modern civilization by thousands of years. As is the case in much of the Amazon, the indigenous people who live in this area have deep spiritual traditions. While these traditions may have a history going back thousands of years, the practices are part of a deep, living spirituality. The Arawaks practice rituals at a number of sacred spots in the Amazon rainforest. There is no historical record that the Arawaks set fire to the Amazon rainforest. The ritual fire, known as _Misa_ in native Arawak languages, is sacred because it provides a channel for humans to experience the spiritual world in direct ways. The use of rituals to connect to the spiritual world has been a part of many cultures for centuries. This practice is more common in rainforests, because rainforests have a powerful spiritual quality to them. It is common for the Arawaks to sit near such fires, while taking into consideration how the fires affect their surroundings and the wildlife in the forest. Over time, the use of rituals has diminished in most cultures. During much of the twentieth century, the Amazon was an area that suffered some of the greatest damage and loss of wildlife in the world. Much of that destruction was a result of deforestation through the expansion of agriculture. Much of the land in the Amazon was converted into plantations, primarily cattle and soy fields. There were some attempts to expand the cattle industry after World War II. But it wasn't until the 1970s that a new phase of land use changes began. The expansion of plantations during this period became increasingly important as Brazil focused on developing its agricultural industry. But this also caused a large drop in timber production. The use of land for cattle and soy created deforestation pressures, because there was less land available to be converted into plantations. Around this time, scientists and conservationists began to hear reports of how the forests were being cleared by Arawak people to create larger areas for agriculture and plantations. By the 1990s, the forests of the Amazon started to become important for other purposes, including global conservation efforts. In response, many landowners cleared trees to make room for farming. The Arawak people also lived in the Amazon. These indigenous people practiced sustainable agriculture. But deforestation for commercial plantations also has an impact on their ability to live in harmony with the rainforest. The loss of wildlife has been a direct result of the over use of the rainforest by ranchers and farmers. It is important to note that the Arawak people do not set fire to the Amazon rainforest to clear areas for agriculture. While some media sources have suggested otherwise, there is no evidence that the Arawaks intentionally set fires to the Amazon rainforest to clear areas for agriculture. It is clear that other human beings are responsible for setting fires in the Amazon rainforest. These are typically large agricultural operators, who deforest land in a manner that is illegal. While there has been a rise in the number of large-scale agricultural projects over the past few decades, the largest numbers of fires were caused by small farmers illegally clearing land in the Amazon. Deforestation rates since the 1960s and 70s have remained roughly constant at about 2 percent per year. But deforestation rates were very high in the 1980s, at around 10 percent per year. This has had a direct impact on rainforest animal habitats. While the overall impact of deforestation is still an issue of debate, the majority of deforestation continues to take place for agricultural purposes. This is the biggest challenge for Amazon rainforest preservation. Many environmental groups have been working in the Amazon, trying to find solutions that reduce deforestation. Their solutions include conservation areas in the Amazon, which include areas designated for research, restoration and community initiatives. These include protected areas, which are often set aside for environmental protection. One of the best examples of a protected area is the Mamirauá Reserve, which is located in a part of the Amazon River known as the Brazilian Shield. The reserve is a state-run protected area that covers about 2.2 million acres in the southeastern portion of the Amazon rainforest. It was one of the first places to receive international recognition for its efforts to restore and protect forest ecosystems. The Mamirauá Reserve is one of the most protected areas in the Amazon rainforest. The best solution to deforestation and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest is the preservation of its natural biodiversity. Although there are efforts to preserve the rainforest and its wildlife, those efforts are challenged by deforestation that directly impacts these ecosystems. There are also challenges to ensuring that indigenous peoples are able to live harmoniously with their natural surroundings. There are many examples of indigenous groups who are seeking solutions to protect their cultures. However, some of those efforts may be controversial because they encourage a move to traditional lifestyles, which some fear is being encouraged in order to make indigenous people invisible. This is a sensitive topic, especially in Brazil, which seeks to establish a policy of racial democracy and inclusion for people of all cultures. This issue can create tension in the world community. A good example is the World Cup hosted by Brazil in 2014. There is a cultural movement in Brazil that supports and encourages the protection of indigenous cultures, but it has been met with criticism by others. One area where people have been divided is over native rights. One example is the controversy over whether indigenous people who have been relocated to communities, or reservations, have the right to reclaim their ancestral homelands. There is strong support for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest, because it is a critical area for natural resources. The Amazon rainforest is also a vital area for people in many parts of the world. But it's not the place where environmentalists have gone wrong. The best solution is to preserve and protect the rainforest. The preservation of the natural world should not be equated with being blind to the rights and cultures of indigenous people. —Jacob L. Rasool Research Associate for International Affairs at Brigham Young University's Center for Strategic and International Studies ## "The Amazon Rain Forest Is in Danger." The Washington Post, May 7, 2002 In 1998, Congress established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The main mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. Congress created the EPA to reduce the amount of air and water pollution from factories, commercial and private facilities, power plants, and farms. It is a national environmental regulatory agency responsible for protecting the nation's water and air quality, as well as preventing accidental pollution. Its mission is to protect the public health and safeguard natural resources. The main environmental concerns at the time of the EPA's creation included problems associated with acid rain, smog, pesticide-contaminated groundwater, and chemical spills, which were damaging the quality of air and water. The Clean Air Act passed in 1970 was a response to those concerns. That law provided funding for a network of air pollution monitors in key cities and required companies to improve the technology of air pollution control systems. In 1983, the National Environmental Policy Act was passed to address the quality of water and air. The objective was to reduce air pollution by requiring polluters to clean their emissions up and requiring the federal government to work with the states to create cleaner air. During the 1990s, there was a significant increase in the number of reported environmental disasters in the United States. In 1990, the year the EPA was created, there were more than one hundred major environmental disasters in the United States. By 2000, that number had jumped to more than three hundred a year, with eight hundred major disasters in a ten-year period. These increases were largely due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. The damage caused by Hurricane Hugo contributed to the creation of the EPA. As a result, some people called for the EPA to do more. The increase in environmental disasters prompted the New York Times to publish an article in December 1999 entitled "The Unheeded Call for an Environmental Army." The article explained that the EPA does not have the authority to deal with the problem of environmental disasters. As a result, Congress created an executive order that required the Department of Defense (DoD) to deal with environmental disasters and the risk of toxic and chemical weapons