The climate crisis turns the Amazon into a desert, leaving indigenous communities and species without their source of life.
News Cop16.
The Amazon River, once the vital artery of the jungle and a symbol of biodiversity, is now facing the most serious drought in the last fifty years.
This river giant, which nourishes the richest ecosystems on the planet, has become a desolate and almost unrecognizable scene.
The decrease in its flow has reached alarming levels, with a reduction of up to 90% in some areas, according to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM).
Read: What are the ‘flying rivers’ of the Amazon and what do they have to do with the rains in Colombia?
The impact of this extreme drought is devastating and affects indigenous communities that depend on the Amazon for survival.
Climate change, the effects of phenomena such as El Niño, and increasing deforestation have conspired to transform the Amazon into a strip of dry, cracked sand.
Desperate inhabitants face the lack of drinking water, the collapse of river transport and the collapse of economic activities such as fishing and tourism.
Biodiversity at risk: are we losing the lungs of the planet?
The Amazon is not only home to thousands of species of flora and fauna, but also to indigenous cultures that for centuries have preserved the balance of these ecosystems. However, the drought has altered this fragile balance.
Emblematic species, such as the pink dolphin, are on the brink of extinction due to lack of water, while the fish that nourish the region are declining, forcing fishermen to travel greater distances with no guarantee of a fruitful return.
Forest fires and deforestation to make way for illegal agriculture and ranching have increased the damage. These practices not only destroy the natural habitat, but also aggravate the water cycle.
In the last year, communities in Leticia and Puerto Nariño have reported that their traditional livelihoods no longer provide them with the essentials. For them, the Amazon is not just a resource: it is a living being that has nourished their customs, beliefs and ways of life.
Community and nature in oblivion: what is needed to save the Amazon?
In a region forgotten by the government, indigenous leaders are clamoring for access to clean water and health care. “Water is life, and without it human beings cannot live,” says a leader of the Yaguas community.
The situation in the Colombian Amazon reflects a crisis that affects all the countries that share the Amazon, a crisis that has put one of the most important ecosystems on Earth on the brink of collapse.
Experts warn that, if urgent measures are not taken, the Amazon could reach a point of no return.
The drought is just the tip of the iceberg of an environmental problem that has been brewing for decades, and that, if it continues unchecked, could turn this natural paradise into an arid desert, losing the source of life and wealth that characterizes this region.
