Natural Environment Blog

According to the WorldWatch Institute, new satellite pictures indicate that the Amazon rainforest is decreasing faster than before.

The satellite images, taken by Brazilian National Space Research Agency (INPE), suggest that an estimated 7,000 square kilometers of rainforest was lost between August and December 2007.

At this rate deforestation will surpass that of 2006, where there was a total loss of 11,000 square kilometers for the whole year.

Deforestation in the Amazon had been on the decrease for 3 years, but at the current rate, it will be on the increase again.

What is the Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance is a member based organization dedicated to helping people, wildlife, and the natural environment.

Based in New York City, the Rainforest Alliance has offices throughout the United States and the world. The Rainforest Alliance works with people who depend on the land for their livelihood. It aims to help them become more sustainable in the way they work the land. In particular, the alliance helps these people grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.

The Rainforest Alliance has programs in many environmental areas such as forestry, agriculture, and tourism. It also offers third party certification and verification for forestry companies who opt for sustainable forestry.

Rainforest Alliance’s Approach

The Rainforest Alliance believes that it is possible to create a sustainable society. A society that protects the planet and provides sustainable livelihoods for its people.

To achieve this, it aims to transform the current destructive market system into one that values sustainable production, sourcing, consumption and equitable trade.

The Rainforest Alliance believes that the sustainable management of all businesses requires the following:

• Clean air and water
• Healthy biodiversity and wildlife habitat
• Reduction of waste and toxicity
• Reduction and mitigation of global warming
• Dignified and safe living and working conditions, with adequate food, education and health care for workers and their families
• Equal opportunity for all

Furthermore, it believes that the following is required in order to achieve a sustainable market:

• Sustainable sourcing, supply chain management and public accountability are standard practice
• Products carry prices that reflect their real environmental, economic and social value
• Sustainable producers, small and community-based businesses have equitable market access
• People demand and have access to high-quality, sustainable and healthy products and choices
• Financial and insurance sectors support sustainable operations and penalize unsustainable ones
• Governments support sustainability through procurement, incentives, and regulations
• Civil society sources sustainably

To learn more about the Rainforest Alliance, check out the official website.

Here are some facts regarding the earth’s forests:

• One and a half acres of rainforest is lost every second.
• To date, earth has lost 50% of its tropical forests worldwide.
• Many countries have lost between 70% and 95% of their forests in a very short timespan. In a 15 year timespan, Nigeria lost 79% of its old growth forests!
• Earth’s forests are being cut down at the same rate in which the human population is increasing. The alarming thing is that this rate is actually accelerating.
• At the current rate of deforestation, we will only have 20% of the world’s forests left by 2030. 10% will be in a degraded condition.
• Experts have estimated that all of earth’s rainforests will be gone within 40 years.

Given the alarming rate of deforestation, something big needs to be done. Our increasing demand for paper doesn’t help either. In 2003, the Certified Forest Products Council said:

Worldwide demand for paper – the single largest use of wood fiber – is five times what it was in the 1950s. This number is expected to double again over the next 50 years.

What can be done about this? I’m sure plenty could be done.

To start with, paper doesn’t need to be made from wood. For example, perfectly good paper can be made out of Jute or Hemp. These plants grow much faster than trees, and use up much less land. Trees take many years to grow. Jute and Hemp are fully grown within months. They also have a higher biological efficiency than trees planted for the same purpose.

We need to start thinking about ways to reduce deforestation - then act on it. Otherwise, some of us may actually see a day where there are no rainforests left.

After living in Sydney (Australia) for many years, I decided to do the big “sea change” and move to a smaller, more relaxed town (well “city” actually).

I got in my car and drove around 3,000 kilometers north to a relatively small city called Cairns. Cairns is a coastal city with a huge tourism trade. Much of the tourism centers around natural attractions such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.

My drive north took just over a week. It’s possible to do the trip in about 3 days but I wanted to take my time. Some people take weeks, but I had a car full of belongings so I decided not to take too much time. A week gave me a good feel for many of the beautiful places along the way and I got some nice photos out of it too!

I’ve now been in Cairns for around 5 months and I love it! I can cycle most places I need to go and there are plenty of natural attractions to take advantage of. So far, this seachange has been perfect!

Check out my Sydney to Cairns photos.