RAINFOREST EXPLORER

The Amazon River regularly spills over its banks, flooding the surrounding forest.  This seasonal overflow creates a unique ecosystem that provides life essentials to more than 2.5 million insect species, 40,000 plant species, 2,000 fish species, 1,200 bird species, 420 mammal species, 425 amphibian species, 370 reptile species, and 10 million people! Recently, radically fluctuating flood levels are causing scientists to ponder the impact of global climate change on this ecosystem.  Yet even with the abundance of water, there is a scarcity of potable water for its human inhabitants. 

It might seem a bit strange to adopt, in the Amazon rainforest, a solution developed for drought-stricken northeastern Brazil. But rainwater collected on rooftops and stored in tanks is helping to improve the health, hygiene and overall living conditions of rural communities in the jungle.