My perspective – blog by Katie Milsom, first year Astrophysics PhD student

The Territory’s title scene for the movie shows a satellite image of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. There are scars across the landscape where humans have created roads through the forest. The scars expand as we watch, the forest shrinking as trees make way for farmland. I find myself wishing for it to stop. I feel helpless; there are people out there who are making the decision for the rest of humanity to destroy this rainforest.

The movie follows the lives of the Uru-eu-wau-wau people who live in the rainforest. Their love of the forest is infectious – I find myself wanting to swim in its rivers and lie under the canopy. As the movie progresses, we learn more about their lives in the forest, but also their connections with each other and people in the outside world. They know the politics involved in keeping the forest safe and they understand how important the Amazon is to every country across the world.

We also see the perspectives of the people wanting to cut the forest down. For me, it was difficult watching them burn the forest, and saw down huge trees which have been standing for years. The Amazon stores so much carbon for us. We need this rainforest. There are 3 million species living in the Amazon. It feels precious, like a gift from the Earth that we have no right to destroy.

Watching the destruction on the forest was heart breaking, I could feel the melancholy with every tree struck down. Seeing the Uru-eu-wau-wau people work tirelessly to protect it was inspiring, a balm to my sadness. They are a symbol of hope for the amazon. Between the panel of experts showcased at this event, the Brazilian peoples who don’t live in the forest but care deeply about it, it strikes me there are enough people out there who care, and that we are equipped to do something about this. Just as we need the Amazon to protect our environment, the Amazon needs us to protect it.