We approach rainforest conservation the way we approach all of our initiatives: with smart and efficient action by local, on-the-ground experts. Our community-driven method means that we can protect threatened forests for the long term.
Rainforests are the world’s richest ecosystems. They house the majority of Earth’s biodiversity. Unfortunately, more than 100 acres of rainforest are cleared every minute. In the 1990s alone, more than 200 million acres of forest–an area greater than twice the size of California–were destroyed.
We are losing rainforests and species at an unprecedented rate due to the devastating effects of:
- deforestation for timber
- conversion to farmland for cattle and crops such as soybeans and palm oil
- dam and road construction
- mining–especially cyanide gold mining–and oil exploitation
The threats are all grave, but by targeting the highest priority areas and taking them off the market for destructive development, we can save and protect them. Through the efforts of scientists and conservationists, we have been able to identify those areas in which biodiversity is concentrated. Then we can bring our own or local government resources to conserve them.
Providing local organizations with the support they need to engage in land purchase, protected area designation and effective resource management, Nature and Culture has been able to put a full stop on deforestation in many threatened regions.
