MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has announced that 15 May it will mount its most in-depth live coverage yet of the Amazon rainforest with The Amazon Paradox, a special day of programming on Thursday 15 May.

Throughout the day, BBC World Service journalists will deliver reports for radio and online at bbcworldservice.com/amazon.

The Amazon Paradox explores the local and global economic and environmental cycles resulting in major deforestation of the region. Live reports from across the Amazon will dominate the BBC's news output throughout the day.

BBC World Service Americas executive editor Americo Martins said, "The Amazon Paradox will take a fresh look at an important issue.

"The day will give audiences an opportunity to hear the voices of those blamed for the deforestation, meet those policing and governing this vast area and to get to the core of how all of this is affecting the lives of the local communities and millions of people across the world."

The BBC will tell the stories of those involved in the legal and illegal destruction of the rainforest.

While journalists Fergus Nicoll, Gary Duffy and Carolina Glycerio will bring live reports and in-depth analysis from three different locations in Brazil, journalists from several BBC language services will also travel to Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname.

They will explore the challenges faced by authorities trying to save and exploit the forest with the very communities sometimes blamed for the major deforestation – the Amazon Paradox.

A BBC boat touring the Amazon river will visit Manaus, the biggest city in the Amazon region, and Santarem, which suffers major illegal logging.

Reports will be delivered to the BBC's international audiences in English, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese while the remaining 22 language services will also cover the events.

The BBC's interactive radio and online programme World Have Your Say will link communities living in the Amazon basin with listeners across the world.

BBC Brasil will also team up with its Brazilian online partner ENN to bring news, stories, images and videos from the heart of the Amazon. Their reports will feature on bbcbrasil.com and bbcworldservice.com/amazon.

The dedicated website bbcworldservice.com/amazon will carry the best audio to come out of the day along with a special Amazon Q&A and interactive maps.

Other highlights include diaries, blogs by BBC teams in the Amazon and links to BBC language websites reporting on the Amazon.

The BBC will also share images with the social networking website Flickr.