The Amazon Basin; Brazil. In the summer I had the pleasure of spending over a month in Brazil and over two weeks on the spectacular Amazon River. The people here are gently curious, welcoming and above all friendly. The River accounts for one fifth of river flow around the world, and is home to almost 21 million people.

When I crossed the Venezuelan border we drove for what must of been six hours from Boa Vista south and all you could see was decapatated trees, surrounded by fields with cattle grazing. The image was haunting. Almost Post-Apocalyptic. Another six hours and you arrive in Manaus.

Manaus is the largest city on the Amazon, situated 1500km inland from the sea it seems strange to call the place a port, but thats what it is and this was how Manaus put itself on the map. The rubber booms of the early 1900s and 1940 lead to the previously wild forest being a beacon for economic growth. Its isolated position in Brazil, Manaus is often seen as a different country to Brazil by the people on the outside. How isolated must they feel from Copenhagen at the minute and these are the people that will suffer.

I met indigenous tribes on a tour I arranged with a local chief and travelled by steam boat up to Belem on a slow boat. The river culture is amazing people live on the boats selling things at each stop and fill in the gaps with a lot of 'Forro' music and partying. But the most incredible people are the people that live on the river bank. Selling food to the boat by literally hooking their canoe on the side of the slow boat, arms outstretched, they will accept gratefully anything you want to throw at them. Trainers, T-shirts, Books in English, anything! They live a quiet existence sometimes hours or days from their neighbours. The thought of these people losing their homes is deeply worrying for me.

Being the world's largest producer and exporter of ethanol its natural for the Brazilian government to push biofuels as the only real alternative for a world trying wean itself away from fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. But at the cost of deforestation of the worlds most famous rainforest. Illigal logging is common in the region of Amozonas and with the size of the region and its often impossible infastructure the government find the area extremly hard to police.

So its refreshing to see Brazil take the lead role in arranging a conference of Amazon nations in order to discuss the future of the Amazon. About half of the the Amazon is in Brazil. The other half is divided between eight other countries - Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez didn't bother.Colombia’s Alvaro Uribe hurt himself convienently. Rafael Correa from Ecudar, Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Peru’s Alan Garcia and Suriname’s Ronald Venetiaan also gave no real excuse why they couldn't go.

Brazil is certainly the economic powerhouse in the region and its exports from fuels to poor soap operas can be seen all over the globe, so its Brazil that has the most to lose by keeping the Amazon, yet they are the only ones, it seems, in South America who care!

What we can expect to see is Brazil taking a leading role in arranging a legally binding agreement for all countries to help save our planet reminding itself that although it may have the financial figures of a economic machine its going to fight tooth and nail to keep its heart, and 20% of the world's oxygen. The Amazon.

WJ Watkinson