October 2, 2024 • 3hr 36min

#2209 - Paul Rosolie

The Joe Rogan Experience

Paul Rosolie is a conservationist, author, and founder of Junglekeepers, an organization dedicated to protecting threatened habitats in the western Amazon. He has spent over 20 years living and working in the Amazon rainforest. In this wide-ranging conversation with Joe Rogan, Rosolie shares stories from his expeditions, discusses the challenges of rainforest conservation, and offers his perspectives on broader societal issues.

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Key Takeaways

Paul Rosolie has been working to protect the Amazon rainforest for over 20 years through his organization Junglekeepers. They recently expanded from protecting 55,000 acres to nearly 100,000 acres.
On a recent expedition with Lex Fridman, they discovered an ancient patch of forest that was about to be logged. Through crowdfunding, they were able to purchase and protect the land within 48 hours.
Rosolie emphasizes how much of the Amazon remains unexplored and unstudied, with vast areas that have never been accessed by humans. He believes there is still much to discover.
They discuss the challenges of encountering uncontacted tribes in the Amazon and the ethical issues around development encroaching on their territories.
Rosolie shares stories of dangerous wildlife encounters, including being stung multiple times by bullet ants.
They talk about the polarization in society and how it impacts conservation efforts. Rosolie lost a book deal simply for retweeting Elon Musk.
Rogan and Rosolie agree that comedy and free speech are important for society, even if some find it offensive. They lament increasing censorship.

Introduction

Paul Rosolie is a conservationist, author, and founder of Junglekeepers, an organization dedicated to protecting threatened habitats in the western Amazon. He has spent over 20 years living and working in the Amazon rainforest. In this wide-ranging conversation with Joe Rogan, Rosolie shares stories from his expeditions, discusses the challenges of rainforest conservation, and offers his perspectives on broader societal issues.

Topics Discussed

Recent Amazon Expedition with Lex Fridman (0:05:35)

Rosolie recounts a recent expedition he led with Lex Fridman deep into an unexplored area of the Amazon:

They hiked for days without water, becoming severely dehydrated
Discovered an ancient patch of forest with massive, old-growth trees that had never been logged
Found evidence of logging roads being built, threatening the pristine forest
Within 48 hours of returning, they crowdfunded $150,000 to purchase and protect the land

"We raised $150,000 in 48 hours. Talk to the loggers, bought the land. And then the craziest part is that when we went there, we physically, with all the directors of Junglekeepers, we went to the land, and the Peruvians, the Peruvian directors sat down with the loggers and they were like, look, we own this land now. It's for conservation. We're going to save this forest."

Challenges of Amazon Conservation (0:14:41)

Rosolie discusses some of the difficulties in protecting the Amazon:

Vast areas remain unexplored and unstudied
Logging, mining, and development constantly threaten pristine areas
Uncontacted tribes present ethical challenges as development encroaches
Dangerous wildlife like jaguars, anacondas, and venomous insects

"We're one third of the way through the goal. That's all been happening in the last month and a half."

Encounters with Uncontacted Tribes (1:42:46)

Rosolie shares a disturbing story about missionaries and oil companies manipulating an uncontacted tribe:

Missionaries convinced tribe members to leave their forest home
Brought to a town but given no support or resources
Left confused and unable to return to their home
Cleared the way for oil exploration in their territory

"These terrified. Think about this for seconds. They're trying to go back to their house, like, where I live in my house, my jungle. And he said, these missionaries said if I came here, that then they'd help me and the food. And they were very confused because the missionaries had brought back a boatload of them and kind of tricked them."

Dangerous Wildlife Encounters (2:31:27)

Rosolie recounts some of his close calls with dangerous Amazon wildlife:

Has been stung by bullet ants 11 times, building up some immunity
Describes the excruciating pain of bullet ant stings
Talks about encounters with jaguars, anacondas, and other predators

"My first one was like that. My first one was like that. I was like, out. Like, your lymph nodes swell up. You have horrible pain in your body. You have a headache. One bite, one bite. One bite to arm. And now I do it on purpose?"

Societal Polarization and Conservation (2:47:50)

They discuss how political polarization impacts conservation efforts:

Rosolie lost a major book deal simply for retweeting Elon Musk
Rogan laments how people are attacked for associating with "wrong" public figures
They agree this polarization makes it harder to focus on real issues

"I had an amazing meeting with all the people. This lady was like, know the devil wears Prada, like Meryl Streep. Like, she was like the big head honcho at one of the major publishers. And they were like, dude, your next book is gonna kill...The publisher got back and went, not only are we not even, we're just not making an offer anymore."

Importance of Comedy and Free Speech (3:11:08)

Rogan and Rosolie discuss the value of comedy and free speech in society:

Rogan argues comedy should be able to tackle any topic
They lament increasing censorship and "cancel culture"
Agree that offensive speech is still important for society

"If there's everything that you can't make fun of, that thing is bullshit, dude." - Joe Rogan

Unexplored Areas of the Amazon (3:26:33)

Rosolie emphasizes how much of the Amazon remains unstudied:

Vast areas have never been accessed by humans
50% of rainforest life is in the canopy, which is difficult to study
New species are still being discovered regularly
Believes major discoveries are still possible

"Scientists have had very limited access to the rainforest canopy, where 50% of the life in the rainforest is. So, so much of the planet has not been described or studied."

Conclusion

Paul Rosolie's passion for the Amazon and wildlife conservation is evident throughout the conversation. He offers a unique perspective as someone who has spent decades living and working in one of the most biodiverse and unexplored regions on Earth. The discussion highlights both the challenges and opportunities in rainforest conservation, from protecting uncontacted tribes to discovering new species. Rosolie's stories of close encounters with dangerous wildlife and grueling expeditions bring to life the adventure of his work.

The conversation also touches on broader societal issues, particularly around polarization and free speech. Rosolie's experience losing a book deal over a simple retweet illustrates how this polarization can impact conservation efforts. Both Rogan and Rosolie express concern over increasing censorship and emphasize the importance of open dialogue, even on controversial topics.

Ultimately, the episode leaves listeners with a sense of how much remains to be discovered and protected in the Amazon rainforest. Rosolie's work with Junglekeepers offers hope that through crowdfunding and public engagement, significant areas of rainforest can be saved. His final comments about the vastness and inaccessibility of much of the Amazon remind us that there is still much to explore and learn about our planet.