This work highlights the somewhat mythical vision which has motivated the occupation of
Amazonia, from the
times of the famous myth of 'el Dorado and the Cinnamon Country', the search for which attracted and brought in people from around the world. This however seems to be something which still persists centuries later, when most countries in the basin gain their independence in the first half of the nineteenth century. In effect, the attitudes of the respective governments seem since then to be still motivated by myths, taking into account the different policies adopted around the
region, and the fact that they undertook programs which in time resulted in more damage than benefits to their habitats, even though the original populations are, in a special way, based there since time immemorial. In reality there existed a framework in which development policies, some of them approved by international entities, had as their principal objective the wrongly - or misguidedly - though 'desert' region of Amazonia. This led to colonisation campaigns with the parallel growth of agriculture and cattle rearing, which in the long term proved not to be economically viable in many regions such as Peru. Such projects had negative environmental effects on the habitat, although the extensive deforestation was necessary to permanently 'prepare' ground for agricultire, due to the poor fertility of many areas of
amazonian habitat. This indirectly prejudiced other economic sectors, due to later attempts to reduce these ecological problems. This occurred in particular in the forestry sector, which was being blamed completely for the deforestation and degradation of the amazonian soils. In recent times and thanks to developments in knowledge and
technology, we have a greater understanding of the region. Among other things, this allows us to recognise the true importance of the
area for the rest of the world in matters such as the provision of a mass of natural resources, its essential role in the protection of biodiversity, its role in the control of soil erosion which helps to avoid climatic instability, the provision of recreational opportunities, as well as its function in capturing atmospheric CO2, and so on. Because of all this the text argues that the development strategy for Amazonia should be supported by and concentrated in the pairing of ecology and technology, by way of a regional development model which reconciles and makes compatible environmental conservation with economic growth, promoting improved quality of life among the amazonian population. Finally let us highlight the fact that in only a few hectares, the region hosts more
species of native trees than the whole of North America, and that in a single hectare live as many species of ants as in the whole of England. Also, even though its surface area occupies only 7% of the earth, it encompasses more than half of the biological heritage of the globe, and many more plant and animal species remain undiscovered. All this means that this is a key region for the whole world; the global community must therefore share, together with the amazonian countries, the responsibility for its development and conservation, making available technology and, above all, resources to protect and conserve it. Translated by: Ely PH
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