On the western edge of the Amazon River basin, there is a proposal to construct a road. This road would connect the remote town of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil, with the larger city of Pucallpa, Peru. The construction of the road has become a subject of contentious debate. Proponents of the road claim that it would provide an efficient way for rural farmers and tradesmen to get their goods to city markets. It would also allow loggers to more easily transport timber from the depths of the Amazon rain forest to sawmills in Pucallpa. From Pucallpa, goods could then be transported to Peru’s Pacific coast and shipped to international buyers.
Critics of the Pucallpa-Cruzeiro do Sul road, however, argue that it would cut right through traditional territories of the Asheninka, an indigenous people of eastern Peru. Many leaders fear the road will increase access to previously undeveloped rain forest, threatening the ecosystem and the Asheninka way of life. Large trees, such as mahogany, for example, will catch the eye of illegal loggers because of their high market value. While the curative oils from mahogany sap are valuable to the Asheninka, the great mahogany trees also serve as their protection from the outside world and are essential for the health of the Amazonian rain forest. The trees provide shelter, food, and nesting grounds that sustain the vast biodiversity within the ecosystem, an ecosystem the Asheninka have come to depend on for their own food, shelter, and life sustenance.
The rain forest surrounding the Amazon River is the largest on the entire planet. More than two million species of insects are native to the region, including many tree-living species and hundreds of spiders and butterflies. Many of these species are unique to the Amazon rain forest, which means they cannot be found anyplace else in the world.
At a global level, the Amazon rain forest helps to regulate climate and acts as a carbon sink for greenhouse gases. Some of the most valued tree species in the world thrive in the rain forest. Mahogany has been nicknamed the crown jewel of the Amazon. The tree’s rich, red grain and durability make it one of the most coveted building materials in the world. A single mahogany tree can fetch tens of thousands of dollars on the international market. Even though logging is prohibited in much of the Amazon basin, it is legal in some areas in large part because the sale of the wood is so lucrative. The high demand for mahogany has left many of Peru’s watersheds stripped of their most valuable trees. Without these large trees, the watershed risks heavy flooding and soil erosion, as well as diminished water quality since the trees will not be able to filter out the pollutants and clean the water before it reaches its destination, which is perilous for life itself.