Anatomy of a crime: the network of actions that threaten the conservation of the Amazon.

The Amazon is under threat due to an unprecedented attack on environmental legislation. The municipality of Manicoré, Brazil, is an example of how the weakening of laws affect the conservation of biodiversity in the region. Manicoré is characterized as a scientifically understudied area, with high biodiversity potential and is likely to contain many species not yet described. Recently, 801 species of angiosperms were listed for this municipality, and during the collection expeditions it was possible to verify the effects of the weakening of environmental policies and laws. In this work, we show how a set of local actions can affect the balance of power and economic exploitation in a region in the Amazon. The examples we highlight here help to understand the entire current context of conservation in the Amazon, as we dissect the details of the political dynamics that weaken the biodiversity protection network and accelerate the exploitation of natural resources in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]