Our Dependence on the Lungs of the World

The disappearance of the valuable Rainforest

The following is a NASA video showing the rate of deforestation and includes a soundtrack.

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The diminishing of the Rainforest

It is a sad fact that year after year more rainforest is disappearing and with it innumerable plants and animals, many of which have not even been cataloged. Eighty percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and by destroying the trees they have no place to live anymore The boom began in the 1960s when Brazil started the cutting and burning of the rainforest.

By 1995, 70% of the deforested land had been made into cattle ranching. From that date onward, nearly all the cleaned land was turned into pastures. Apart from turning the land into meadows for cows, the other reason for the deforestation is the gain of timber like mahogany and teak, which is then sold to other countries where furniture is made.

The estimations are that some 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) are lost each year. When one thinks the Amazon is our biggest green lung, it is completely mind-boggling that we the people are doing this. It seems to be money and only money that moves us, forgetting what will happen to our future generations.

This brings to mind the film Wall-E, the little robot left behind to clean our mess as people could not live on our earth anymore. Here you can read some startling and worrying facts and figures.

A lovely little book

Reading How to plant a tree, the reader will become aware of the importance of having trees in our life. You should plant at least 1 tree in your life. There are many occasions where you can plant a tree.

A marriage ceremony, a new baby is born, the first tree in your new garden, and a special tree to remember a loved one. Or just explaining the importance of a tree to your child and together planting one.

The Importance of the Amazon

The Amazon represents about one-third of the remaining rainforest in the world.

The cutting of the trees in the Amazon has also a really big impact on Global Warming. About 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from tropical deforestation. Just think about this. It is more than all the cars, trucks, and buses combined worldwide.

Since 2005  there has been a positive shift in the behavior of the Brazilian government. The deforestation dropped significantly and instead national parks were created and the indigenous land was recognized totaling it approx the size of the deforestation area over the years.

This YouTube video shows you the devastating fires of 2019.

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How good can turn to bad depending on the leader of a country

Over time, missing laws or laws that are outdated are hopefully improved with a leader who understands the needs of its people and that of the country. I mentioned that since 2005 there was a positive shift in the understanding of Brazil on one of Mother Earth’s treasures, the Amazon Rainforest. It was going in the right direction till the elections of 2018.

Jair Bolsonaro was elected president on 7 October 2018. He caused the country to take an opposite direction. Instead of preserving nature, he wanted to have quick monetary gains. Humans caused 99% of the big Amazon fires in 2019. Mining, logging, and agriculture made vast surfaces with rainforest disappear. The fires that were lit to prepare the soil got out of hand. Do not miss the video which I posted above.

Amazon rainforest image by Andrea Leitold

The Medical value of the Flora

The use of plants and herbs from the rainforest as medicine. The area of the Amazon is enormous. It spreads across nine countries in South America. Because of its vastness, there are still vast areas where men have not been apart from the indigenous tribes.

Guarana has caffeine found in its seeds, it is stronger than the caffeine found in coffee but is released into the body at a slower rate. It seems to have antioxidant properties, and it seems to improve memory.

Studies have shown that caffeine may protect your brain.
Some 2 to 3 cups a day cut the rates of impairment by 25% over 10 years.
3 cups lower the risk of mental decline by some 50%
3  to 5 cups a day will decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia by a huge 65%.

A new study from Indiana University shows it has identified 24 compounds, including caffeine, which holds an enzyme to protect the brain from dementia.
Guarana works like coffee to keep you awake but the entire day without the negative effect of having the jitters.

Dense rainforest image by Rosina Kaiser

Valuable trees

Miuria Puama is a tree that grows up to be 5 meters tall. They use it for treating erectile dysfunction and is said to increase your libido. It might also have a positive effect in treating Alzheimer’s disease and improving energy and general health.

Cinchona Tree (quinine) the bark is used for treating malaria. In old times there was such a demand for it that this tree nearly disappeared. In the 1880s, traders took the tree to Java/Indonesia where big plantations were set up. Later on, they took some species back to South America to avoid extinction.

The Kapok tree is the tallest tree in the rainforest. Indigenous people use the seeds, leaves, and resin to cure various ailments such as fevers, asthma, and dysentery. The tree itself is home to many animals like birds, frogs, and insects.

Sunset in the Amazon image by sdblack0

Conclusion

The Amazon rainforest is home to some 150.000 species of plants, most of them not being studied yet. We have found here many ingredients for cures like blood thinners, antibiotics, cancer drugs. They will find much more as scientific researchers are optimistic to find the answer to healing Aids, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, arthritis, and more.

Shamans and healers, and their knowledge and use of plants are being investigated and many more life-saving methods may be found if we all take care that this treasure of Mother Nature is being kept and saved for future generations.

For all the cut trees, one should plant young ones. This is a system that is the rule in Finland. Each year Finland plants 150 million new trees.

Each Finn has 4500 trees and the country can boast of 22 billion trees. When you let that sink in, do you not think that is amazing? Worldwide there are some 450 trees per person, so it is clear we have to take better care of them.

We, as humans, have an obligation to care for our environment. To take care of fauna and flora as otherwise, we will ruin our own habitat and that of future generations.

Before you leave, please have a look at a special page I made for you. Recommendations. I hope you will find something of your interest.

Source: Wikipedia

Photo Source: Pixabay

Luckily there are people in this world who do the exact opposite, they plant trees. Some impressive actions took place in various countries. Perhaps you like to read my post.

Solutions for the Disappearing of the Trees