Wits accountants try to save the planet on a trip down the Amazon River

Wits professors paddled over 1 100km down the Amazon river to raise awareness on deforestation and climate change.

August 23, 2022

Emily Wellman Bain 2 minutes read

Paddling into the sunset along the Amazon River. Photo: Supplied

In 1972, Wits University accountancy professor Kurt Sartorius and two friends paddled 1 100km down Rio Madeira, which is a southern tributary of the Amazon River.
Their adventure took him through vast stretches of rainforest, which since then, have been completely stripped due to deforestation.

The three paddlers rest along a river bank. Photo: Supplied

Last month, 50 years later, 73-year-old Sartorius, his son Benn and colleague at Wits, associate professor at the school of accountancy Wayne van Zijl retraced the river path as part of a climate change initiative that will fund a reforestation project in the Brazilian Amazon.

Benn Sartorius, Wits professors Wayne van Ziyl and Kurt Sartorius with Edras Barbosa, their guide in Brazil. Photo: Supplied.

The trio embarked on the massive undertaking ‘to wake accountants up to the shocking reality of the effects of human activity on the ‘world’s lungs’.

Dawn breaks along the Amazon River. Photo: Supplied

“We are also hoping to raise awareness among the accounting industry of the importance of the role that the profession must play when it comes to climate change. Accountants have the tools, skills, and responsibility to report, not only on financial profits and losses but also on the environmental impact of the businesses they operate in. They have immense power to make a crucial contribution when it comes to fighting climate change,” said Sartorius.

Van Zijl agreed, “We believe protecting key environments involved in regulating greenhouse gasses should not only be borne by those often developing countries, as combating climate change is a borderless fight. Apart from reforestation projects, funds will also be used to support scientific and business research with practical goals to combat climate change and improve our ability to hold business accountable for their environmental impact.
“If more ordinary citizens incorporate how environmentally responsible a company [and its products] are with their buying decisions, it will force companies to be more responsible and transparent.”

Edras Barbosa, their guide in Brazil, Wits professors Kurt Sartorius and Wayne van Ziyl with Benn Sartorius. Photo: Supplied

Van Zijl added after four hours of paddling on day one, the enormity of the task hit him. “I remember thinking, why would you agree to do this? You are so stupid. But luckily after the first five days, it began to ease up a bit and turned out to be a fantastic adventure.”

One of the small villages the paddlers passed during their trip. Photo: Supplied

In the evenings, they strung tree hammocks to sleep in the jungle on the river banks. However, many times there were no places to camp, so they had to paddle in shifts through the night.

“At some places, the river is 2km wide and at night it is completely dark. The only thing you can hear is the roar of insects on the banks and the gurgling sounds of the river which is alive with 900 species of river life,” said Sartorius. “We needed to be completely vigilant at all times as it is extremely easy to get lost or separated.”

Wits University accountancy professor Kurt Sartorius pictured on the trip. Photo: Supplied

Van Zijl concluded, “Our support for the reforestation project emphasises that climate change is a borderless fight. The Amazon plays a massive part in regulating the earth’s climate, so each of us, no matter where we live, benefits from and relies on the rainforest. We cannot leave its protection to Brazil alone.”