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Walking the Amazon: Raising Awareness of Climate Change
The Journey Begins
Ed Stafford, a former British Army Captain and Luke Collyer, a professional outdoor instructor, will attempt an amazing trek to walk over 4,000 miles from the source of the Amazon River in southern Peru to the mouth in Brazil. The expedition will be uninterrupted and is expected to last between 16 and 18 months. Ed and Luke will become the first men ever to walk the amazing Amazon.
This awesome journey, should Ed and Luke complete it, will take them over some of the most pristine rainforest areas in the world. These are the most threatened eco-systems left on planet Earth. These two adventurers will carry only what fits in their rucksacks and will have to employ sustainable survival practices to live off the jungle. Click here to see a map of the route they will take.
While human habitation is scarce, there are over 100 Amazonian tribes in the areas they will travel, and there is a vast population of animal species. It is estimated that there are over 2,000 fish species that live in the Amazon River. There are over 11,000 plant species and numerous animal species. Just man, beast and plant vegetation and the greatest journey anyone can hope to achieve in their lifetime.
Save Your World is sponsoring this monumental event which begins in April 2008, because "we, like Ed and Luke believe that man can live in harmony with nature and that man must learn to preserve these pristine biodiverse areas in order to sustain survival for future generations and to allow them to enjoy these areas uncompromised" says Scott Cecil, President of Save Your World.
Save Your World is providing the communications system for Ed and Luke to report their findings over this 16 to 18 month experience via their blog. We look forward to reading about their adventures and if you would like to follow their progress please click here to read their latest blog.
The Motivation Behind the Adventure
Ed Stafford, aged 31, from Leicester, has already led expeditions to Patagonia, Borneo and Belize. He also worked alongside the United Nations in Afghanistan, where he advised on security, planning and logistics in the run-up to to the country's presidential elections in 2004 which returned Hamid Karzai as the country's first-ever democratically-elected president.
Luke Collyer, aged 35, from Crawley, is a professional outdoor instructor in the UK when he is not leading overseas expeditions. He has led various expeditions to Belize and Borneo whilst working for Trekforce Expeditions. Last year Luke led an expedition with Jack Osbourne, son of Ozzy and Sharron Osbourne, to a remote part of Belize for Ginger Productions series ŽAdrenaline Junkie for ITV.
They say of the walk: "No-one has ever walked from the source to the mouth. We aim to be the first two men to achieve this first." And when asked why they are attempting this adventure, they say "The hope is that by using technology that was impossible only a few years ago we can create an adventure so exciting to follow on the Internet that schools will be able to use the interest that this generates to explain the different pressures in the Amazon that surround the issue of climate change. By effectively acting as a medium for all the different people that we meet on the way we can use our journey to show the full story of the Amazon."
The journey now takes shape as Luke and Ed summit Nevado Mismi.
HOW CAN I HELP?
By purchasing products such as the Save Your World Cap and the Save Your World Wristband you will be helping to save One Acre of Rainforest for One Year and helping to raise awareness of conservation efforts to Save the Rainforest. Please click on the photos below to learn more about these products and to add them to your shopping cart.
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