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Latin Americas next big oil discovery poses threat to Amazonian reef
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A beautiful Brazilian coastline untouched by commercial tourism may be potentially home to some of the biggest oil finds in the future. Metal drill bits, pipes and containers filled with equipment sit in the tropical port of Belem, near the mouth of the vast Amazon River, ready to sink the first exploratory wells some 120 kms offshore . (RRicardo Moraes/REUTERS)
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Valeria Leal stands on the deck of the house where she lives on an island in the Oiapoque River.Geologists have predicted the area may contain as many as 14 billion barrels of petroleum reserves. (Ricardo Moraes/REUTERS)
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A farm worker washes his pig in a boat. In Amapá, the Brazilian state with the highest rate of unemployment last year, many residents are eager for potential benefits from the oil industry. (Ricardo Moraes/REUTERS)
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Fishermen in the poor town fear the oil industry may instead hurt their livelihoods as a potential oil spill would result in destruction of fish habitat. (Ricardo Moraes/REUTERS)
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Scarlet Ibis fly near the banks of a mangrove swamp located at the mouth of the Calcoene River on the coast of Amapa state. Environmentalists believe the relatively less explored reef could be home to many undiscovered species. (Ricardo Moraes/REUTERS)
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Jailson, a crab collector, tries to pick a crab at a mangrove swamp. (Ricardo Moraes/REUTERS)
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The government has however has denied neglecting environmental rules or planning to dilute them. (Ricardo Moraes/REUTERS)
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French oil major Total SA is hunting for what it hopes will be Latin America’s next big oil discovery. Reports suggest they have already made an investment worth more than 200 million Brazilian Real. (Ricardo Moraes/REUTERS)
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