The Forest · The Amazon

The Amazon Rainforest Biome: Land, Life & Its Peoples

The world's largest tropical rainforest — its scale, its staggering biodiversity, the peoples who call it home, and why supporting them directly is the surest way to protect it.

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Simon Scott, founder of Shamanic Supply
Updated 16 July 2026 · 9 min read
✓ Ecology & culture guide
A canoe navigates the vast waterways of the Amazon River, where most areas are accessible only by boat, highlighting the immense scale and remote beauty of the rainforest
A canoe on the Amazon's waterways — most of the forest is reachable only by boat.
In short

The Amazon Biome is the world's largest tropical rainforest — 6.7 million km² across nine South American countries, home to at least 10% of all known species and to around 2.7 million Indigenous people from 350 ethnic groups.1 It is one of the planet's great regulators of climate and water — and it is under real threat.

The basics

What Is the Amazon Rainforest Biome?

The Amazon Biome — also called Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle — is an awe-inspiring, intricate region that stands as the world's largest tropical rainforest. Spanning some 6.7 million square kilometres, this unmatched sanctuary of natural and cultural wealth holds a vast array of unique flora and fauna and is home to numerous Indigenous communities. It plays a pivotal role in sustaining the delicate equilibrium of Earth's ecosystems.1

Where Is the Amazon Rainforest?

The Amazon stretches across a vast swathe of South America, spanning parts of nine countries. More than 60% sits in Brazil, with the rest reaching across Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It is bordered by the Andes Mountains to the west and the Guiana Highlands to the north; to the south it gives way to the Cerrado, Brazil's great tropical savanna; and to the east it runs all the way to the Atlantic.

Map highlights the immense scale of the Amazon Rainforest and the state of Acre, Brazil, within South America
The scale of the Amazon, and the state of Acre, Brazil — home to many of the peoples we work with.
Scale

The Amazon by the Numbers

A few figures capture just how singular the Amazon is (all WWF):1

Twice the size of India6.7 million km² — the largest remaining tropical rainforest on Earth.
10% of known speciesAt least a tenth of all the world's known biodiversity lives here, including endemic and endangered species.
15–16% of river flowThe Amazon River and its tributaries account for 15–16% of all the world's river discharge into the oceans, over more than 6,600 km.
350 ethnic groupsAround 2.7 million Indigenous people from 350 groups — more than 60 of them still living largely in isolation.

Among these peoples are the Katukina, Yawanawá and Shipibo-Conibo — each with a rich cultural heritage, and each partners in the work behind this shop.

A Pillar of Life Under Threat

For all its grandeur, the Amazon faces threats that cannot be overlooked:

DeforestationAt least 17% of the Amazon's forest cover has been lost in the last 50 years — roughly 10,000 km² cleared each year for cattle, soy, logging, mining and roads.
Climate regulationThe canopy helps regulate temperature, humidity and the water cycle across the region and beyond.
Carbon storageThe Amazon holds 90–140 billion metric tons of carbon; releasing it would sharply accelerate global warming.1
A tipping pointLose too much, and the forest risks flipping from a carbon sink to a carbon source — which is why its people's stewardship matters so much.
Deforestation of the Amazon, driven by agriculture, cattle ranching, soybean farming, logging, mining and infrastructure development
Deforestation runs at roughly 10,000 km² a year, driven mostly by cattle, soy, logging and mining.

7 Ways to Protect the Amazon & Support Its Peoples

1. Avoid Amazon hardwoodsChoose certified alternatives — bamboo, reclaimed wood, or FSC-certified products.
2. Say no to unsustainable palm oilPalm oil is in roughly half of consumer goods; check labels and choose sustainable or palm-oil-free.
3. Support Indigenous communitiesBuy handmade crafts and traditional sacraments — kambô, sananga, rapé — directly from tribes or the suppliers who partner with them.
4. Reduce meat consumptionBeef demand drives clearing; reducing intake or choosing local/plant-based helps.
5. Advocate for changeShare what you learn, and press representatives to protect the forest and its peoples.
6. Shrink your carbon footprintConserve energy and travel efficiently — the Amazon's carbon role makes every bit count.
7. Keep learning & sharingStay informed about the Amazon and its communities, and pass that knowledge on.
Our model

Why Direct Trade Matters More Than Charity

Charities and non-profits do vital work — but we believe supporting Indigenous peoples through trade has a more direct, lasting impact on both their lives and the forest:

Direct impact & agencyTrade empowers communities to make their own decisions about their land and resources, and to preserve culture on their own terms.
Indigenous knowledgeLocal peoples hold deep, sustainable understanding of the forest; direct trade values and sustains that expertise.
AccountabilityA direct connection makes it clear that support reaches the community — transparent for producer and buyer alike.
Economic empowermentTrade builds self-sufficiency and long-term resilience, not temporary relief — and fosters lasting relationships.

Direct Trade in Action: The Kaxinawá

A clear example came during the unusually heavy rains of March 2023, when many Kaxinawá (Huni Kuin) homes, crops and livelihoods were badly hit. When the community sought help, Shamanic Supply paid in advance for a full year's supply of the tribe's sacraments. That act provided immediate relief — and built a level of trust and cooperation that isn't easily earned any other way. It's a small illustration of a larger principle: trade, done with respect and commitment, is solidarity.

A Kaxinawá village affected after heavy flooding in the Amazon
A Kaxinawá village after the March 2023 floods.
Explore

Explore the Forest & Its Peoples

This guide is the gateway to our wider writing on the Amazon — its cultures, its art, and its living traditions:

Kenê: Shipibo-Conibo Art →The sacred geometric art of the Shipibo, where design, song and spirit meet.
The History of Shamanism →Humanity's oldest spiritual path, from cave art to the modern world.
Amazonian Plant Medicines →The full index of the sacred plants and medicines of the Amazon.
What Is Rapé (Hapé)? →The flagship guide to the sacred snuff at the heart of the shop.

Amazon Rainforest FAQ

How big is the Amazon rainforest?+

The Amazon Biome spans about 6.7 million square kilometres — roughly twice the size of India — making it the largest tropical rainforest on Earth. It covers parts of nine South American countries, with over 60% in Brazil.

How many people live in the Amazon?+

The Amazon is home to over 30 million people, including around 2.7 million Indigenous people from some 350 distinct ethnic groups — more than 60 of which still live largely in isolation.

Why is the Amazon so important for the climate?+

The forest stores an estimated 90–140 billion metric tons of carbon and helps regulate temperature, humidity and the water cycle. Losing it would release vast amounts of carbon and accelerate global warming.

What's the best way to help protect the Amazon?+

Alongside reducing your own footprint, supporting Indigenous communities directly — through trade in their crafts and traditional sacraments, or via suppliers who partner fairly with them — helps them keep stewarding their land.

Supporting the peoples of the forest through trade is solidarity, not charity — and it may be the surest way to keep the Amazon standing. Haux, Haux.

Sources & further reading

  1. 1WWF. "About the Amazon" (area, biodiversity, river discharge, Indigenous peoples, carbon storage figures). World Wide Fund for Nature. wwf.panda.org
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About the author

Simon Scott is the founder of Shamanic Supply, which he started in 2015. Over the past decade he has travelled repeatedly to the Amazon to work face-to-face with the peoples who gather and prepare these botanicals — building the direct, fair-trade sourcing relationships behind everything the shop carries. This guide draws on that first-hand contact and on the published research.

Responsibly sourced · Last updated 16 July 2026

This information is provided for educational and cultural purposes only. Figures are drawn from WWF and are provided for general understanding.