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During the first few weeks of exploring the Amazon Delta, National Geographic explorer Angelo Bernardino and his team discovered the world’s first known freshwater mangrove forest. While most mangroves have some of their branches submerged in coastal intertidal water, the mangroves discovered by Bernardino consist of a unique mix of tree species that grow in environments with very low or almost zero salinity. This discovery, which expanded the known area of mangrove forests in the region by 20 percent, is the first major result of the Rolex and National Geographic Society’s Perpetual Amazon Expedition to Protect the Planet.

At the same time, National Geographic explorer Thiago Silva and his team uncovered another phenomenon in the Amazon Basin: seasonal flooding that covers coastal forests. Using drones, laser scanning technology, and field measurements, Silva created the first 3-D model of the Amazon Basin’s flooded wetland forests to help predict future responses to water stress. He supports the work of Bernardino and Owo with advanced expertise to help them understand the unique mangrove forests of the Amazon Delta.

Rolex and the National Geographic Society’s Protecting the Planet Amazon Expedition brought together team members from various fields and research areas to enrich the journey. Rolex Awards for Enterprise winner João Campos-Silva has teamed up with National Geographic Explorer Andressa Scabin to work closely with local people to tag and track overfished large freshwater species like Amazon giant tortoises, manatees, pink river dolphins, giant otters, and black caimans to protect them. They were the first to successfully GPS-tag arapaima, the largest freshwater fish species in the world. These community-level conservation efforts, including the release of nearly 200,000 giant tortoise hatchlings in 2022, have helped restore remarkable wildlife prosperity in the region.

Just one year after the start of Rolex‘s partnership with the National Geographic Society, the Amazon Expedition “Planet Perpetual Motion” has already begun to change the way we think about this famous region. The expedition uncovers the mystery of the Amazon and shows how the river flows from its towering peaks to coastal forests, across this vast land, nourishing plants, animals, and human life. In the coming year, Paschak’s photographs and the findings of a team of scientists will guide people to view the majestic Amazon River from a new perspective and listen to the distant heartbeat of the “heart of the earth”.