ACT
After extensively researching the deforestation that happens everyday in the amazon rainforest, we concluded that in regards to sustainability, there has been great improvement. The amount of deforestation occurring has dropped significantly, Brazil has created legislation, and many indigenous groups have reclaimed the right to their land, and are protecting their borders. Even so, illegal deforestation is still happening in large amounts, and legislation is hard to enforce. There are still multiple species being lost and a one of a kind ecosystem being destroyed. The world is progressing, and efforts to make a change are making a difference, but deforestation is still an ongoing issue affecting a large part of our world. With our expert, we developed a plan of action that needs to be taken globally. As well as this, we’ve acknowledged ways people can make a difference in their own homes.
PLAN OF ACTION
Our expert suggested a plan of action to reach a sustainable future to us:
-Assure that Indigenous peoples’ traditional territories are legally owned and controlled.
- Legalize and systematically implement indigenous peoples’ right to “free, prior and informed consent” of any private or public economic project that is situated in their territory.
-A temporary suspension of, and scaling down of new oil, gas, mining and large-scale logging projects.
-The creation of new, and improvement of existing protected areas and increased resources for the implementation of sustainable legislation.
-A financial solution to the foreign debt of many of the countries whose borders fall within the Amazon Rainforest. This will result in the countries not needing to turn to industries such as gas and oil for an economic solution.
-Increase corporate taxation to provide a larger source of revenue for governments.
ACTIONABLE STEPS FOR THE COMMUNITY
http://www.adventure-life.com/amazon/articles/what-can-i-do
1. Reduce your wood and paper consumption
Over seventy-eight percent of the Earth's original old growth forests have already been logged or degraded. Paper usage in our own homes consist of objects used everyday such as toilet paper, office supplies. A way to reduce your paper consumption would be to use both sides of paper you’re using. When you go to the grocery store use reusable cloth bags instead of plastic bags
2. Reduce your oil consumption
As palm oil is one of the main oils found in the amazon rain forest, and is used in the production of many of the foods we consume everyday such as hummus and Doritos, the consumption of oil is a large part of why the amazon forest is deforested.
3. Reduce the amount of beef you consume in your household
A large portion of rainforest beef is imported to fast food companies where it is found in burgers and processed beef burgers. As there is a large amount of the amazon forest deforested for cattle ranching in order to hold cattle to be later slaughtered and imported, one can see how reducing our beef consumption as a whole would result in fewer space needed for cattle ranching and therefor less deforestation.
The organization conservation International has put together a simple, yet comprehensive, three-step action plan with the goal of sustainability in mind. The plan refers to a map that has geographically represented data for each step. Click here to view the Conservation International strategy.
Other useful sources for more information include Rainforest Action Network, Global Forest Watch and Greenpeace International/ Greenpeace Brazil.