Humans are taking over, and we're putting the world's ecosystems at risk

Dec 16, 2016

Sawmills that process illegally logged trees from the Amazon rainforest are seen near Rio Pardo, in the district of Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, September 3, 2015. The town of Rio Pardo, a settlement of about 4,000 people in the Amazon rainforest, rises where only jungle stood less than a quarter of a century ago. Loggers first cleared the forest followed by ranchers and farmers, then small merchants and prospectors. Brazil's government has stated a goal of eliminating illegal deforestation, but enforcing the law in remote corners like Rio Pardo is far from easy.

Habitat loss is the most insidious of all threats facing land-living wildlife. Image: REUTERS/Nacho Doce

James Watson

Associate Professor, University of Queensland

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