alex gallafent

So, that’s that. I fly back to Boston today (Wednesday), arriving in the early hours of Thursday morning. I’ve been here ten days, but it feels like much longer – and much shorter. The days have been so packed, so different, that time has both stretched and compressed. I’m leaving with a better understanding of the Amazon, of Amazonas, of Manaus. But these aren’t places you understand in a week and a half. It’s hard even to get a grip on what the Amazon is.

I’ve been told that some Brazilians (not all) think of the Amazon as, well, a purely Brazilian entity. But the forest respects no border and spills into neighboring countries like Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela and Colombia. Also, the rainforest here around Manaus represents a totally different ecosystem to the rainforest in the southern Amazon. It’s just too big and too complex to boil down to something simple. And I haven’t even mentioned the rivers.

Manaus itself is a contradiction. It’s the heart of a long-cherished national program of investment, growth and territory marking. When the free trade zone was established a few decades ago, it was in part to establish a federal presence – and a business presence – in Amazonia.

Business ambition remains sky-high. Brazil, not unlike China and India, is a country of massive resources and an underwhelming record of economic achievement. And, like China and India, Brazil is now beginning to move full speed ahead.

But there’s an opposing force in these parts, one recognized by the State Government in Amazonas. The rainforest is an indispensable component of the global ecosystem. It must be protected. Programs like the Bolsa Floresta (a small subsidy paid to families living in the forest not to cut down trees) are showing how legislation could be catching up with the demands of the world’s environmental community. Still, such programs have their critics and any successful system will have to find a way to balance the demands of environmental stewardship with economic growth.

Thanks for joining me throughout this trip. I’ll be back in The World’s newsroom next week (I’ll be celebrating the marriage of two friends from Friday through the weekend) and I’ll continue updating this blog as the radio stories from the Amazon start to shape up. And listen out for a special day of Amazon broadcasts from the BBC World Service on May 15th. 

Beyond that, you’re very welcome to check in here from time to time. While you’re at it, make sure you pay Clark, Jeb, Matthew, April, Patrick and Marco a visit too (they’re all colleagues at PRI’s The World) – you’ll find their blogs to the right.

Alex