Explore the Amazonia Bioregion Library — immerse yourself in the world’s largest tropical rainforest, where ancestral wisdom, vast river systems, and unmatched biodiversity converge in the heart of South America.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Bioregion Name | Amazonia (Amazon Rainforest and Basin) |
| Location | Northern and central South America — spanning Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana |
| Approximate Extension | ~6,700,000 km² |
| Primary Indigenous Cultures | Yanomami, Asháninka, Kayapó, Shuar, Ticuna, Huitoto, Shipibo-Conibo, Achuar, Yawanawá, Baniwa, and more |
| Dominant Ecosystems | Tropical rainforest, floodplains (várzea), blackwater forests (igapó), savannas, wetlands, cloud forests, Andean-Amazon transitions |
| Endangered Species | Amazon river dolphin, giant otter, jaguar, uacari monkey, white-bellied spider monkey, South American tapir, harpy eagle |
| Representative Fungi | Bioluminescent fungi, bracket fungi, Xylaria, Ganoderma, coral fungi, mycorrhizal truffles |
| Representative Mammals | Jaguar, tapir, capybara, sloth, howler monkey, ocelot, Amazon river dolphin |
| Representative Birds | Harpy eagle, hoatzin, macaws, toucans, hummingbirds, potoo |
| Representative Reptiles | Green anaconda, black caiman, mata mata turtle, emerald tree boa, basilisk lizard |
| Representative Plants | Brazil nut tree, rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), ayahuasca vine, acai palm, guarana, cecropia, cacao |
| Traditional Foods & Medicinals | Manioc (cassava), camu camu, guayusa, ayahuasca, copaiba, cat’s claw, sacha inchi, chonta palm hearts |
The Amazonia Bioregion Library represents the vibrant ecological and cultural fabric of the Amazon Rainforest and River Basin, the largest and most biodiverse tropical forest system on Earth. Encompassing nine nations, Amazonia is often called the “lungs of the planet,” regulating regional and global climate while harboring over 10% of known species.
Known as Amaru Mayu (River of the Serpent) in Quechua and by hundreds of other Indigenous names, the Amazon is a living entity: a complex body of water, forest, and sky connected by ancestral cosmologies, migrations, and relationships with the more-than-human world.
Ecologically, the Amazon Basin includes:
- Mammals: Jaguar, puma, pink river dolphin, giant anteater, giant armadillo, bush dog, agouti
- Birds: Harpy eagle, hoatzin, scarlet macaw, toucan, curassow, hummingbirds, potoo
- Reptiles and Amphibians: Green anaconda, poison dart frogs, black caiman, boa constrictor, glass frog
- Fish: Arapaima (pirarucú), piranha, electric eel, tambaqui, catfish species
- Fungi: Bioluminescent fungi, termite-associated mushrooms, reishi, puffballs
- Plants: Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi), chacruna (Psychotria viridis), guaraná, camu camu, cecropia, açai, rubber tree
The Indigenous Peoples of Amazonia speak over 300 languages and maintain sophisticated ecological systems, including raised-bed agriculture, rotational forest gardens, canoe-based trade routes, ethnopharmacology, and oral cartography that encodes ecological knowledge through myth and ritual.
Spiritual and ecological practices in Amazonia are deeply interconnected. Forest spirits (yuxibu, karuana, tunchi) are considered protectors, and sacred plants like ayahuasca and tobacco are used for healing, guidance, and relationship-building with forest intelligences. These cosmologies are part of a living knowledge system threatened by extractivism, deforestation, and epistemicide.
The Amazonia Bioregion Library hosted at Bioregiones.org serves as a multilingual, multimedia, and interdisciplinary platform that includes:
- Ethnobotanical and ethnomycological archives
- Indigenous land maps and ancestral territories
- Oral histories, chants, and forest cosmologies
- Biodiversity surveys and environmental impact data
- Documentary films, animations, and digital storytelling
- Indigenous declarations and forest defense networks
Despite facing the highest deforestation rates on Earth, Amazonia is at the heart of planetary regeneration. Movements such as Guardians of the Forest, the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative, and the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin (COICA) are leading efforts in forest defense, land sovereignty, and biocultural regeneration.
Amazonia is not only a place—it is a consciousness, a spirit network, and a call to protect the sacred. The Library invites all allies, educators, youth, scientists, and elders to participate in the care, celebration, and defense of this living bioregion.
Key Features
:
- Location: Northern and central South America – spanning 9 countries including Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia
- Ecosystems: Tropical rainforest, blackwater floodplains, Andean cloud forests, whitewater rivers, wetlands, savannah edges
- Cultural Heritage: Over 400 Indigenous nations including Kayapó, Shipibo, Yanomami, Shuar, Achuar, Asháninka, and more
- Keystone Species: Jaguar, harpy eagle, anaconda, rubber tree, river dolphin, ayahuasca vine
- Conservation Themes: Forest defense, land rights, intergenerational knowledge transfer, carbon sink protection, sacred site preservation
Bibliography and References
:
- COICA. (2023). Amazon Indigenous Territories and Climate Defense. https://coica.org.ec
- Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative. (2022). Bioregional Vision for the Amazon Basin. https://sacredheadwaters.org
- RAISG. (2022). Amazonian Deforestation and Indigenous Lands Atlas. https://www.amazoniasocioambiental.org
- Cultural Survival. (2020). Indigenous Rights and Forest Defense in Amazonia. https://www.culturalsurvival.org
- Global Forest Watch. (2023). Monitoring the Amazon Bioregion. https://www.globalforestwatch.org
- FAO. (2021). Agroforestry and Food Sovereignty in the Amazon. https://www.fao.org
- Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). (2022). Territories and Ethnobotany of the Brazilian Amazon. https://www.socioambiental.org
- IUCN. (2020). Amazonian Species at Risk. https://www.iucn.org
- Amazon Watch. (2023). Oil Extraction and Indigenous Resistance. https://amazonwatch.org
- IPBES. (2022). Global Assessment on Biodiversity – Amazon Focus. https://ipbes.net