What Causes Rainforest Destruction?

The main causes of rainforest destruction are farming,

logging, oil drilling and pollution. With the rise of

consumerism, all of these practices have increased

massively over recent years and having devastating

effects on the rainforest and its inhabitants.

Fortunately, by studying each of the causes carefully,

we can find out how we can use our consumer power to

ensure that we buy from companies who farm

sustainably and purchase from sustainable suppliers.

We can also find out how to reduce our need for

products which are produced through destruction of the

rainforest whether it be through degradation or pollution.

Even better than this, we can also buy products that are

produced naturally within the rainforest, thereby

ensuring the people of the rainforest have a source of

income and giving companies a financial incentive to

keep the rainforest going and not destroying it. By also

supporting organisations who are looking into protecting

the rainforest and many of the beautiful animals and

plants that live within it, we can make a huge difference.

Farming

With the growth of consumerism, more and more

rainforest is being cleared to make way for farms. There

are a number of products these farms are created for

but the biggest culprits are beef, palm oil and soy.

Fortunately, you can buy sustainable versions of many

of these products.

Beef

Although due to public pressure, many fast food

restaurants no longer use beef that has been raised in

clearings of rainforest, it still continues today. In fact, in

2009 Greenpeace estimated that about 80% of the

Amazon rainforest has been cleared for cattle ranching.

Unfortunately, the demand for beef is also steadily

growing as the population increases and some countries

are beginning to experience more wealth.

What You Can Do

You can help a great deal by eating less beef or giving it

up altogether. If you cant give up beef, try purchasing

local, grass-fed beef if you want to reduce the impact

your purchases have on the rainforest.

Palm Oil

The palm oil industry is a growing one which is bad

news for many rainforests. In fact, its very likely that

something you own has palm oil in it; whether its

cosmetics, biscuits, crisps, sweets, cleaning products,

shampoo or body wash. Its not always easy to know

when you have got palm oil in a product as it is also

known as vegetable oil or palm kernel. However, this

little ingredient is so popular that the Rainforest Action

Network estimates that the palm oil plantations are

increasing at a rate of 2.5 million acres a year into the

tropical forests of Indonesia. This is causing huge

problems for animals such as orang utans, the sun bear,

tigers and many other species.

Fortunately, a number of companies have committed to

using palm oil that has been certified under the

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. Palm oil that is

RSPO certified needs to have been produced in a safe,

ethical and sustainable manner and where primary

rainforest is not destroyed.

What You Can Do

Look out for the RSPO certified logo

on any product which could contain

palm oil. At the time of writing, The

Body Shop, Lush, Waitrose, Marks

and Spencers and Whole Earth Foods

all use sustainable palm oil in their own

products. In fact, Lush is trying to cut out palm oil

altogether. This gives us some choice but its nowhere

near enough. By writing to your favourite supermarket

or brand and stating the importance of sustainable palm

oil to you, you can help encourage them to join the

Roundtable and commit fully to using sustainable palm

oil.

Another thing you can do to help is to keep away from

biodiesel. This is made up of a huge amount of palm oil

and a general increase of interest in this diesel, is

further fuelling the use of palm oil and therefore,

rainforest destruction.

Soy

Second to the United States, Brazil is the largest

exporter of soil. In 2006, Greenpeace discovered that a

huge amount of the Amazon was being cleared illegally

in order to make way for soy farms. This soy was being

used to feed chickens which were then used for many

well known fast food restaurants such as McDonalds,

KFC and Burger King. For those vegetarians who are

now panicking about what theyre going to eat, you

neednt worry. The biggest driver of soy production is in

fact, meat. More than 70% of soy production takes

place in order to feed livestock.

What You Can Do

Eat less meat or, if you can, give it up altogether.

Alternatively, you could try to consume meat that hasnt

been grain fed.

Look out for soy that has been certified by the

Roundtable on Responsible Soy. If your favourite

brands dont have RTRS certified soy, it might be worth

writing to them and letting them know how important this

issue is to you.

Gold

Gold mining is a process thats incredibly destructive to

the surrounding environment. Some of the natural area

that are worse effected by gold mining are the Amazon,

Ghana, the Philippines, West Papua and Papua New

Guinea. In these areas, extensive amounts of rainforest

has been cleared for gold mining. Whats worse is that

these large mines require roads for workers to access

them, which again, requires more clearing of the

rainforest. During the process, toxic chemicals are also

released into the forest, including mercury and cyanide.

In 1995 in Guyana, a reported 1 billion gallons of

cyanide-laced wastewater were released into a tributary

off of the Essequibo. Thousands of aquatic and land

animals were killed and the drinking water for thousands

of people was contaminated.

What You Can Do

You can buy gold that has been sustainably sourced

from companies such as Tiffany and Co and Green

Karat. Otherwise, its a good idea to purchase vintage

or second hand gold and jewellery from online retailers

or charity shops.

Bananas

Most bananas produced, are done so for local

consumers, but its the ones that are exported, that

cause the most damage. Banana farming causes

massive deforestation, land degradation, pesticide use,

poor working conditions and water pollution.

What You Can Do

If you want, you could give up bananas altogether and

stick to locally grown fruit as the harvesting and

transportation of bananas on a large scale, makes

sustainability impossible. Otherwise, you can look out

for organic bananas where no chemicals or pesticides

have been used and conditions for workers would have

been better. Alternatively, check out Whole Foods or

Earth bananas which are Rainforest Alliance and Fair

Trade certified.

Rubber

With an increasing demand for rubber products, this

industry has grown a lot in recent years. A

Mongabay.com report cites research conducted in

Chinas Yunnan province that found that many large-

scale agricultural rubber plantations were created using

slash and burn techniques over as much as 500,000

hectares of forest. The tropical rainforest in Southern

Yunnan has decreased by as much as 67% in the past

30 years, mostly due to rubber plantations.

What You Can Do

If you want to buy anything made with rubber, check out

www.rubberbark.com or www.colorerubber.com where

products are made from recycled rubber. These

products, as well as being better for the environment,

also tend to be as much as 50% cheaper.

Other Products

Large parts of the rainforest are also

destroyed to make way for plantations for

sugar, orange juice, chocolate, tea and

coffee.

Fortunately, all of these products can be certified by the

Rainforest Alliance if they have been produced

sustainably. All you need to do is look out for the logo.

But, with tea and coffee, there is something else you

can do that is even better. By purchasing shade-grown

tea or coffee, this ensures that the tea and coffee has

been grown in the rainforest and no land has been

cleared. This means by making this purchase, not only

are you ensuring that no damage has been done to the

rainforest, but you are also ensuring that it is in peoples

financial interests to keep the rainforest intact.

Biochar

Biochar is a form of carbon that stays in soil for

hundreds or thousands of years. Bichar is the product

of biomass which is basically made up of agricultural

waste. While many other types of carbon which are

used in soil, quickly turn into carbon dioxide, biochar

doesnt. In fact, a recent study undertaken for the

scientific journal Nature, found that sustainable

application of biochar could reduce greenhouse gasses

by as much as 12%.

Biochar is particularly beneficial to rainforest soil, but as

Director of Biochar Fund, Laurens Rademakers also

explains, biochar will increase the fertility of problem

soils in a very noticeable, quick and long-term way.

This means areas where rainforest has already been

cleared, can be re-used again and again without more

land needing to be destroyed. Its also a fairly easy and

affordable way for farmers to be able to grow their crops

for food and income. Trials into biochar have recently

shown crop yields grow by an average of 240%.

What You Can Do

Support the International Biochar Initiative. Log onto

www.biochar-international.org to find out more.

Logging

Furniture & Other Wooden Products

The largest use for tropical hardwoods is outdoor

furniture and tropical hardwoods are the ones that have

usually come from the rainforest unsustainably. Even if

this wood is FSC certified, its still damaging to the

rainforest as these trees are essential to the forest and

its inhabitants.

What You Can Do

The best way to ensure you are doing little to no harm to

the rainforests when buying any wood furnishings, is by

looking out for non-tropical wood that has been FSC

approved. The types of wood to avoid are as follows:

Mahogany

Balau

Kempas

Iroko

Teak

Nyatch

Garapera

Shorea

Ip

Jatoba (Brazillian Cherry)

Pencils

Its surprising to know that something so little can be

responsible for so much! But pencils are often made out

of tropical wood. In fact, most pencils are made from a

forest wood called jelutong. This tree grows in Malysia

and Indonesia where many species of animal rely on it

for food, shelter and their homes.

What You Can Do

There are some really nifty pencils out there made from

a variety of random objects.

Log onto www.recycledbusinessgifts.co.uk to find

pencils made from recycled vending cups.

Log onto www.treesmart.com for pencils made from

recycled newspaper.

Log onto www.papermate.com to find pencils made from

100% waste materials and reaclaimed wood.

Log onto www.greenearthofficesupply.com for pencils

made from recycled jeans.

Non-Timber-Forest Products

One really good reason for keeping the rainforest from

destruction is the number of plants it provides which are

capable of curing many ailments and diseases. In fact,

70% of plants in the rainforest have been identified as

having anti-cancer properties and can be found only in

the rainforest. Other plants have also been identified

that can help with arthritis, bronchitis, diabetes, heart

disease and malaria as well as much more. These

plants as well as other products that come from the

rainforest, dont cause any of its destruction in the

process. These products are like gold dust for the

preservation of the rainforest. As long as it is financially

beneficial to keep the rainforest and not destroy any of

it, this is one of the best ways of saving it.

What You Can Do

Look out for shade grown coffee or tea. This means the

tea/ coffee has been grown within the rainforest and

none of the forest has been cleared for it to grow.

Look for certain beauty ingredients such as cocoa butter

and brazil nut oil. You still have to be careful where you

buy them from to ensure they have been produced

without affecting the rainforest. The Body Shop sells

beauty products with both of these ingredients that have

been sustainably sourced.

Another beauty product worth looking out for is tamanu

oil. This oil has been used for many years by

indigenous tribes for a number of ailments including dry

skin, eczema, acne, sunburn as well as for pain relief

and to cure foot or body odour. This oil can be found in

many good health and beauty shops.

Its also worth checking out Raintree Supplements

(www.rain-tree.com) for a number of nutritional

supplements which have been made using plants from

the rainforest and The Amazon Herb Company

(www.amazonherb.net) where you can buy a number of

herbs which have been sourced sustainably by

indigenous people of the rainforest. These herbs can

provide you with a huge number of health and beauty

benefits.

Oil Drilling

Petrol

Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Nigeria all have

oil operations that take place in the rainforests. The

drilling for oil causes huge degradation of these

rainforests and deforestation.

What You Can Do

Thankfully, there is another option thanks to electric

cars. With these cars you have no need to use petrol

and pay the constantly rising prices of it. Although

initially, electronic vehicles do tend to cost more, this will

pay off financially in the long-run. There is also a

growing market of second hand electronic vehicles that

are becoming available at a fraction of the cost.

Plastic

Plastic is one of the major products causing problems

for the rainforest as it is derived from petroleum; oil. Oil

drilling is incredibly destructive to the rainforest and

unfortunately, our use of plastic is steadily increasing.

In fact, the worlds annual plastic consumption has

increased from 5 million tons in the 1950s to nearly 100

million tons today.

What You Can Do

Be more aware of and therefore, reduce your plastic

consumption. By making more of your own foods and

cleaning products at home, you can use reusable

containers and reduce your need for buying products in

packaging. Give more second hand products a try so

that more plastic products are re-used rather than

wasted. Take reusable bags with you to the

supermarket and look for bins at the front of the

supermarket where you can place old plastic bags for

recycling. Try to reduce your need for products

generally and, if you do need to buy something, see if

you can get it in a material other than plastic, so that it is

less damaging to the environment and will last longer.

Pollution

Rayon

Rayon is a material thats not very well heard of, but can be used in many objects, particularly bags and items of clothing. It can look like silk, cloth or wool, so its not easy to tell at first glance whether an item is made from rayon. The only way you can really know if rayon has been used in any product is by looking at the label.

Rayon can also be labelled as viscose or viscose rayon, acetate rayon, bemberg, tenel or lyocell. The rainforests of Indonesia and South East Asia are often used for rayon mills as the environmental laws for working there are not strictly enforced and there are a number of useful resources to hand including water, wood and cheap labour. The process of making rayon in these forests, causes many chemical by-products to be emitted into the air and wastewater, which then find their way into the environment and drinking water. These mills also cause degradation of the forest as native trees and plants are destroyed to make way for trees which can be used by the mills. What You Can Do Steer clear of any products made from rayon. Alternatively you can use products that are made form tencel, a more sustainable source of rayon. Paper

We all use paper everyday without really thinking about

it. However, this causes many problems for rainforests.

Indonesia, where many of the problems take place, is

among the top ten exporters of paper in the world. The

Indonesian pulp and paper mills require lots of energy

and water to operate, which in turn, pollutes the

surrounding air, water and soil. The chlorine and

dioxins used in the process are released into the waste

water. Once the chlorine is then in the environment,

studies have shown that it turns into organochlorine

which can have extremely negative effects on the

developmental process, reproduction and immune

system in humans.

What You Can Do

See where you mostly use paper and try to have a look

at ways in which you can cut it down to the minimum.

Where possible, pay bills and do your banking online. Use emails more than writing letters or sending out invitations. Use reusable towels instead of paper ones. Use washable cutlery, plates and glasses. Use reusable bags for shopping. Cancel any junk mail or catalogues that come through your door. Clean and recycle what you can. Buy in bulk to ensure as little packaging as possible has been used on your products. Look out for 100% recycled or FSC approved paper whenever you can.

Bunches of Flowers Many of us would think that our bunches of flowers have been grown locally, but surprisingly, this is not always the case. The Foreign Trade Division estimates that 70-80% of cut flowers are actually imported. 90% of the flowers that are imported come from Ecuador, Kenya and Colombia. The problem with these flowers isnt rainforest destruction; its the chemicals used in ensuring these flowers are kept insect-free. Because flowers are not food, there is little to no restrictions on pesticide use. However, in many countries, a whole shipment of flowers will be rejected if they contain even one single insect.

Flower plantations in Latin America, for example, pose a number of problems in including pesticide use, ground water contamination, surface-water contamination and poor worker conditions. What You Can Do Look out for cut flowers that have been certified by the Rainforest Alliance, Veriflora or Fair Trade to ensure that they have been grown and produced sustainably.