To figure out how to save the wetland forests of the Amazon, an ecologist from Brazil led a massive series of expeditions to sample trees across the vast rain-forest.

Severe droughts across Brazil's Amazon rainforest region are drastically altering residents' lives as mobility is hampered by record-low levels on upper stretches of the Amazon River. In the town of Manacapuru,

The flames of tens of thousands of fires have torn over millions of acres this summer, making this year the worst for Amazon fires in nearly a decade, according to Rainforest Foundation US. A staggering 7.4 million acres burned within the first half of this year, a 122 percent increase over last year, the nonprofit said.

A series of record-breaking wildfires are currently burning in several regions in Brazil, threatening residents and some of the most important ecological systems.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, rivers that once flowed through the Amazon are drying out as Brazil endures a record drought and the country's geological service warns conditions are expected to worsen,