{"id":3397,"date":"2025-07-10T14:16:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T21:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/?p=3397"},"modified":"2026-01-20T18:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T02:18:12","slug":"preserving-the-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/preserving-the-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"In The Field<\/span>
Preserving the Amazon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\n\n \n (Photos: Musuk Nolte \/ Courtesy of National Geographic Society.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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In The Field<\/span>
Preserving the Amazon<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
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\n\n \n The professor helping revive the region\u2019s vital lands.\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n By<\/span>Daniel P. Smith<\/a><\/strong>\n \n July 10, 2025<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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The Amazon rainforest is often described as the planet\u2019s \u201cheart and lungs\u201d \u2014 and for good reason. Its rich biodiversity sustains life around the globe, from regulating the climate to providing lifesaving pharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n

\"Aerial
The aerial view of Peru\u2019s Madre de Dios region shows where West and his team are exploring the environmental legacy of artisanal gold mining and its associated mercury pollution. Their goal? To understand the impact on water quality and to develop innovative, scalable solutions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Man
Josh West, professor of Earth sciences and environmental studies, is currently participating in the\u00a0National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition<\/a>, an extensive science and storytelling journey spanning the entire Amazon River Basin, from the Andes to the Atlantic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Josh West<\/a>, professor of Earth sciences<\/a> and environmental studies<\/a>, has devoted his career to driving sustainability in this region. His current research<\/a> focuses on the impact of artisanal gold mining \u2014 a term that sounds innocuous but often masks a devastating practice.<\/p>\n

In their avid hunt for gold, thousands of small-scale mining operations cut deep gashes into the Amazon, leaving behind oversized piles of barren sand and stagnant ponds. Churning up the land threatens the region\u2019s biodiversity, pollutes rivers with toxic mercury and releases potent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like burning down the house and tearing up the foundation,\u201d West says.<\/p>\n

Using high-tech mapping and remote sensors, West and his team are pinpointing the areas hardest hit by mining and identifying where restoration efforts can have the biggest impact. Their goal: to turn scarred land back into thriving rainforest.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not easy. Commercial interests and transnational political barriers often stand in the way. But West remains steadfast in his determination to help protect the Amazon \u2014 and to inspire others to do the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing the rainforest would be a devastating loss for humanity,\u201d he says. \u201cThe Amazon sustains life far beyond its borders.\u201d<\/p>\n