According
to the National Institute of Space Research, Brazil lost more than 24,000 square
kilometers of rainforest in 2003 and 2004, an area close to the size of 4
million soccer fields. This destruction is felt by the extinction of countless
plants and animals important for their cultural value, their genetic resources
and their medicinal properties. This valuable biodiversity,
unique to the Amazon Rainforest, holds incredible treasures that may not yet
have been discovered and may prove vital to the future of mankind. Deforestation also erodes the top soil forcing
the farmers to harvest more land from the rainforest.
The
deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest is a larger issue than many realize, one
that will continue to affect us and future generations for years to come.
Because its vegetation continuously recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen, the
Amazon Rainforest has been described as the "lungs of our planet." In fact,
about 20% of the Earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon Rainforest.
Rainforests
protect us from global warming and normalize weather. The largest anthropogenic
contributor to the Greenhouse effect is carbon dioxide gas emissions. The many
trees of the rainforest create a canopy that traps carbon for photosynthesis,
keeping this harmful gas out of the atmosphere. However, deforestation has been
shown to remove over 22% of this benefit.
Together we can make a
difference by creating a demand for non-timber products, such as açaí, that grow
naturally in the Amazon. This approach creates an economic as well as an
environmental incentive to prevent deforestation. Every
AçaíTwist™smoothie you drink provides an economic incentive for the
indigenous Amazonians to preserve the Rainforest. Furthermore, in
conjunction with our exclusive US distributor, Natural Amazon Products, we give
15% of our profits to funds that support economic development and education for
the local indigenous people. Such initiatives further prevent deforestation.
