Eco-briefs
BRAZIL: A Living Museum in the Middle of the Amazon

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jul 27 (Tierramérica).- Learning about the Amazon's biodiversity will be easier after March 2010, with the inauguration of the Museum of the Amazon, near the jungle metropolis of Manaos. Scenic overlooks, giant aquariums and hanging walkways in the treetops will give visitors an opportunity for direct observation.

It will be a "living museum" where people will be able to "see, feel, hear and smell the forest," said coordinator and physicist Ennio Candotti.

"The buildings will have mixed structures of lumber and alternative coverings. A good part of the material is being acquired from extractivist communities," architect and head of the project Almir Oliveira told Tierramérica.

The museum will occupy one million square meters, 60,000 for buildings. It will restore an area degraded by sand mining, with reforestation and recovery of waterways.