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Tropical rainforests comprise only 7% of the Earth's land surface, yet they support more than 60% of all known plant and animal species. Worldwide, tropical rainforests are facing many anthropogenic threats, such as pollution, climate change, and deforestation. The Amazon rainforest is the most extensive equatorial forest in the world and represents the largest reservoir of plant and animal species, hosting an estimated one-quarter of all terrestrial species. It is home of many tribal communities and incontestably, it is their lands. The Amazon rainforest is under rampant threat from widespread illegal and immoral deforestation, primarily for unsustainable agriculture.
Overall deforestation in Brazil's portion of the rainforest increased 88 percent in June of this year compared with the same month a year ago.Statistics, satellite images, and field reports clearly show a worrisome trend of escalating deforestation rates, which had started to drop in around 2005 before rebounding a few years ago.
Fires in the Amazon are often set on purpose to clearland. After loggers extract wood, speculators burn the remaining vegetation to clear it in hopes of selling the land to farmers and ranchers or simply invade it with no rights. In mid-August of this year, 68 fires were registered in indigenous territories and conservation areas, the majority in the Amazon. Further, the humid forests of the Amazon have no adaptation to fire and suffer immense damage. Almost all fires in humid forests are started by people.
OUR SOLUTIONS
Each day is critically important for the Amazon rainforest. Every day, Endangered Species International (ESI) works to protect and save rainforest. To protect the Amazon, ESI is helping aggressively establish new protected areas that will conserve forests, rivers, and lands of the indigenous people. Tribal communities want to protect rainforest and we must do everything to support their legitimate and most pressing vital needs.
ESI has been involving local people and indigenous people as conservation stewards, conservationists, and informed forest users to protect and restore rainforest. Our rainforest projects are created and deeply rooted on the ground where ESI and local communities have already planted almost 1 million tropical tree seedlings and protected uncountable immense areas of native tropical forest.
STAND WITH US
You can make a difference forrainforest. With your support we’re fighting with everything we've got to save rainforest, animals, and indigenous tribes. Join us!
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