Two remarkable men have pledged to trek more than 4,000 miles from the source of the Amazon River into southern Peru finally, to the mouth in Brazil. Luke Collyer, a professional outdoor instructor, and Ed Stafford, a former British Army Captain, started on this once in a life time journey earlier this year and expect the trip to take approximately 16 and 18 months. Ed and Luke will become the first men ever to traverse the exotic world of the Amazon.
The trip has utilised a number of fundraising schemes in order to fund the trip, including recycling efforts involving printer ink cartridges and mobile phones. It seems fitting that recycling efforts help to support this journey, which in turn, supports sustainability and will serve as an educational tool to raise awareness of climate change.
The Amazon is comprised of some of the most pristine rainforests in existence. These rainforest eco-systems are also among those most threatened in the world. Hopefully, the trek will raise enough awareness of the importance of the Amazon rainforests to save some of the 40,000 plant species as well as the world’s richest diversity of birds, butterflies, and freshwater fish. Scientists estimate that the Amazon contains more than half of the world’s animal species, many of which are endangered and are threatened by hunters and poachers. The Amazon is one of the last refuges for the jaguar, scarlet macaw, harpy eagle, pink dolphin, southern two-toed sloth, pygmy marmoset, and various types of monkeys including the howler monkey, saddleback and emperor tamarins, Goeldi’s and Eldi’s monkeys.
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