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Exploration Today

Because of its immense size, much of Amaz⌠nia remains unexplored today. Many of its plants and animals remain unknown to scientists – and it is still a dangerous and difficult place to travel. However, two 20th century inventions have made a huge difference for modern explorers – the aeroplane and the radio:

Aeroplanes and helicopters allow people to travel to remote locations quickly and easily – without having to trek through vast jungles or cross rivers. In the 1940s and 50s, the Brazilian government opened up new territories by parachuting construction teams into the rainforest to build airstrips and camps. Camps in remote areas can be resupplied by aircraft, and expeditions can have supplies dropped to them by parachute.

Radios and telecommunications make it possible for expeditions to keep in contact with their base camp. This means that it is possible to ask for help and supplies.

One of the newest tools available for Amazon explorers and researchers are satellite images. Satellites take photographs from high up above the earth to show rivers, mountains, and other information about the land in remote areas. Some satellites can take special images which give us information about the types of vegetation growing in specific areas, or about valuable mineral and oil deposits which might lie beneath the ground.

Environmentalists are also using images from satellites to monitor the destruction of the Amazon rainforest as a result of logging and clearing for farms.

View Amaz⌠nia LANDSAT images of Amaz⌠nia (slow)

However, despite these new technologies, they still don't tell us everything that we need to know. It is still necessary for today's explorers to travel into remote areas and complete their research on the ground. Even the latest maps quickly become out of date when rivers change after the yearly flooding. This can make navigation for boats very difficult and uncertain.

Who Explores Amaz⌠nia Today?

Modern explorers visit Amaz⌠nia for different reasons. Many of the visitors are scientists and researchers. They include:

Botanists and zoologists. These scientists are interested in the plants and animals which live in Amaz⌠nia. Pharmacologists are scientists interested in researching plants which can be used for medicines purposes;

Anthropologists. These scientists visit Indian tribes to find out more about the Amazon peoples and their customs;

Geologists. These scientists are interested in the land, and the minerals which may lie below it. Geologists are often employed by oil and mining companies which are interested in find oil and valuable minerals such as gold.

Environmentalists. Environmentalists are interested in protecting Amaz⌠nia's environment from pollution and destruction as a result of development. They believe that is is important for people to leave large natural areas undisturbed because this helps to protect the Earth's delicate biological systems. The Amazon rainforest is important because it produces a lot of oxygen for the Earth's atmosphere. It is also important because the land that underneath the rainforest is very infertile – if the rainforests are chopped down, the land could turn into a vast desert which would change the weather of South America and many other countries;

Missionaries. Missionaries have been in Amaz⌠nia ever since the 1670s. These days, they still contact and live with remote Amazon tribes, hoping to teach them about Christianity. However, missionaries are often criticised because their teachings can end up destroying centuries-old native cultures and customs, and have created new problems in some Indian communities. For these reasons, missionaries aren't allowed into some Indian areas, or are expected to follow strict rules;

Adventurers. Amaz⌠nia is still a very exciting place for people to travel. Many people go there for an "adventure" – to explore the rainforests and travel along the rivers.

Famous Explorers and Adventurers of the 20th Century

Some notable explorers and adventurers who have spent time in Amaz⌠nia include:

Orlando and Claudio Villas-Boas (the Villas-Boas Brothers). In the 1940s, the Villas-Boas brothers built a series of airstrips for the Brazilian government in remote areas of the Amazon rainforest. They would do this by parachuting in with men and supplies, then worked to clear an area to build an airstrip and a small outpost. The brothers developed a respect for and friendship with the local Indians, and became strong supporters for Indian rights. In 1961 they established the Xingu reserve, which is an area along the Xingu river where several tribes have been relocated. At the time that the reserve was set up, many of the Amazon Indians had lost their land to settlers and developers – sometimes resulting in bitter wars. The aim of the reserve is ensure that the Indians had their own territory where they could continue to live relatively undisturbed. The reserve has had many problems, such as getting formerly warring tribes to live together, fighting diseases such as tuberculosis often devastate newly contacted Indian tribes, and pressure from outside developers. But despite these problems, the reserve has had a significant role preserving Indian culture, and helping to teach Indians skills which they need to survive in the modern world;

Loren McIntyre. Loren McIntyre is an American photographer who travels regularly through Amaz⌠nia to take photographs of the plants, animals, and people who live there. He has taken many spectacular photographs which have appeared in books and magazines. While visiting a remote area of the Amazon basin in 1980, he was kidnapped by an uncontacted tribe of Amazon Indians and held for several weeks before being released.

Jacques Cousteau. Jacques Cousteau is famous for exploring the world's oceans – but he also visited the Amazon in 1985 to study the Amaz⌠nia's rivers and rainforests. The Amazon river was big enough for the Calypso to sail upriver and to serve as the base for Jacques Cousteau and his teams of divers. He also visited with Amazon Indians and visited a huge goldmine. Details and photographs from his trip are in the book, Jacques Cousteau's Amazon Journey.

Joe Kane is an American journalist who joined an expedition in 1986, to the travel the Amazon from its source in the Andes, all the way to its mouth on the Atlantic coast of Brazil – 6,700 km later. The expedition travelled by foot in the Andes, then by raft and kayaks, and faced many dangers. Joe Kane also spent time with the Huaorani Indians in Ecuador. Joe Kane is author of the the books Running the Amazon and Savages. You can meet Joe in Audioconference 4 of the Amazon Adventure.