Branco River 🇧🇷 from space, captured by IrideSpazio constellation.

Ahead of #COP30 in Belém this November, a reminder that rainforests and ecosystems are essential for biodiversity, with the Amazon rainforest alone home to more than a third of Earth’s species.

The Branco River, or Rio Branco, forms north of the area pictured here, near the city of Boa Vista and flows south-west for 775 km before joining Rio Negro, a major tributary of the Amazon River.

Despite its name which means white river, this false-colour image from 30 September 2025 shows the Rio Branco in black. The HEO constellation’s near-infrared channel, used to process this image, makes water appear in dark blue or black and highlights vegetation in bright red.

This band combination has been used to help us better distinguish between vegetated and non-vegetated areas. Numerous patches in various shades of brown can be clearly seen particularly on the left of the image and indicate where vegetation has been cleared.

Forests and ecosystems worldwide are being destroyed or damaged at an alarming rate. This is of great concern because they play a critical role in global climate and are home to a huge variety of biodiversity.

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/11/Earth_from_Space_Branco_River_Brazil