Iolo ac Afon Amazon
From its source in Peru to its magnificent estuary in Brazil, the Amazon stretches across four thousand miles of the South American Continent, feeding the largest tropical rainforest on earth. From source to sea, not a single bridge crosses its waters, not a single dam halts its flow and it carries more water than any river in the world. Its waters also contain a greater variety of fish than the entire Atlantic Ocean.
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But in the latest episode of this visually-striking S4C documentary series, presenter and naturalist Iolo Williams asks how long can the River Amazon continue to run wild?
In Iolo ac Afon Amazon, Iolo witnesses for himself how commercial development is destroying the tropical rainforest that protects the Amazon, damaging its ecological infrastructure.
As Iolo journeys along the Amazon he comes across a wealth of wildlife, from the Cayman, the rainforest monkeys and the Bota, to the pink fresh water dolphins. He also enjoys speaking to the local people in their native language, Portuguese.
"I've visited the Amazon several time and know from experience that it is a haven for wildlife," says Iolo Williams. "But on this journey I was on the trail of the river itself and some of the seven million people that depend on it.
"For the people living on the banks of the Amazon the river controls every aspect of their lives. But things are changing and today we have to question if the mighty Amazon can escape the damaging effects of the modern world."
As landowners continue to destroy more than 1,200,000 acres of the rainforests a year to grow soya crops, the way of life of many of the Amazon's settlements hangs in the balance. The soya industry is a prosperous business as cargoes are shipped to Europe and the USA to feed the cattle that provide meat for the fast food industry. In order to gain land to grow crops the soya barons take no prisoners and the consequences are grim for anyone who tries to stand in their way.
Global warming is also a constant threat. In 2005 an area of the Amazon faced the worst drought in a century as a consequence of deforestation as areas the size of six football pitches are cut down every minute. Deforestation fires are also responsible for a quarter of all the greenhouse gases created in the world.
"The rainforest and the Amazon are totally dependent on each other - what affects one has a knock-on effect on the other. Who knows for how long this magnificent river can continue to run wild," adds Iolo.
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