Mailbag: Q&A about Rainforest Cutting

Gordon, age 13, writes in with questions about rainforest cutting for an I-search report at school. Below are Gordon’s questions and Meg’s answers.

1. What kind of medicines were found in the rainforest?

Over half of our medicines had their origin in tropical plants, mostly from rain forests. There are so many including Cats Claw (for rheumatism and arthritis). Another plant actually has a gummy substance that can be used as a bandaid for a cut, when smushed on your skin.

2. What are some ways that we could contribute to stop the cutting?

We can help conserve rain forests by:
1. buying shade grown coffee (coffee grown in the sun usually has caused complete deforestation, but when grown in the shade of the existing forests, it not only saves the forest but it also tastes better). Always ask your store for shade grown coffee.
2. buying timber that is not grown in the tropics — over 20% of US timber is illegally imported and then bought by americans — we need to do our homework and stop buying tropical timber that is not certified.
3. Educate others — give rain forest books as gifts (there are 3 on my website that give lots of information about the importance of rain forests)
4. support eco-tourism — head to the Amazon instead of London if you are taking an international trip!
5. buy products that advance tropical cultures — there are crafts in some shops from natural products which are sustainably produced.

3. What are some species in the rainforest that are now endangered because of cutting?

Many are endangered, but unfortunately the names are often different from different regions of the rain forest. In Africa, Prunus africana (a cherry-type species) is endangered; in most tropical countries, mahoghany is endangered (but it has a different scientific name in certain places); the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) is endangered in Peru; and red cedar (Toona australis) is endangered in Australia.

4. Who is responsible for the massive amounts of rainforest being cut down?

The major responsibility lies with the buyers of timber — America, Europe and China. A secondary problem is agriculture — buying soy products can be harmful to the rain forest if the soy was grown in Brazil, for example.

5. How much of the rainforest (estimate) will be left for our generation?

At the current rates, less than half will be left. The difficult part of the estimates are knowing how the fragments of forest will survive — in other words, with smaller amounts left, they may be more vulnerable to other causes of mortality such as drought or fire. Fingers crossed….