I've just returned from a two week trip to Greenpeace's Amazon office where we were discussing future plans to protect the rainforest. The office is based in a city called Manaus which, despite its position in the heart of the jungle, is far from a provincial backwater - with over two million people the city keeps up a frenetic pace, despite the baking equatorial sun and exhausting levels of humidity.
The job that our campaigners, logistics experts and policy thinkers are doing to protect the Amazon biome is simply inspirational. Many of them have made real sacrifices to work there, moving away from family and friends and the giant cities of Brazil in order to work at the front line of climate and forest protection.
Sao Paulo, a city of 20 million people, is close to many of their hearts, but lies on the coast just under 4,000 kilometres away. Fighting for the protection of the Amazon basin, its rivers and biodiversity is more than just a day job, it requires a commitment to an entirely different way of life.
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Running a Greenpeace office in such an environment isn't easy. For a start, there are real issues of security to consider, which means a 24-hour guard must be employed look over the gates of the office. The heavy duty vehicles that campaigners use for field research and actions are fitted with bullet proofed glass - not to stop people actually shooting at them, apparently, but at least to protect against a wayward baseball bat or brick.
In many ways, the Amazon remains a 21st century version of the wild west, a frontier where criminals and organised rackets are often more powerful than the local police force. The large logging companies that rule this part of the world employ some pretty heavy handed tactics, and many are openly hostile to organisations like Greenpeace.
The fact that this does not deter our staff from taking direct action and confronting environmental crimes all over the country is remarkable. Many have been threatened, or involved in the kind of incident that would force most of us to think twice about continuing our work. Most remain in the office until after the day has ended, eating together and discussing a proposed change to the Brazilian forest law until well into the sticky, noisy night. A few come to Greenpeace from the heart of the establishment, having worked for the Brazilian environment ministry before their frustrations with the system become too powerful to ignore.
Listen to an interview with Agnaldo Almeida, logistics co-ordinator in our Manaus office, about the challenges of working in the Amazon.
The situation in the Amazon is complex, and negotiating campaigns that cover enormous sectors like logging, cattle ranching and soya production isn't easy. The Brazilian government has only recently begun to recognise the importance of preserving the Amazon for the world's climate.
What happens in the Amazon rainforest will affect us all, such is the importance of the region as a gigantic climate thermostat. This single rainforest dictates future weather events across entire continents. With just one year left before the world decides on a successor to the Kyoto treaty, we need to make sure governments across the world realise that preserving forests is more valuable than destroying them.
On this trip I became convinced that international concern is hugely important in adding political pressure and bringing about real change in Brazil. The work that Greenpeace does in the UK - our actions, reports and campaigning - are vital to the success of our office over there in Manaus. We must continue to support this work and our friends in the jungle, because the Amazon rainforest must be protected.
More from my trip to the Amazon very soon.
