? COVID-19: the virus affects the Amazon Rainforest and shows the importance of investments in environmental services ?
The pandemic affects the economy of the Amazon region, which suffers with the impacts. The crisis may lead to the growth of the challenge to fight deforestation.
As in big cities, the economic impacts of the new coronavirus’ pandemic do not spare the forests, especially the Amazon. This is made clear by an article published by Mongabay, news website about tropical forests that counts with sources of studies on environmental issues.
The analysis carried out by experts shows that the region’s economic chain is suffering from the drop of consumption of products that move the local market, such as açaí berry and Brazil nuts, and the consequences may mean the growth of the challenge to fight deforestation.
In the case of açaí berry, for example, the two main importers are São Paulo state and the United States, which are epicenters of COVID-19 in Brazil and the world, respectively. The situation forces factories to interrupt or drastically reduce their activities, and the lack of resources makes it impossible to store the for products, causing local communities to lose their main source of income. Given this, the uncertainty and scarcity encourage extractivists, who are out of options, to seek other forms of subsistence. Among them, the most common are cattle breeding and logging, activities that aggravate deforestation.
Note that even when the crisis passes, the forest degradation will remain. Therefore, investments to avoid deforestation along with the development of a standing forest economy is an excellent solution. However, even though extractivism generating R$ 1.5 billion (280 million USD) in Brazil per year, in times of crisis it is not totally sufficient and profitable to keep forests standing.
The purpose of the REDD+ Projects is to fight deforestation of tropical forests as a mechanism that pays for environmental services of the forest and also seeks to provide to the communities knowledge and resources to generate income from sustainable agroextractive activities.
Community structures are implemented in Rio Preto-Jacundá
Biofílica’s purpose was born more than twelve years ago, when we identified the need and importance of investing in environmental services as a practical way to conserve the Amazon Rainforest. Currently, carbon credits work as a market mechanisms for environmental services, and when your company invests in neutralizing CO2 emissions through Biofílica’s REDD+ Projects, it also positively impacts the development of the Amazonian communities and the protection of the world’s largest biodiversity spot.
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