This publication deals with many interrelated topics associated with freshwater in ecosystems with abundant water resources. The sections focus on the water cycle in the Amazon, pollution, fluvial transport, energy issues, geopolitics, institutional frameworks, water resource management, and international co-operation. The added value of this publication, within the overall debate on sustainable water use, is its focus on the Amazon watershed as a whole and its inclusion of all the Amazon countries in a holistic overview. The reader will find reference material for future discussions on water-related issues in the Amazon River Basin to help determine future water-related work in the region.