Defend the Amazon Reef from Oil Drilling

The newly documented Amazon reef system is made up of corals, sponges and calcareous algae. Nothing like this reef has ever been seen in marine ecology before. Scientists consider it a completely new marine biome. I was able to explore the reef in a small submarine during an expedition by the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, and the ecosystem was phenomenal.

The Amazon Reef extends for 9,500 km2 off the northern coast of Brazil, near where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The proximity to the river makes the water murky and muddy, which would ordinarily make the presence of this kind of ecosystem unlikely. But the Amazon Reef is thriving there, one reason why it is so unique!

The incredible reef at the mouth of the Amazon River is already threatened by reckless oil drilling. Total and BP want to drill for oil nearby, putting this unique habitat -- home to dolphins, giant otters and manatees -- at risk from an oil spill.

We don't have much time to defend the Amazon Reef! People around the world must come together now to fight back against oil exploration near the Amazon Reef and the mouth of the Amazon River. Demand that Total and BP give up on this absurd plan.