Summary of the Film Content: The Amazon River - Paper Example

Stretching over 4,000 miles crossing through South America, the Amazon River has experienced significant futile human efforts in tame it. There is no single bridge crossing the Amazon River nor a dam on its course halting the flow of the river. The film is based on the urban centers on the banks of the Amazon River and seeks to examine the new attempts to exploit the rivers energy and its natural abundance. The journey starts at Iquitos-a Peruvian city shattered by poverty and roads which cannot be accessed. Next is Manaus, which is the hub of tourism and industrialized area in Brazil-and an operative springboard to discussions of contentious dam proposals (Films media group, 2008). At the mouth of the river, there is agriculture use of the land and a high vulnerability to development because the water mass allows human manipulation for tourism and other domestic activities. The film seeks to capture all the initiatives by the people living along the Amazon seeking to harness and exploit the river resources. The Amazon River natural abundance has attracted significant human activities along its banks who seek to engage in economic activities such as agriculture and tourism. The dam proposals along the river is also a significant theme established in the film which will have significant implications on the river considering that the river feeds many communities downstream with water for agriculture and domestic use from the rivers flowing from the river.

Reaction to the film and the issues addressed

The film The Amazon River Pristine and Unprotected" express the overall need to conserve and protect the Amazon River from human contamination and manipulation. By covering the urban centers along the river helps create a better understanding of the environmental protection situation in the community as well as the environmental orientation of the community. The film addresses the uses and issues faced by the Amazon River very well especially on the matters of water pollution, urbanization, and the environmental aspects. The film The Amazon River Pristine and Unprotected shows that human interests to exploit the Amazon River has grown which pose a significant threat to the Amazon River ecosystem. From the upcoming dam proposal to the growth and expansion of human occupations along the river banks which has led to the pollution of the river changing the properties of the pristine river banks (The Amazon River: Pristine and Unprotected. 40145).

Human manipulation of the Amazon River is evident in the film especially when it depicts how different places have different development growth and projects along the river which shows a growing interest in exploiting the natural abundance of the Amazon River. Some of the places are more developed than others which encourages rural-urban migration in that particular environment along the river banks. The growing human occupation and migration towards the river banks towns and urban establishments pose a significant risk to the pollution and manipulation of the river ecosystems for the human benefit both economically and aesthetically through tourism activities (Sauk Valley Community College, n.d). Issues regarding water pollution and its effect on the environment, human health and also to the bio-diversity staying in the river were well captured in the film and showed that there is growing deterioration of the pristine river nature. The film addresses the importance of government presence through policies and regulations to promote and safeguard the river line environment preservation which can increase sustainable human activities and development along the river line.

Subjective opinion, thoughts, about the topic

There are places in the film where the people are poor, and they have the undeveloped infrastructure. This shows inequality and discrimination since there is a place in Brazil which is industrialized and acts as a tourist attraction. The topic is well covered since there is a clear understanding of the Amazon River and the people who live around the area. There is the need for elaborate and well planned sustainable development along the river to promote the protection of the pristine Amazon River ecosystem. The growing number of people in urban centers along the river calls for the creation of the Amazon River urban centers regulation body that will regulate all the development activities alongside the River Amazon. Without proper development management along the urban centers along the river will make it challenging to manage environmental pollution as well as create better sustainable touristic development projects. The proposal of the creation of the dam along the river should be discouraged because the dam will have significant negative impacts on the river ecosystem as well as the amount of water in the downstream stream (Films for the Humanities and Sciences. 2009).

Lesson Learnt

Having been able to see the Amazon River from a different perspective and understanding of the activities along the river banks has helped improve my understanding of conservation management and the greed in human beings. The film is worth watching, and every student should ensure that they try and watch the film because it improves their understanding of the environment and the best initiatives that can be used to promote river line conservation efforts. This film can be of great help especially to those students who love geography and involved in natural resources management. The film showcases the dynamism in the environmental protection and different approaches that can be used to promote environmental protection initiatives (Films for the Humanities and Sciences. 2009).

References

Films Media Group, (2008). The Amazon River: pristine and unprotected. New York. Films Media Group

Films for the Humanities and Sciences. (2009). The Amazon River: pristine and unprotected. Available from http://vufind.proxy.midlandstech.edu/Record/100040145/DescriptionSauk Valley Community College (n.d). The Amazon River: pristine and unprotected. Available from https://vufind.carli.illinois.edu/vf-svc/Record/ben_267742

The Amazon River: Pristine and Unprotected (40145). (n.d.). New York: Films Media Group.