The Last Forest: The Amazon in the Age of Globalization

by Mark London, Brian Kelly

With a landmass larger than the continental U.S. west of the Mississippi and the richest diversity of plant and animal species on earth, the Amazon has always struck its explorers and would-be exploiters as infinite and largely impenetrable. For decades, anthropologists assumed that permanent human habitation was impossible–but they were wrong. Recently, proof of centuries-old Amazonian civilizations has been unearthed, shifting perceptions of the inhospitability of the rain forest–and providing a precedent for human occupation. Today, as developers and environmentalists clash over the region’s future, the seemingly endless forest is fast disappearing in fires, rampant mineral extraction, rogue logging operations, and encroaching urban sprawl.

Through a series of startling human encounters–interviews with government ministers and environmental crusaders, millionaire ranchers and disenfranchised slum dwellers–Mark London and Brian Kelly, longtime explorers and trailblazing chroniclers of the Amazon basin, trace the region’s transformation. Logging thousands of miles, London and Kelly take readers from the mushrooming shopping malls of Manaus to the pristine rain forest that still seems beyond the reach of civilization, from the ghostly ruins of abandoned factories and failed plantations to the thriving agribusinesses that one day may feed the entire world and change this landscape forever. Again and again, they collide with the same fundamental Is it too late to strike a balance in the Amazon between economic sustenance for the twenty-one million Brazilians who live there and protection for the world’s last great forest?

London and Brian Kelly have fashioned a complex, vibrant portrait of a region on the edge of crisis. At once a seductive journey and a searing account of political, environmental, and social tumult, The Last Forest is a masterpiece of contemporary reporting.

Genres: Environment, Nonfiction, Nature

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 6, 2007

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The authors revisit the Amazon 25 years after their first book on the region and paint a complex portrait of the rainforest in the 'age of globalization.' The book suffers a bit from the breadth of the topic and you sometimes wish for more story and less scattered reporting. Still, they did an admirable job of tackling such a large subject and deserve credit for fresh thinking on the topic. My biggest criticism: The final chapter, which, if memory serves, is called A Way to Save the Amazon, isn't very convincing. But then, that's a tall order. Note: I read this book before and during a reporting trip in Mato Grosso, Brazil in 2006 and have to acknowledge the book as a helpful resource and an important influence. The resulting story appears in the Fall 2007 edition of the Virginia Quarterly Review.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good look at development mixed with the environment mixed with human and indigenous rights mixed with Brasil. The authors surprised me in how they treated the subject, but I ended up liking their approach.

[Andre Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding and very balanced, comprehensive look into the forces shaping the rainforest.

[Annie Oosterwyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book to read after The Lost City of Z. It does a thorough job of explaining the various problems that come with managing and surviving in such an untamed wilderness.
There are well researched explanations for both the benefits and destruction that come with development of the rain forest and why developed nations are responsible in part, even while they spout environmental and conservationist views.
The authors comment on the effects of agricultural subsidies, urban and rural poverty, land ownership and poor infrastructure and enforcement and lack of government planning on the Amazon regions. The writing is not at all dull and plenty of personal stories are used to illustrate points.

[Edwin Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really needs detailed maps showing the different states in Brazil that it discusses , along with some maps showing land use in the whole area. I made do by looking at Google Earth maps while reading, but even that shows photos taken back in 1969 on most of it ??

I thought it was pretty thorough in discussing what has, and is still happening in the nation of Brazil in this region. But without maps and looking up "bios" of some of the leading figures, I would get bogged down with it. Basic problem of the Amazon is that the government of Brazil can not keep up with basic services there, especially land survey and ownership, so those with the power and guns rule.
'

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that this book would be very good for people who were interested in the Amazon. I read this for a class, and some of the stories just got a little tedious. Also, the authors are not as direct as I would like them to be in a book of non-fiction.

Overall, the stories were interesting. If this is something that interests you, I'm sure you would find it more enjoyable than I did.

[JennyB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this -- and a bunch of other stuff about Brazil -- for a class. It was good, although the information is dated, with the most recent statistics and facts not being more recent than 2007 or 2008. However, if you don't care about "the latest" but are just interested in Brazil and what remains of the Amazon, as well as what has replaced it, this is well written, informative and entertaining.

[Cshu02 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do what you can do to curb our gluttony of goods.