Wellness Gifts from the Amazon - Part One: Seven Things You Should Know About the Rainforest
“If you are thinking 1 year ahead, sow seeds.
If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant trees.
If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people.”
http://www.savetherainforest.org
Introduction
What began as a simple post about a small purple berry from the tropical rainforest of the Amazon, has grown into a 3-part series. I found I couldn’t just talk about one berry without starting from a much bigger perspective.
No Small Matter
See, for me, anything pertaining to the Amazonian rainforest opens up a conversation that is almost as expansive, powerful and important to our existence as the entire region itself. So welcome to Wellness from the Amazon, Part One: Seven Things You Should Know About the Rainforest.
Entering the Territory
I enter this conversation with the same respect and awe that I would enter the rainforest were I traveling there with you today. I did my best to be thorough in my research, to check my facts, and to remain as neutral as possible throughout the series. Any errors are my own and I welcome input that will help me correct them.
Pachamama Alliance
My awe and respect for the tropical rainforests of the Amazon began many years ago when my husband Steve and I were introduced to The Pachamama Alliance. We were so moved by their commitment to partnering with the Achuar, (the indigenous people of Ecuador’s rainforest region), we made our own commitment to contribute what we could from that moment on. Pachamama’s mission statement appears below:
Continued Education
Our commitment and understanding about the rainforest has grown through the years. In addition to the work of Pachamama in Ecuador, we’ve also learned about other rainforest areas of the Amazon and efforts underway that help preserve the Brazilian rainforest. Through it all, we’ve come across a number of facts and resources that would be our honor to pass along. The list appears below:
7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE RAINFOREST
1. The Amazon rainforest covers over a billion acres and encompasses areas in the Eastern Andean region of Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia. If the rainforest were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world.
2. More than 20 percent of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. It is often referred to as the “Lungs of our Planet” because it provides the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen.
3. More than 50% of the world’s estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical rainforests. One-fifth of the world’s fresh water is in the Amazon Basin.
4. The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified more than 2000 plants that are active against cancer cells. 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest. Twenty-five percent of the active ingredients in today’s cancer-fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest.
5. Human-caused deforestation (including logging, mining, heart-of-palm harvesting) is destroying our rainforests. If such deforestation continues at current rates, scientists estimate nearly 80 to 90 percent of rainforest ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2020. Research shows that this destruction is the main force driving a species extinction rate unmatched in 65 million years.
6. Harvesting the 100-foot Euterpe oleracea palm trees in the Brazilian rainforest or in Ecuador for hearts-of-palm is a big contributor to deforestation there. Once the heart-of-palm is cut from the tree (for sale at market), death of the entire tree is not far behind.
7. These same trees also yield the dark purple Acai berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee), which has high nutritional value and antioxidant benefits. Teaching people that harvesting the berries, instead of the heart-of-palm, will help protect and perpetuate the remarkable ecosystem known as the Amazon in which Acai palm trees grow.
Resources for Learning More
A. Websites:
The Pachamama Alliance –
http://www.Pachamama.orgThe Nature Conservancy -
http://www.nature.org/rainforests/explore/facts.htmlNature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Tree project –
http://www.plantabillion.org/SavetheRainforest.org
http://www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_007.htm
B. Books:Lessons of the Rainforest
by Suzanne Head, Robert Heinzman
Published by Sierra Club Books
ISBN: 0871566826Rainforest
By Ben Morgan, author, The Rainforest Foundation, foreword, and Thomas Marent, photographer
Published by DK adult
ISBN: 978-075661940C. On-line Video:
Story of Pachamama Alliance
http://www.pachamama.org/content/view/262/97/
The next installment of this series will pick up from here - with a discussion about the powerful nutritional implications of the Acai berry!
To Your Wellness,
Erica
P.S. I’d be delighted if you’d like to share additional resources pertaining to the rainforests of the Amazon with us. Of course, I adore all comments!
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