Some see the Amazon as a resource to preserve, a critical part of vital global eco-functions. Others see it as an untapped development opportunity, needed to solve serious socio-economic issues. This Bloomberg Quicktake video take us into the Amazon and the complex interplay of different actors and interests. The same tensions are repeated in other parts of the world, in a mix of structural issues, power games by political and economic agents and the legitimate aspirations of many people for a better life.