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Generally, no. Most aquarium fish are collected by artisanal fishing methods such as small hand nets, by hand or even hook and line. In the Amazon most fish collected are sustainable resources. People involved are almost always local. The income they gain from the fish in their local rivers is more than they would earn otherwise. These jobs are also non destructive to the habitats, unlike other available jobs such as logging, gold mining, commercial (food) fishing boats and even worse - farming soy or cotton.

In very rare examples a highly endemic fish may be over-fished for the aquarium trade, but such cases are extremely uncommon. In fact, buying a wild collected fish from the Amazon helps to protect the forest, since communities involved in the trade are careful not to harm their cash crop by allowing illegal mining or logging activity to destroy the habitat. The fish, their habitats and local population go hand in hand. There are not many places on the planet without humans, so to protect a region, the inhabitants, their rights and progress must be considered first. For more information click here.

Yes. Any place, especially those where gold is mined, even on a small scale is in peril. In addition large scale mining for gemstones, bauxite (aluminium ore) and others are a huge threat to the habitats. Places where cotton or soy (also grown for biofuel) are grown are devastated by various chemicals used as pesticides, insecticides and fertilizer. Google Earth is a good way to see the destruction caused by the farming in the Mato Grosso.

Besides the obvious donations to organizations involved with Amazon and Worldwide conservation, you can get involved directly by helping to lobby our politicians to not only put pressure on foreign governments but also on our industry. Because the destruction in the Amazon is not only at the hand of the local people, but much of it is caused by Western companies who make their money on us. Be aware that a term like biofuel implies that the product has not harmed the environment, but that is not really the case. Could places to start are some of the non profit projects in the links section.

Sustainable tourism is also a good way to show people that conserving their environment is beneficial to them. Most of the Amazon is a very safe place and going to see the Amazon first hand to support local ecotourism projects is a great way to benefit conservation.

Yes, there are years of extreme flooding in some regions, as well as years of extreme drought.

Not much, although sustained days of rain will bring cooler temperatures to the region. Closer to the Andes in the Western Amazon temperatures can drop due to wind bringing cold air from the mountains. Most of the year is similar to a Florida summer, with higher humidity. Temperatures in the forest under the forest canopy are always cooler by several degrees.

Forest streams are often in the low or mid 20s (in centigrade), temperatures may be in the high 20s or even 30s in the sun. Mountain streams in the west can be downright cold, with temperatures in the low teens.

Not yet, unlike the near extinct freshwater dolphin in the Mekong. The Amazonian people do not hunt or eat the freshwater dolphin, so there is no direct threat from the human population (there is from over-fishing their food source, pollution, deforestation etc). The Amazon Manatee however is actively hunted, and in much greater peril.

Besides the obvious ones of National Geographic there are some great documentaries produced by the BBC in the UK and NHK Japan, some of these are occasionally available on video. For feature films I think The Mission (1986, Roland Joffé), and Fitzcaraldo (1982, Werner Herzog) give an interesting view of the early days of Westerners in the Amazon.

There are ducks and many birds along the Amazonian rivers, but they are more common in the Llanos, Pantanal and swampy regions. Generally various species of herons, anhingas (snakebirds) and kingfishers are the most commonly seen birds.

Piranhas do not really pose a lethal threat to humans. Occasionally piranhas will bite the feet or legs of people in the water, but it is only on rare occasions that local people will advise against swimming somewhere because of piranhas. Only one species found in the Rio Sao Francisco (Pygocentrus piraya), is generally regarded as dangerous by locals. The stingrays however are a real danger and much hated by most local people. I have seen terrible infections and damage caused by stings everywhere in the Amazon.

Smithonian Atlas of the Amazon, by M.Goulding, R.Barthem, and E.Ferreira
Floods of Fortune, by M.Goulding
Origin of Species, by C.Darwin
The Lost World Of the Amazon, by F.Eichhorn
Brazilian Adventure, by P.Fleming