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The Amazon Rainforest, Then and Now
The Amazon Rainforest is home to a diverse group of species – more than 300 mammals, 2,000 species of fish, 60,000 plants, and 2 million species of insects.
Since Orellana's time, the Amazon Rainforest has changed dramatically as new settlers and new industries have moved in, exploiting the area's land and natural resources. Looking first for gold and cinnamon, the settlers later built cacao plantations and cattle ranches, and exploited the hardwoods, rubber, oil, gas, iron, gold, and other minerals found there.
The Amazon Rainforest might really be an El Dorado of riches, containing gold, as well as timber, food, medicines, and many other raw materials important to industries. Yet it is still the home for the many native people who have lived in the rainforest for tens of thousands of years.
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