Because I grew up near water, I have always been more of a water person than a forest person. But forests are all so different and yet all so beautiful. And we need our green lungs desperately.
This book – Forests by Kieron Connolly – shows so many different forests in all their glory. He even writes about underwater forests. The information about the Amazon rainforests really moved me.
Encompassing 5.5million sq km (2.1million sq miles), the Amazon rainforest contains an estimated 390billion trees from 16,000 species. In surface area, it accounts for half of the world’s remaining rainforests. It ranges over nine countries: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Surinam and Venezuela. More than 30million people across 350 different ethnic groups live in the Amazon. There is not a single bridge across the Amazon River. This is not because it is technically impossible, but because there are very few roads alongside the river to create sufficient demand. Ferries are used instead.
That’s my brother’s Christmas present sorted!