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….

I’ve been reading a book about you that is amazing and your experience in the forest. I have a question about it and it is why does climbing trees and studying plants and animals amaze you? I have this question because climbing trees and studying plants and animals does not amaze me so I would to know why it amaze someone that is a scientist.that is why I have this question.

It amazes me that over HALF of the species on planet Earth live in the tops of trees — so if we do not climb up there, we never get to see or study all of our closest neighbors. Many of these species give us essential medicines and food supplies — so I think it is totally COOL to climb trees and make these discoveries. it is kind of like going into a cave and finding a pile of gold — but yet it is right over our heads all the time!
yours
Meg

6th Grader Najah writes:

I am in sixth grade. I love science. Do you? My favorite subjects in science are chemistry,rocket science and botanist. I really do not know why I like science. i always have.Have you always like science? I read your story in a imagine it book. I am so interested in your story that i wanted to contact you.I think it is interesting how you study plants and animals.I bet you probably have a lot of patience to live in a tree top. I know I probably couldnt last one day in a jungle because I am pretty sure there are alot of big tropical bugs.If you want to write back please do.

Dear Najah,
Thank you for writing! I do love science, because SCIENCE is all about making discoveries that keep us healthy and make the planet healthy. I am passionate about science! My research was in Botany, as you know — studying the treetops! I hope you can join me someday. Please check out my website for more information
www.canopymeg.com
And keep up the great work in SCIENCE!
Yours,
CanopyMeg

Imagine walking through a science museum and, among the usual displays of dinosaur bones, butterflies, and amphibians you come upon a series of windows into state-of-the-art research labs. Inside, scientists from nearby universities and veterinary schools work on projects related to biodiversity, genetics, nanoparticles, and animal health and welfare. In front of each window is a touch screen. Tap it, and you can learn about each researcher’s specific project and the tools with which he or she is working. A few minutes later, one of the scientists emerges to discuss the research with visitors and answer questions. The exchange benefits the scientists as well: some are PhD candidates learning how to communicate what they do to a broader audience.

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The goals were twofold: 1. to educate them about the ecosystem services that their forests provide for surrounding communities; and 2. to share our solutions, which included information about the stone walls, the latrines, and also the notion of forest restoration (once the fences are completed). The priests came from the northeast (or Gondor District) of the Coptic or Christian Orthodox Church, some walking for 2 days to reach their church headquarters in Debre Tabor. We had 81 priests, and the event was a huge success. The Arch-Bishop blessed our project, and at the end of the day, pledged that his church and their disciples will prioritize conservation of these green emeralds that dot the landscape. The partnership of science and religion is proving to be a powerful conservation tool.

Some photos from the workshop (photos by Jan Ceigler):

Here are some images of our partnership between religion and science. the outcomes include building stone walls around critical church forests (donations on this website!), hosting workshops to educate the religious community about the ecosystem services that church forests provide, and linking to some international organizations that can fund these walls in a timely fashion (Gates Foundation? UN? USAID? etc).

workshop with Coptic priest leadership in Northeast Ethiopia, to discuss conserving the last remaining forests which are located in the church yards (called "church forests")

workshop attendees, including the Arch-bishop of the Gondor district and also some of our team of biodiversity scientists (front row, kneeling).

On day 1, we headed out to Zhara outside of Bahir Dar. it was an extraordinary feeling to be greeting by many villagers, and to see our TREE-foundation-funded wall encircling this special forest. The gates are in the right places, the locals used their own stone to build the walls and thus “own” it, and the new latrines have actually reduced the populations of dung beetles (or so we think!). I met with the priest who was terribly grateful that their Coptic church will now be steward of nature for generations to come.

This is our first full-completed conservation wall, and even better, they have become meeting places and conversation sites — with lots of kids and adults like sitting and relaxing on the wall itself. Best of all, the cows linger on the OUTSIDE of the forest, grazing on grass instead of on tree seedlings. And another wonderful observation was that the priests designated the perimeter construction to be at least 50 feet from the existing forest boundary, meaning that they have space to restore forest that had been destroyed due to overgrazing and pressures of clearing over the past decades.

One by one, Ethiopia’s forests and their treasure of fresh water, biodiversity, pollinators, soil conservation, spiritual heritage, and shade will be conserved for future generations. Thank you to everyone who has helped with this amazing success — it took a global village for this day to actually happen!