THE WHY
WHY AMAZON RAINFOREST?
Serving as the heartbeat of our planet, the Amazon is indispensable for Earth’s climate and biodiversity. Responsible for generating 20% of the world’s oxygen & abundant biodiversity, its preservation is paramount...
AMAZON RAINFOREST CONSERVATION stands at the forefront working diligently to protect this vital rainforest from further devastation.
Why Amazon Rainforest Conservation?
As the name & logo conveys the message, the Amazon Rainforest Conservation is dedicated to save the Amazon from further degradation and is embedded in its DNA.Â
Amazon gives a thousand reasons to protect it but here is just a handful.Â
- A unique and complex biome that spans across 8 countries, containing globally exceptional geodiversity.
- Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is the second-highest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally.
- It still has the potential to remain sustainably conserved and managed.
- It serves as one of the world’s largest carbon storage systems, regulating the world’s temperature & rainfall.
- Home to at least 40,000 plant species, 427 mammal species, 1,300 bird species, and over 3,000 freshwater fish species.
- Protecting the Amazon rainforest is not just a local or regional issue but has huge global implications for climate change and the health of the planet.
- The lungs of the earth producing 20% of the planet’s Oxygen.Â
- The Amazon covers over 6.7 million square kilometers and accounts for over 40% of the planet’s remaining tropical forests.
- Globally unique region of biocultural diversity with over 500 indigenous communities.
- The Amazon contains irreplaceable cultural heritage, specialised knowledge, and unique ways of understanding the world within its 300+ languages.Â
- The Amazon contains 20% of the world’s freshwater reserves and its rivers discharge 15% of the world’s freshwater into the Atlantic Ocean.
- The Amazon is a vital source of medicine and has been used for centuries by indigenous communities for its healing properties.
- The Amazon is a crucial source of food and livelihoods for millions of people, especially those who depend on fishing, farming, and other forms of subsistence
- The Amazon is under threat from unsustainable farming practices, mining, logging, oil and gas exploration, roads and dams, and climate change.
- The Amazon is losing resilience as 75% of the forest is losing trees from the effects of droughts largely driven by climate change & human impacts, which threatens to push the rainforest past a dangerous tipping point.
- It supports the livelihoods of local communities by providing a source of food and income.
- It helps prevent soil erosion, mitigating soil degradation and serves as a natural buffer against natural disasters like floods and landslides.
- The forest itself is a source of ecotourism, supporting the global economy.
- Deforestation in the Amazon has led to staggering losses of biodiversity, carbon, and human well-being.
- Given the rate of deforestation & degradation, the Amazon rainforest is approaching the 20% tipping point, and cannot sustain as a forestÂ
Are we really going to be the generation to witness the collapse of the Amazon?
– In 5 years, 45,000 km2 of forest lost, 17% of the basin deforested, 17% degraded.
– Destruction endangers biome’s survival, reaching a critical 20% tipping point.
– Consequences dire: natural disasters, diseases, droughts, food shortages.
– Protecting Amazon vital to averting catastrophic impacts on the planet.