Case Study: Amazon

There is no one solution to save the Amazon Rainforest. A wide range of sustainable and effective initiatives are needed to prevent the continuing destruction of the Amazon whilst simultaneously improving the quality of life for more than 20 million people living in the region. This can only be achieved if economic alternatives and solutions to destructive logging are found. Outlined below are a few alternatives to logging that are either being already adopted or that have the potential to provide communities living in the forest with a sustainable means of income.

Rubber tapping. Rubber tapping has been a traditional way of life for many people living in the Amazon forest since the start of the century. It is not damaging to the forest as it does not require the tree to be cut down in order for the latex to be extracted.

As many as 63,000 families now earn their living from rubber tapping in extractive reserves in the Amazon forest. These reserves cover up to one per cent of the Amazon forest and were established by the Brazilian Government to allow the rubber tappers to maintain their traditional way of life. To date only 5,000 tonnes of rubber is extracted from the Amazon to supply 1.4 per cent of the national market for rubber in Brazil. The National Council of Rubber Tappers is trying to address this imbalance.

Palm Fruits and Palm Hearts. The fruits of the Acai Palm found in the Amazon, are traditionally used to make a type of wine which is rich in minerals. A single palm tree produces up to 20 kg of fruit per year. The fruits produce a tasty, dark violet coloured wine which is the most financially viable non-wood forest product from the Amazon's delta. In 199,5 almost 106,000 tonnes of wine was produced at a value of US$40 million.

Although the palm tree has to be felled in order to extract the palm hearts, the relative ease of replanting the trees in the middle of the forest and their rapid regeneration make this a far preferable and sustainable alternative to large-scale logging. The biggest importers of palm hearts from the Amazon are France, Canada, the United States, Spain, Japan, Holland and Belgium.

Fruits and Nuts. The growing attraction towards new products from the Amazon, including vitamins, minerals, exotic fruits, nuts and spices are providing growing opportunities to market these products both nationally and internationally. Over 48 native fruits in the Amazon have been identified with the potential for sale on the international market. The camu-camu fruit for example contains a higher concentration of vitamin C than any other fruit known in the world and is imported to the United States for the production of vitamin tablets. Cupuaçu is another fruit with a unique tropical taste that is expected to enter the world market in the coming years. In addition, many indigenous tribes in the Amazon collect Brazil nuts as their main source of income.

Medicinal plants. Over two-thirds of all mass-produced pharmaceutical drugs are derived from medicinal plants. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) eighty per cent of the world's population use plants to treat a wide ranging spectrum of illnesses from hypertension to syphillus. Natural extracts from the PacificYew in the rainforests of North America, for example, have proven effective against cancer and is just one example of a natural occurring remedy in the world's rainforests.

The potential of the Amazon has only just begun to be realised. At present, close to 650 species of plant with pharmaceutical properties and economic value have been discovered in the Amazon. There are countless more.

Ecotourism. Ecotourism in the Amazon, and indeed in other areas of the world's ancient forests, has huge potential but is at present managed in an unsatisfactory way.

Ecotourism has the potential to guarantee minimal environmental impact on the Amazon rainforest through the application of environmentally friendly technologies and environmentally sympathetic accommodation for visitors. It could also guarantee that the income received from such activities would directly benefit the local communities.

Due to its outstanding natural beauty the Amazon forest offers many wide ranging options for ecotourism and adventure tourism such as trekking, rafting, diving, cruising, birdwatching and wildlife observation. In the Amazon, there are currently 16 jungle lodges (1997) registered with the official Tourist Office of Amazonas state, offering over 1007 beds collectively.

It is essential that any further development of ecotourism has to be carefully monitored to ensure the sustainable expansion of the industry.

Community based fisheries. There is huge potential to utilise the existing fish stocks in the Amazon in a more sustainable way. One economic alternative would be to set up community based fisheries operated in a sustainable and ecological way.