In my first post about the Amazon Rainforest i already wrote about how to get there and where the Uakari Jungle Lodge is located. You can read the post here. [The Amazon Rainforest](https://steemit.com/photography/@philippbuxbaum/the-amazon-rainforest) It is possible to stay 3, 4 or 7 days at the Jungle Lodge. I think 4 is enough to do the most interesting trips. For each activity, it is necessary to start the trip by boat to the locations on land, as the lodge floats on the river. In the rainy season every trip is done by boat or canoe. The first thing we did was a short walk through the forest to get to know the flora and fauna in this area. So we took the boat downriver to the beginning of the trail. There are many hiking trails in this area and they always choose different ones that the environment can recovery till to the next group. For each activity, a native guide and a Naturalist will be present to identify the native planets and animals. ![Reserva-59.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPjatF4KRPfDnTZLoZDdy8bvKAyuxKnUet4MexaDgaQVN/Reserva-59.jpg) On the way we could observe a monkey trying to open a fruit to get the seeds. The monkey hit the fruit several times against the branch until the peel cracked open. The Amazon rainforest is home to a vast biological heritage with millions of species of organisms, many of them without scientific identification. About 300 species of mammals live in the Amazon region.

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![Reserva-14.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmejWk7fhnQsVxZ9tNFaiBjBbw3CN5UN6jZX3SCWRuvahb/Reserva-14.jpg) The first steps in the forest are truly breathtaking. The trees, leaves, bushes are much bigger than in other forests and it is really loud - monkeys scream, birds sing and insects hum. The Amazon rainforest represents more than half of the planet's rainforests and here alone there are more than 16000 tree species. ![Reserva-22.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbzusriZhuKQLCg1Gyi64fmP6jY27mDPzTwjkiQqBjAss/Reserva-22.jpg) The Amazon covers about: * 4-6% of the entire earth's surface * 25-40% of Latin American and Caribbean surface * 60% of Brazilian territory

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Beautiful mushrooms on the ground. ![Reserva-18.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRYFm8ybLyFXv9o6o8NXV6BmFZVxVp4HLsdoukTZ5JjDZ/Reserva-18.jpg) ![Reserva-17.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVxUy9yeKt9D4eajetSCiJaCzTuT8iXQZp11qbwvJ3Eqn/Reserva-17.jpg) The next day we went canoeing. Perfect for bird watching and photographing. ![Reserva-40.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmaQTqDLMQzwqHQ8NMUxaDn8Gnn2pAc3HC2MgQPE9Sb9Rb/Reserva-40.jpg) ![Reserva-35.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRXejnQaPfQvkBKmo8okbxbytooWbKzDKrgStVdB4e8h6/Reserva-35.jpg) ![Reserva-15.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmfQR9wp1wjVfwEdFAWNCsdf31VLMqoGTZ4WcWx4NsreZB/Reserva-15.jpg) ![Reserva-16.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmb6woUnMatGN614zTPLnYpBfoYdiHKMg6LQtoAt7ivQAa/Reserva-16.jpg) ![Reserva-60.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZ5hBw8DB6YkJThsMAMnxhTFJ6zFzb6ADkq33LEWhYPu9/Reserva-60.jpg) ![Reserva-47.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPUmeCn4F7koroWMNyXdMw9pXzL3hccxZ2CjvfX46Vn1Y/Reserva-47.jpg) A caiman cub with no tail. Probably another caiman was hungry and ate his tail. ![Reserva-36.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmX7EtMvYAsyrycLfqaYkU1A6ZnBwQoDPqiugzSqZvoS81/Reserva-36.jpg) A local community close to Jungle Lodge. ![Reserva-6.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmP939PR7d2oGYhQpodpn4MWDnLDs8jQdYwYVZtfeqFm5f/Reserva-6.jpg)

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The community representative (still going to the local gym) showed us around and explained how life works here. The people are called Ribeirinhos and built the whole village on stilts in order to have dry ground even during the rainy season. The idea of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve (with a size of about 11,000 km2) is that people can live here and use the resources sustainably. It is impossible to fully control a National park in the Amazon, so local people should take on this task. The Brazilian government don't invest in protection and is also cutting funding for organisations that want to protect the Amazon. In the dry season the community members use the beach to plant beans, corn and manoic.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmYhXR9PZFT5bbuzJP7RQwPgD8Lt7sXT69rDXfkHRo9XsJ/Reserva-34.jpg They still fish in a traditional way and respect the reproductive period of the fish. There are about 2000 fish species in the Amazon region. ![Reserva-29.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmebLFHJdZioS9YgKL5Ce1XhFwQRNHekUeqa3xfn4aT8wp/Reserva-29.jpg) The Loricariidae is from the family of catfish. ![Reserva-28.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcMbizU72PctWUAahj5xQkvkduzsxnZK1afv9t4CsAFSu/Reserva-28.jpg) After the visit we enjoyed the beach and watched a great sunset. ![Reserva-67.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmfNXU8oh6EgxgXNHvSMHuQqUzZcR9fdtyS9auUZ7MKAx4/Reserva-67.jpg) ![Reserva-68.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmb6q4k61P2rf2KjMdDkkCQMsNjCwdPYJfxqBzJAThEFHC/Reserva-68.jpg) ![Reserva-69.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmST8xehgpgqGKgwbKq5EzgQbtuBTtKAmUfa1qasMkuvDT/Reserva-69.jpg) Another trip by canoe and later we went to a lake inside the forest. ![Reserva-37.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcAiVSx23FR9KDJaN4zzBuRqCJLB75UW7vxNdW3bLTp8i/Reserva-37.jpg) ![Reserva-42.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVoHZbXk2R5gvixMWqArLMe9MhHS1uERkNtbS6JcNS9n1/Reserva-42.jpg) A Hummingbird. ![Reserva-44.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUipiLo3NrM47uVSVZgVGD89eRdCnyxJDb5GhSBHG1QCW/Reserva-44.jpg) In the Amazon ecosystem, millions of animal and plant species coexist in perfect balance. ![Reserva-41.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYqTQgPuE3QgQwkte6ivWYidKAovo8UCu1LRww9fbHTrx/Reserva-41.jpg) Among them 1800 butterfly species. ![Reserva-45.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWpYNNHbZTxKHfhtvf3aVM6xZAeHFpWkWFbSfpZmXiwiq/Reserva-45.jpg) ![Reserva-46.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeHVL45MnmY2WqdGA6napXQBigHausRKnTQaRC2VrG3t8/Reserva-46.jpg) ![Reserva-38.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmfU7fdaj3f1bRYUACZK4aFn2FsF7v4fEFQKHLNBwLsoEU/Reserva-38.jpg) On our third day we made a trip to see the largest tree of the Amazon. During a walk along the riverbed we first saw the fresh trail of a jaguar. What a feeling! A few hours ago, the largest cat in the Amazon went this way! ![Reserva-61.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQXVbkgtM78cr6C6sFTBjiQhCHWx9FzqEqr8WY2b6zBzC/Reserva-61.jpg) Than we came to the Sumaúma tree! The tree grows to 70 m and the trunks can often be up to 3 m in diameter above the extensive buttresses. The very largest individuals, however, can be 6 meters thick or more above the buttresses. ![Reserva-50.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmV9EzMw6n5wpbjxtYLtiyYCUVzK9HxLyEpp9reg7CUfyA/Reserva-50.jpg) ![Reserva-64.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVYzGRodnRtzePj5ezt37cKfzsjjjrKEEpw6xdVGqqfzx/Reserva-64.jpg) I felt so small beside the tree...

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![Reserva-48.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdBjiQfQH1mbP5ZYcpjDAz9HGD9cWx39GLTndbbUsQTqi/Reserva-48.jpg) Can you see the monkey cub? ![Reserva-66.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWShowVnQyESAri9FhkWf1D8LSk2RetYRnYE3maNyZt9N/Reserva-66.jpg) On our last day we went on a motorized canoe to the beautiful Mamirauá Lake to watch the sunset. Of course we saw many birds on our way. ![Reserva-54.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbAnRLJ84puD9VN4s7QwhM7MxyXhJeP18urFdpVFrKtDH/Reserva-54.jpg) ![Reserva-55.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmf51CqyRJBN7spgsrSRRv6PDx9XMG64sS8Syi48QKxFHE/Reserva-55.jpg) ![Reserva-56.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTo7YVhLmjNK8vQN5N5SbUT7gYK2UBuJBGFn8iMzf6ybc/Reserva-56.jpg) ![Reserva-57.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXM5C9h8Am1Be7B4VrUKQUL1SVbdY4vHLSiUDVkK3fGcf/Reserva-57.jpg) I hope you enjoyed this post. The Amazon is in danger. The majority of illegal deforestation is done to increase the area for cattle and soybean plantations. 80% of the Amazon soy is intended for animal feed! Many indigenous people are killed by the agricultural lobby and expelled from their land. The Brazilian government does not do anything about it, considering the Amazon as a "useless" region. They see only the value of the Amazon in selling land for mining and oil production. I hope that eco tourism can protect the Amazons for a little bit longer. The future of the Amazon is in the hands of all of us. !steemitworldmap -3.064410 lat -64.849612 long Uakari Jungle Lodge D3SCR