Original subtitles

(birds shrieking)

(water whooshing)

Fed by tens of thousands of tributaries,

the Amazon River crosses

the entire South American continent.

This, the mightiest river on earth,

stretches 7,000 kilometers from its source

in the high Andes

before it flows into the Atlantic,

off the coast of Northeastern Brazil.

This sparsely populated Amazon Delta is a fascinating,

largely unspoiled marine landscape.

The tropical climate helps sustain a unique diversity

of fauna and flora, from which the people live here.

(dramatic music)

The 250-kilometer-wide Amazon estuary

has the largest water volume of any delta on earth.

Our journey of discovery begins north of the delta

in an untouched jungle area

that can only be reached by boat.

Christoph Jaster, a German native who grew up in Brazil,

leads the expedition into a remote reserve.

Scientists want to study the plant life

in Tumucumaque Park, but they can only get there

with the help of an experienced boatman.

In some sections,

it's only deep enough to get through with a boat

for a length of one or one and a half meters.

If you miss them, you'll immediately damage your boat,

or in the worst case you might capsize.

There's always a risk

of hitting something with the outboard motor

and having to return.

That can jeopardize an entire expedition.

(dramatic music)

The journey continues deep into the jungle,

hour after hour.

There are no roads, no electricity, and no mobile signal.

The river is the only way to reach

this otherwise inaccessible wilderness.

Beneath the 60-meter-high forest canopy,

are many yet unexplored worlds.

We have capsized in the past,

and we lost a lot of our equipment as a result.

It's not without danger.

Indeed, the dangers lurk both in

and out of the water.

It's not just the caimans and snakes on the shoreline

and the piranhas in the river that can be dangerous.

The risk of being bitten

is not quite as high as encountering an electric eel.

The shock is extremely unpleasant.

Depending on how sensitive the person is,

they can sometimes fall unconscious

and then drown.

That's happened quite a few times.

The electric eel can deliver a shock

of up to 5,000 volts,

but most of the animals,

like this giant otter are harmless and rather shy.

They can grow up to be two meters long

and weigh up to 20 kilos.

The river is also home to the Amazon dolphin,

known locally as the boto,

which grow to two to three meters long.

They have tiny eyes and in murky waters,

they're reliant on echolocation to catch small fish.

(dramatic music)

The river journey lasts until evening.

It's dark by the time the expedition team finally arrives

at the Tumucumaque Conservation Area.

The base camp is not far from the river.

Christoph Jaster uses a handcrafted shelter

for his expeditions.

The forestry scientist has been managing

the Tumucumaque Reserve for eight years.

He's supported by locals who know the area well.

This time he is joined by young researchers

from all over Brazil.

(crickets chirring)

They are here to study the biodiversity

of the plant and animal life.

This jungle is a treasure trove

for botanists and biologists,

and there are many new species to discover.

(people speaking in foreign language)

You have to climb up here,

then from there onto the next tree,

and up that branch.

Place the trap up at the top.

(birds chirping)

They suddenly spot a sloth,

high up in the canopy.

When sloths are not searching for food

and slowly stuffing their mouth with leaves,

they spend their time resting upside down

on a branch for hours on end.

Three-toed sloths live a solitary life

in the crowns of the trees.

They can be found throughout the tropical regions

of Central and South America.

A few tamarins are leaping around

in the second story of the vegetation zone.

Tumucumaque National Park was founded in 2002,

in collaboration with the Worldwide Fund for Nature, WWF.

It covers an area almost the size of Switzerland

and is the largest rainforest reserve in the world.

Today, the WWF is continuing its program

to protect the flora and fauna of the Amazon region.

Fortunately, the rich diversity

of species here has not suffered.

In addition to Ara macaws,

the forest supports more than 1000 species of birds.

(peaceful music)

Christoph Jaster's team is setting up butterfly traps.

The number of butterfly species is an important indicator

for biodiversity in the region.

In general, we're interested

in finding out whether the reserves are serving

their purpose or not.

Brazil is in deep crisis

and I think it's always environmental protection

that's first to be affected by it.

(birds chirping) (insects chirring)

The park covers an immense area

and you only need to take a look around to see

that everything is quite fine here.

And of course we hope it stays that way.

He's determined to ensure

that the reserve in the Amazon is maintained,

but more and more Brazilian politicians want

to open up the region for the exploitation of raw materials.

Suddenly, we hear the song of an uirapuru.

(man whistling) (bird whistling)

An uirapuru from another part

of the Amazon has a totally different melody.

Our one here, I still haven't quite got the melody down.

He's quite friendly towards me

and it always comes back

as if we were having a whistling competition.

He can do it 10 times better than me, of course,

but it's still a fascinating form of communication.

(bird whistling) (man whistling)

(water whooshing) (thunder rumbles)

A storm is brewing.

It's time to head back to the base camp

as quickly as possible.

Sudden downpours are part of everyday life in the tropics.

The heat of the equatorial sun evaporates the water

in the nearby Atlantic Ocean

and winds carry the water-laden clouds

into the Amazon region

where they release torrential showers,

giving life to the incredible diversity of plants below.

(peaceful music)

A fully-grown rain forest giant

draws up several thousand liters of water

from the ground every day, releasing a similar amount back

into the atmosphere as water vapor.

The combination of extreme sunshine and extreme rain results

in extraordinarily fast plant growth.

The diverse range of organisms also helps

to decompose organic matter much more quickly.

The nutrients released

by rotting plants collect in a very thin layer of humus

that in turn promotes the growth of new plants.

This constant cycle of life and death

is a fascinating natural spectacle.

(birds shrieking)

Due to the high temperatures

and heavy rainfall,

much of the ground is worn away very quickly.

Anything that falls down in the form of dead leaves

or branches is immediately broken down

and then absorbed by the living plants

through their root systems.

In the temperate zones,

such as in the European deciduous forests,

the nutrients are stored in the ground for a long time,

but that doesn't happen in tropical rainforests

in the same way.

Once the humus layer is removed as a result of logging

and forest clearing,

the basis for plant growth is damaged almost beyond repair

Ants, insects, fungi, bacteria.

Every form of life

has its own specific role in the ecosystem.

Their multitude of fascinating and beautiful forms

has developed over millions of years

in a process of adaption

to the unique conditions in the tropical rainforest.

(peaceful music)

The team of biologists check the butterfly traps.

Perhaps they'll find a new undiscovered species.

If Laris finds enough different butterfly species

during the next two weeks,

she will know that the biodiversity

in the region is still intact.

At first, it frantically moves its legs,

then it keeps them still.

And then it's easier to hold it.

We are taking pictures of it with open and closed wings.

This one here as well behaved.

A butterfly family consists

of various different butterfly species.

To make our work easier,

we only define the families

of which there are 13 in all.

It would be too complex to define every species,

even for specialists.

(peaceful music)

You realize that the forest here is

as it should be.

There's a huge diversity of species and life forms.

No one tree is like another.

Even if they are the same species.

There are tiny saplings

and there are huge trees towering 60 meters high.

The sheer range and variety of life

in the rainforest ecosystem

is simply fascinating.

(dramatic music)

But our children

and grandchildren will only get to enjoy this diversity

if we manage to preserve these protected areas

and prevent their exploitation.

The journey takes us into the Amazon Delta,

past the river island of the Ilha de Marajo

onto the neighboring river system of the Rio Tocantins.

At the port town of Macapa,

the Amazon is so wide

that it feels as if you are standing next to the ocean.

The equator runs directly through Macapa,

which is the capital of the state of Amapa.

(people chattering)

The busiest part of the day is over

in the market hall in Macapa.

Naravin da Silva looks around to see what's left.

He sells natural produce in his village

on the outskirts of the city.

Checking the prices in the market hall gives him an idea

what to charge.

What do they cost?

One real.

He promised his family

that he would bring some fish.

Hello, how much does a kilo

of this filet cost?

It's 35 reals per kilo.

Did that big fish come from this area?

From further up the Amazon.

So you only got one of them.

It's one of our best freshwater fish.

We call it the piraiba and they can weigh up to 300 kilos.

Unfortunately, it's been over fished in the Amazon region

and now we only get them occasionally.

They only catch a few of them these days.

(dramatic music)

Brazilian indigenous peoples,

Portuguese immigrants, and descendants of African slaves

have shaped the culture of Northern Brazil.

These diverse influences can be heard in the music as well.

Brazil's Amazon region is

an extraordinary cultural melting pot,

and the people here are proud of it.

(upbeat music)

(people cheering)

(cars rumbling)

(insects chirring)

Just a few kilometers away,

Naravin is searching for a type of fruit capsule

that he harvests to make a living.

It can be found in the tropical swamp forest

not far from the river.

(suspenseful music)

The water rises up to here

in the rainy season.

From January until early August.

Then it's the dry season until January again.

In the swamps forest of the delta,

known as várzeas,

there's a very humid microclimate.

Naravin knows exactly where to search.

Like most people in this area,

he is the descendant of the indigenous inhabitants.

(birds chirping)

The andiroba seeds have a lot of uses

in medicine and they're also used for skincare.

We river people earn good money by selling them.

That means we definitely won't be cutting down this tree

Naravin lives with his family, his wife,

and two children, on the boundary

of the várzea area in a typical wooden house on stilts.

The elevated design protects them

from floods in the rainy season

and the tides of the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

The fruits and medicinal herbs they find

in the surrounding area provide them with a modest income.

Naravin is a specialist

in the production of andiroba oil.

The oil's anti-inflammatory properties are used

to treat skin conditions or external injuries.

The nuts are boiled after they are harvested

and then stored for a few weeks

to allow them to ferment.

The insides gradually turn into a soft mass,

from which the oil slowly separates.

(stick tapping)

This tradition has almost died out

in the Amazon region.

We're trying to revive it here in our community.

A lot of young people nowadays don't even

know what andiroba is.

We have various ways of earning a living from nature.

Early in the morning, I go to gather andiroba.

After 10 o'clock, I harvest acai from the palms

and in the afternoon, I go fishing.

(dramatic music)

Naravin is traveling

to the other side of the Amazon,

which is almost 50 kilometers wide here,

along with his brother Macajeiro,

a certified skipper,

they want to visit relatives in the town of Afua

where they grew up.

Ships loaded with ore and soybeans from the Amazon region

travel through the delta on their way to the Atlantic.

(horn toots)

A constant stream of gaiolas pass by.

The multi-decked ships that are the main form

of transport in the delta.

They can hold their own

against the powerful currents far better

than smaller vessels.

As it leaves the country's interior,

the Amazon flows with a very strong current,

but it's met with equally strong currents from the Atlantic.

These waters can be perilous for small boats.

When the incoming tide from the sea meets the outflow

of the river, there are eddies and waves.

You can easily capsize and drown,

but the Amazon is part of our life.

It's like a part of our body.

Without it, we can't live

(suspenseful music)

Naravin and Macajeiro

weave through an archipelago of smaller islands

to Ilha de Marajó,

the largest river island on Earth.

It's roughly the same size as the Netherlands.

In the brackish water,

a few dolphins can be seen splashing around.

(upbeat music)

(boat rumbling)

Afua is a typical small Amazon town

with characteristic wooden houses on stilts.

The locals are celebrating the Festival do Camarão,

the shrimp festival.

For the inhabitants of the delta,

this is one of the highlights of the year.

(upbeat music)

The festival gives the two men a welcome excuse

to visit their hometown.

(man speaking in foreign language)

Here in this remote part of Brazil,

most people make a living from fishing or agriculture.

Since the former president, Lula,

introduced the Bolsa Familia,

a form of social welfare for families,

even the poorest have a basic livelihood.

In the old days,

we never used to leave here.

Our whole family lived here,

our cousins, nieces, and nephews.

It was our hometown.

Nowadays, life's much better.

A few years ago,

there was nothing going on here,

but now you can see people having fun

and they know how to dress.

Back then, there weren't even any schools

but that's improved a lot now.

Yeah, that's right.

The schools were all far away.

Nowadays, there are more than 40 schools

on the archipelago for the island's children.

(upbeat music)

(peaceful music) (water whooshing)

The journey continues to Breves,

of port town in the middle of the delta.

It lies on a branch of the river that connects the Amazon

to the Tocantins river system.

Breves is the largest town on Marajo Island.

By boat, it's an eight hour journey from the mainland.

It's a center of the local boat building industry.

(peaceful music)

Simao Costas Araf decorates boats and ships

of all types with great artistry and imagination.

Every locality in the delta has produced its own style.

Simao's use of color and the form of his lettering

have influenced the typical Breves style.

(peaceful music)

It's all about the form

of the letters and the colors that you choose,

but you need to have a passion for it.

You can only achieve perfection

if you do it with love and dedication.

That's how we Marajo islanders in Breves are.

(bats chirring)

(awe-inspiring music)

The interior of the huge river island

is only accessible through the igapos,

the typical river channels in the delta.

Their water levels are influenced

both by the Atlantic tides and by the rainy season.

(boat rumbling)

(birds chirping)

Like most river dwellers, Jose Consaves

and his wife make a living by selling palm fruits

from their acai plantation.

Due to his short stature,

his friends call him Quadrina for shorty,

though, in his work,

his light weight is a major advantage.

(suspenseful music) (birds chirping)

Like most boys in this area,

at the age of 12, he started clamoring up palm trees

to harvest the acai berries.

Ilha de Marajó is the world's largest growing area

for this nutritious palm fruit.

Nowadays, his sons and several nephews help out

with the strenuous work of picking the fruit.

Jose won't be able to do this dangerous work

for much longer.

These trees are quite small

but in the jungle they're much taller.

So it's quite difficult to climb them.

I've had a few accidents in the past.

Once I fell from 10 meters up,

but luckily I landed in the river in the mud.

That saved my life.

My cousin wasn't so lucky.

He's in a wheelchair now.

Every family here

has at least one similar story to tell,

but how else can you harvest these berries?

Up to now, no one has come up with a better solution.

Jose's family own several hundred palms.

They keep some of the acai berries for themselves,

but the majority are sold through a cooperative.

Jose's wife, Sonia, soaks the acai berries in hot water

so they become soft.

She uses the flesh of the fruit

to produce the typical sweet-sour purple acai puree,

the most important staple food in the region.

(people speaking in foreign language)

Harvesters bring more baskets.

Acai is considered a super food

because of its high vitamin content and many nutrients

and global demand is increasing.

The co-operative's boat transports the day's harvest

to the next town.

Jose and Sonia are members.

Using a kind of blender,

Sonia separates the thin pulp from the stones.

All the people in Para like acai.

We always eat it as part of our main meal.

First, a spoonful of rice, then a spoonful of acai,

but I do it differently.

First I eat the main course,

then I eat the acai after.

(peaceful music) (boat humming)

Jose has an appointment with Iada,

the boss of the acai cooperative.

In the swamp forests,

people live only along the banks of the river.

The Marajo Archipelago, with its labyrinth of waterways,

is a tropical island paradise.

They live in harmony with nature,

without upsetting the balance of the ecosystem.

Jose wants to buy groceries in the cooperative shop

on the Rio Canaticú.

Iada's wife opened the small store just a few months ago.

The cooperative consists of about 100 families

who collectively market their acai berry produce.

I'm an example of how it can succeed.

After the cooperative was founded,

my income increased by about 60%.

We're much better organized now.

It's easier to deal with the accounts and taxes

and we trade in larger quantities.

Before we used to sell our produce individually

at lower prices.

(upbeat music)

Belém, the capital city of the state of Para,

lies on the eastern side of the delta

and is the largest and most important port

in the Amazon region.

The fishing boats dock after midnight.

The peak period is before sunrise.

The fishermen don't only bring catches from the interior

and from the delta,

fish from the Atlantic are also unloaded

at the famous Ver-O-Peso Market in the port city.

(upbeat music)

(motors rumbling) (birds shrieking)

Here too, piraiba are on sale.

This large type of catfish is one

of the most sought-after predatory fish

in the Amazon region.

(people shouting in foreign language)

David Ferera D'Acosta brings two and a half tons

of fish into the market hall every day,

from midnight until seven in the morning.

With each load, he balances over 100 kilograms of fish

on his head.

He started working as a fish porter at the age of 16.

It's a job that's been done here for hundreds of years.

He's happy in his work because he can relax

for the rest of the day and earn 350 euros a month.

But it took some time

for him to get used to the heavy loads.

It's really heavy work.

I once slipped on a plastic bag while carrying a load

of 100 kilos.

I left the scales with 100 kilos on my head,

and there was this plastic bag lying there.

I slipped, pushing the basket in front of me,

but the edge landed on my foot.

It caused a hematoma which got infected,

and I had to have an operation.

But everything's fine now, thank God.

(birds shrieking)

After sunrise, the jetty empties.

The wholesalers have stocked up

and the normal customers are happy to buy what's left.

Now the fish sales get underway

at the Ver-O-Peso market hall,

one of the most famous fish markets in the world.

The sheer variety and amount of fish

in the Amazon defies the imagination.

The main river and its tributaries are home

to over 2,200 species of fish,

more than in the entire Atlantic.

By comparison, all the rivers in Europe combined

have just 150 species of fish.

(bright music)

In a different part of the port,

the acai boats are unloading their freight.

The port at Belém is the main trade hub

for this valuable fruit.

Part of the harvest from the Delta is shipped

to the country's interior and the rest is transported

to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro or sold abroad.

(people chattering)

(upbeat music)

Another source of income for people

from the Delta is the sale of medicinal herbs

from the Amazon region.

At the small market behind the market hall,

the herb women offer plant cures based

on traditional recipes.

For example, Mirasi da Silva sells more

than 50 types of leaves, roots, and tinctures.

(women speaking in foreign language)

Herbal mixtures to heal infections

for the prostate or to stimulate the libido.

This elixir here is the Rolls Royce

of my range.

It works for both men and women,

both tasty and good medicine.

Shake it, and drink it three times a day

if you're feeling weak.

It brings you good fortune and raises your spirits.

Professor Wagner Barbosa researches

the indigenous people's traditional herbal remedies

at the University of Para in Belém.

He has known Mirasi for years.

Right now we're selling this plant.

You can make tea with it.

Just wash it thoroughly, crush it,

and we'll mix it with mint.

The whole plant?

No, you only use the bulb.

That's the only part that has healing properties.

I've been coming

to this part of the market

where all the herbal remedies are sold

for the last 20 years.

It's a real treasure trove

of knowledge and experience.

You can find medicinal plants here

that don't exist anywhere else.

It's a cultural treasure

that's based on the experience of the indigenous people

In a lab at the University of Para,

Professor Barbosa and his team are studying

around a dozen different plants from the Amazon region.

They isolate their chemical components

and study their effects.

We've managed to analyze the makeup

of a medicinal plant

with the botanical name Eleutherine plicata.

We've discovered it's active components

and proven that they are efficient against amoebas.

This botanical medicine is now recognized

as a remedy in the official Brazilian pharmacopeia.

(awe-inspiring music)

The Bay of Para lies

in the eastern part of the delta.

It's connected to the Amazon by a tributary.

on this side of Marajo Island,

buffalo farms have displaced many várzea forests.

(insects chirring)

(upbeat music)

The Bom Jesus Farm, not far from the town of Soure,

has a Wild West feel to it.

Around 1000 water buffalo are kept on the farm.

They are very content in the broad pastureland

with its many floodplains.

(buffalo mooing)

The arrival of the buffalo 100 years ago was the result

of an accident.

A ship laden with an Asian water buffalo capsized

just off the coast.

The cattle swam to the shore of Ilha de Marajó

and managed to survive in the wilderness,

among the rich bird life,

including the roseate spoonbill,

the heron, and the scarlet ibis.

Since that time, other buffalo species have been introduced

from countries such as Italy.

Carlos and two other cowboys take care of the herd.

It's my job to watch over the herd every day

and to take care of the farm.

Whenever there are problems with the animals,

we contact our vet, Dr. Ava,

and she comes over to treat them.

Buffalo breeding is a lucrative business

because the meat is highly prized.

The huge herds don't require many staff,

and there is plenty of pasture and water here,

but from the air,

it's clear how much land the farms swallow up

and how much swamp forest has been destroyed.

(suspenseful music)

800,000 water buffalo live in this part of Marajo Island.

This benefits a few hundred wealthy landowners

who employ just a few farm hands

and have the power to assert their own interests.

(suspenseful music)

Environmental activist Joal Miralez is campaigning

for sustainable agricultural practices

that would benefit the wider majority,

while preserving the region's natural resources.

The thing is that the buffalo is a very heavy animal

and so there is a very fragile ecosystem.

It may not look like it, but it's very fragile,

and where they pass in the dry season,

it becomes like a small river in the wet season.

They destroy the local mangroves,

the small parts that are some other ecosystems like forest

like marginal forest from the rivers.

They are just trying from the inside.

Cattle farming is not only a threat

to the delta.

Every year, huge areas of the Amazon region are sacrificed

for meat production,

but due to the poor soil,

the herds can only graze on the pastures for a few years.

After that, the cattle farmers move into new areas.

The soybean farms that produce cattle feed

for Europe and Asia

also result in the destruction of huge tracts of rainforest.

Over the last 30 years,

almost a quarter of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down.

The thin layer of top soil has been irreversibly damaged.

Despite this, the exploitation for profit continues.

(melancholy music)

Joal Miralez writes books about the fascinating biodiversity

of the Amazon basin.

He hopes to open people's eyes

to the natural treasure that they are putting at risk.

Deforestation is the result of cattle ranching,

intensive agriculture, especially for soy,

but also maize, corn.

And that's the consequence that our diets

in the planet is very much based on meat.

If we don't change our diet, that's a planetary diets,

we will have serious climate change,

and of course we lose the Amazon.

(melancholy music)

On Ilha de Marajó,

most of the swamp forest remains practically untouched.

And in those places where there are no buffalo grazing,

the mangroves on the shoreline are still intact.

(insects chirring)

Every day, Sebastian Figueredo and his son take their boat

into the mangrove forest at their doorstep.

They depend on the forest for their income.

Suddenly, they witness a rare sight.

A young panther crossing the river.

These mysterious predators almost always keep out of sight

and they usually only come out at night.

While his son watches the boat,

Sebastian goes in search of crabs.

It's hot, humid, and there are mosquitoes everywhere.

(suspenseful music)

The exposed roots indicate how high the water rises

when the tide comes in.

The Atlantic tides can be clearly felt here,

although it is 40 kilometers from the open sea.

The extreme conditions in the tidal forests have given rise

to a multitude of extraordinary life forms.

Searching for crabs is a laborious process

and there is no guarantee of success.

Nonetheless, it provides Sebastian

with an income of around 200 euros a month.

He never had a chance to go to school,

so he's glad he can support his family

by fishing for the tasty mangrove crabs.

(birds chirping)

At the moment, the crabs aren't much good

because they're molting.

It's difficult to pull them out

because they're more slippery

and it's more difficult to sell them during this phase.

Later on, when they have a new shell,

everything's a bit easier.

I can catch up to 300 a week then,

but it's still not easy.

The restaurants pay us badly,

and sell them at a much higher price.

But when we have a good catch

and can sell them for a good price, I'm happy.

Even today, the majority

of local people get their nutrition

from the fish and crabs in the mangroves.

(awe-inspiring music)

The Amazon estuary lies

on a major migratory route for birds.

Several thousand wading birds from North America

stop over here or stay

for the duration of the northern winter.

The mangrove forests

in the delta are also a popular resting place

and nest site for a variety of ibis species.

In the village of Praia dos Pescadores

in the mangrove forest belt of the Bay of Para,

it feels as if time has stopped.

Generations of local people have made a living

from fishing and harvesting the natural riches

of the tropical forest.

The peaceful, cozy fishing village is also a popular getaway

for tourists from Belém.

(boat buzzing)

Leonilda, Zara, and Sebastiana are going to search

for medicinal herbs in the mangrove belt

near the Atlantic, not far from the delta.

(awe-inspiring music)

They go in the morning at low tide,

so they can enter the tidal forest

without getting their feet wet.

A snake bird stalks its prey.

Here, too, the riverbanks support a rich variety

of bird life.

Blue and yellow macaws and hoatzin,

also known as stinkbirds,

warm themselves in the morning sun.

The Amazon region is home

to several hundred species of parrots.

Their diet consists of seeds, fruits, berries, flowers,

and small insects.

In their free time, the three women work

for the non-profit organization, Erva Vita,

which produces and distributes natural remedies.

(women speaking in foreign language)

They gather bark, leaves, and roots.

They draw on the knowledge of their ancestors,

who survived without modern medicine

in the remote coastal forest for centuries.

This plant is called lacris.

When I was a child,

my mother used the milky extract from the leaves

to treat cuts and injuries.

She would drip the liquid onto the wound,

and then it would heal.

The plant is also used to treat rashes,

skin conditions, and painful infections.

The extract prevents itching and help heal wounds.

(awe-inspiring music)

Even here, on the edge of the delta,

in the bay of the small town of Maruda,

the sediment carried by the Amazon colors the water brown.

This shoreline offers a nesting place

for a huge flock of ibises,

among them, the striking red ibis.

They live in the coastal region of Venezuela

and in the Amazon estuary.

(birds shrieking)

(knives thudding)

The women from Erva Vita meet once a week

to manufacture their products.

Thankfully, there are lots

of people who want to buy our products.

They pass by to say hello and buy things.

Many of them come

because they're feeling better and want to say thank you.

They want to make sure we carry on our work,

that we don't stop producing remedies.

They make not only remedies

but cosmetics as well.

After boiling in water,

the plants are used to make herbal shampoo.

(awe-inspiring music)

They dilute the herbal stock

with soapy water and decant it into bottles.

They produce a total of 20 different natural remedies

and cosmetics in their herbal kitchen.

(awe-inspiring music)

Wide, sandy beaches stretch along the Atlantic coast,

east of the delta.

On the coastal Island of Algodoal,

tourists and goods are still transported

by horse and cart.

The Amazon Delta remains a fascinating

and largely unspoiled natural landscape to this day.

(awe-inspiring music)