DEFORESTATION: REPLANTING THE SEED

WHAT IS DEFORESTATION?

Trees are absolutely vital to life here on Earth, but they are also being destroyed at an alarming rate. So many of the choices we make throughout the day when we’re shopping, eating, or even driving, are powered by deforestation. Trees are cut and burned down for a number of reasons. Forests are logged to supply timber for wood and paper products, and to clear land for crops, cattle, and housing. Other causes of deforestation include

mining and oil exploitation, urbanization, acid rain and wildfires. And according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the 33 million acres of forestland that are lost annually around the globe are responsible for 20% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation also contributes to air and water pollution, a loss of biodiversity, erosion, and climatic disruption.

Medicines derived from rainforest plants

Curare (muscle relaxant)Diosgenin (birth control pills, hormones, steroids,asthma and arthritis treatment)Quinine (malaria and pneumonia treatment)Reserpine (sedative, tranquilizer)Strophantus (heart disease treatment)Strychnine (emetic, stimulant)

of the active ingredients in todays cancer fighting drugs are found only in the Rainforest.

Recently Extinct.

Greater short-tailed batAukland Island MerganserChatham Island RailDieffenbach’s RailStewart Island SnipeLittle Barrier SnipeNew Zealand QuailNorth Island TakaheSouth Island KokakoHuiaSouth Island PiopioNorth Island PiopioLaughing OwlGolden Toad

Plant, Animal and Insect species are lost every year.

In Nigeria 81% of its original forest cover is now permanently lost.

The forests of Central America are down by two-thirds lowlands, since 1950.

Countries like India, Mexico, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Sri Lanka, the Congo and Ghana have lost much more than 50% of their rainforest cover.

Harvesting of forest cover has left Afghanistan with a little over 25% forests throughout the country

Brazilian rainforests have been reduced by

Deforestation may have catastrophic global effects as well. Trees are natural consumers of carbon dioxide—one of the greenhouse gases whose buildup in the atmosphere contributes to global warming. Destruction of trees not only removes these “carbon sinks,” but tree burning and decomposition pump into the atmosphere even more carbon dioxide, along with methane, another major greenhouse gas.

of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest

8,500,000 Hectares19,054,220 Ft232,818 Miles284,998 Km2

The size of Austria

million hectares of tropical rainforest is destroyed every year.

HOW TO HELP

Each and everyone of us has a responsibility to be a eco conscious consumer. As long as we continue to consume and waste paper, deforestation will continue to be a practice employed to feed our enormous demand. Take a stand now start doing what you can to reduce your own consumption, participate in recycling programs, and only buy from manufacturers that guarantee that sustainable practices were followed.

Credit Card statements, Utility bills, Phone bills, Satellite TV bills, Mobile Phone bills, Mortgage Statements... Statistics show that nearly 60 billion paper bills are mailed in the United States every year alone. If you are still receiving these in the mail, you are contributing to the massive consumption of paper that is a leading factor in deforestation. Switch to paperless billing now and put a stop to this unnecessary waste.

Enrol in Paperless Billing

Buy (organic) cotton handkerchiefs, reusable cloths and sponges for the kitchen, rags to mop the floor, and toilet paper with a high percentage of post consumer content.

Reduce consumption of paper

Look for this trustworthy logo, created in 1993 by the Forest Stewardship Council, which guarantees that sustainable practices were followed and that no forests were destroyed to manufacture the product, nor was illegal logging involved. Make sure to read packaging statements such as 100% recyclable are designed to be misleading. The question is how was it manufactured.

Buy From Sustainable Manufacturers

The Amazon region is the biggest and most spectacular rainforest in the world. It sustains thousands of species and supports more than 30 million people. But… every minute an area the size of 3 football pitches is destroyed. You can sponsor an acre from just £3 a month. With your help 1 billion trees in the state of Acre can be saved

http://www.wwf.org.uk/adoption/sponsoranacre/

Sponsor an acre of rainforest

SO, WHAT’S NEXT...That is up to you, use the tags provided to spread the word on the disaster that is deforestation, place them in parks, flower beds; place them where they can be seen and educate others. Support reforestation.

MILLION HECTARES OF TROPICAL RAINFOREST IS DESTROYED EVERY YEAR.

STOP DEFORESTATION!

1. Pull tag from page2. Place them in soil around parks3. Spread the word

STOP DEFORESTATION!

PLANT, ANIMAL AND INSECT SPECIES ARE LOST EVERY YEAR.

BRAZILIAN RAINFORESTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED BY

STOP DEFORESTATION! STOP DEFORESTATION!

OF THE WORLD’S OXYGEN IS PRODUCED IN THE

AMAZON RAINFOREST

STOP DEFORESTATION!

OF THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN TODAYS CANCER FIGHTING DRUGS ARE FOUND ONLY IN

THE RAINFOREST.

STOP DEFORESTATION!

SPREAD THE WORD, STOP DEFORESTATION