Rain forests form the very foundation of human existence. Yet an area of the rainforest
half the size of the State of Califorina is destroyed every single year. Amazon Network works
to conserve those luxariant ecosystems through education and activism. The primary
cause of rainforest destruction being commercial logging we have formulated a strategy of
discouraging international trade in tropical timber. Our primary focus is on the Amazon
River basin.
Rainforests rank the highest in biodivesity among the ecosystems of the planet. They cover
less than five percent of the surface of the earth; yet they are home to one half of the plant
and animal species. They provide one third of our oxygen. The majority of the staple crops
that we consume today originated in the rain forest; so did the medicinal herbs that are the
basis of modern pharmaceuticals.
Despite their vital role in his life man is destroying the
tropical jungles at the rate of a hundred acres a minute. In the last twenty years alone,
more than 12% of the Amazon was decimated. Commercial logging is the root of the
problem since the logging roads also provide access for cattle ranchers and slash-and-burn
farmers.
We urge the heads of all trading companies who are involved in trade in tropical timber to
realize that the potential benefits of the rain forests to humanity are far more than the value
of the timber that they contain. They are the heritage of the human race and their beauty
and biodiversity ought not be exploited for short term gain.
We hereby make a plea to the trading companies to exclude primary forests from their
operations and limit their trade to timber and timber products obtained from sustainably managed
second-growth forests.
Consumers are becoming increasingly eco-savvy. We demand
that forest products be clearly marked with their place of origin so that we can exercise our
right of choice.