Amazonia at the millennium

Much of what we thought was true about Amazon rainforest has turned out to be not quite so. As perceptions sharpen, the value of the Amazon ecosystem is becoming more fully appreciated, as are the consequences of converting t his forest to other uses. Even though the regions's forest can spring back after many assaults, continued deforestation, fire, and forest fragmentatio n might eventually lead to the formation of a stable fire-prone scrub veget ation where rainforests now occur. To move toward lasting solutions to the knotty conservation and development problems that now face the Amazon regio n will require vision, a strong government presence, the continued growth o f civic responsibility, agile NGOs, and vocal scientists.