An unprecedented study by WWF-Brazil and the Amazon Institute of Man and Environment (Imazon), published in the scientific journal Water / MDPI, revealed extremely worrying data: on average 350 km2 of area covered by aquatic environments has been lost per year since the decade. 1980s - wetlands such as floodplains, mangroves and lakes.
“This loss means that each year we have less water than expected in the Amazon. Small rivers, lakes, are losing area and volume and wetlands are disappearing, ”says Bernardo Caldas, conservation analyst at WWF-Brazil. “This has serious consequences, both for the environment and for people, because the reduction of flooded area decreases fish population, fish stocks and protein consumption.
The study by WWF-Brasil and Imazon shows that the decrease in flooded areas is caused by changes in the rainfall regime, but also by deforestation and land use, and by indiscriminate infrastructure works such as production dams. power. Major works affect the natural dynamics of the ecosystem and generate changes in water bodies and water flows that impact the entire system.
“This loss means that each year we have less water than expected in the Amazon. Small rivers, lakes, are losing area and volume and wetlands are disappearing, ”says Bernardo Caldas, conservation analyst at WWF-Brazil. “This has serious consequences, both for the environment and for people, because the reduction of flooded area decreases fish population, fish stocks and protein consumption.
The study by WWF-Brasil and Imazon shows that the decrease in flooded areas is caused by changes in the rainfall regime, but also by deforestation and land use, and by indiscriminate infrastructure works such as production dams. power. Major works affect the natural dynamics of the ecosystem and generate changes in water bodies and water flows that impact the entire system.