Do we really need the latest gadgets, when we managed to get by perfectly well in the past without them ? Do we really need to upgrade our mobile phones, radios, televisions, computers, hi-fi, cameras and everything else quite so often ? Much of the time all we are doing is trying to be fashionable, or to impress our friends with our purchases, when we could put our hard-earned money to much better use, with significantly less damage to the environment.

Do we really need to get a new car, motorcycle, refrigerator, washing machine etc, or could we get by with the existing one for a year or two longer ? In almost all cases the answer is NO, we don't need to replace or upgrade the item we already have. We can save a great deal of money by making things last longer, and repairing rather than replacing.

Every time we replace an item, we also have to dispose of the old model, creating mountains of waste, and polluting the soil, rivers and sea with chemicals. Every time we buy an item we demand fancy packaging, which places yet more demands on the dwindling rainforests. Recycling helps to an extent, but is not the real answer - only a small percentage of materials are recyclable, and the recycling industry itself places yet more demands on the environment.

The real answer is simple - drastically reduce consumerism, and the impact of industry on the rainforests of the world is immediately and significantly reduced.

Reduce your mileage !

Boycott tropical hardwoods !

The furniture industry has a massive impact on the quality of the remaining areas of rainforest. When timber is extracted, it is inevitably the oldest and largest trees that are selected. Removing these trees totally alters the structure of the forest. It is not always realised that a rainforest is in effect a vast collection of sub-habitats. These include for example the understorey, the mid-canopy, the high canopy, the forest edge, and "light-gaps" where trees have died and fallen. It is precisely this huge array of ecological niches which allows such a diverse and abundant variety of butterflies and other wildlife to exist.

The age structure of a natural rainforest is immense, everything from dormant seeds to saplings to forest giants and dead decomposing matter. Each provides a home for different butterfly species, and each of these in turn is a vital link in the food chain. Fewer butterflies means fewer caterpillars which means fewer birds.

Removal of the older trees virtually eliminates the dead wood that is so necessary for beetles - a major food source for birds, small mammals and reptiles. The heavy machinery used in timber extraction crushes many of the younger trees. The result is an even-aged thicket, where the diversity of birds, mammals and insects is less than a tenth of that found in mature rainforest in the same vicinity.

The answer - don't buy furniture made from mahogany ( the generic term for tropical hardwoods, regardless of species ). Oak and pine extraction from temperate woodland also has an impact on the environment, but most nowadays comes from "sustainable" sources - woodlands that are replanted to maintain a continuation of habitat and timber. Despite any claims that you may have heard, there is no such thing as a sustainable tropical rainforest - it takes thousands of years to reach a condition where it can support a high bio-diversity.

Boycott South American beef !

In Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama and many other areas of the neotropics, vast swathes of primary rainforest are clear-felled or burnt every year to create pastures for cattle grazing.

The thin soils, which are poor in nutrients, are only capable of sustaining low quality grasses for about 5 years, after which the land becomes virtually useless for cattle ranching. Within a few years desertification begins, and all that remains is dust. Even in the first year or two the grasses are so poor nutritionally that the land can only support extremely low densities of cattle, bringing poor economic returns.

Cattle in the neotropics suffer badly from infestations of ticks and other parasites, so the grassland is deliberately burnt at the end of each dry season to destroy the parasites, and to release nitrates into the soil to stimulate the growth of fresh grasses. These annual burns regularly become totally out of control, destroying yet more of the little rainforest that is left, and drastically lowering the humidity of the entire region, with devastating effects on the remaining forests and their wildlife.

Buying South American beef, much of which is exported as low quality meat used in hamburgers, sausages, paté and dog food, creates even more demand, which can only be met by further destruction of the forests.

Beef and other meat products from the United Kingdom, Europe, North America and New Zealand are more environmentally friendly, because a much higher density of livestock can be supported by a given area of land, due to the deeper and more nutrient-rich soils. Furthermore the quality of the meat is much higher due to the higher nutritional values of grasses on farms in these countries.

Almost all of the original forest in the temperate countries was destroyed long ago, so that the modern landscape is largely man-made and has long lost most of it's wildlife value. We can't undo history, but we try to help other countries from making the same mistakes, and assist them in protecting their precious rainforests.

There is still a reasonable amount of forest cover in the neotropics, but it is under severe threat. Buying South American beef, whether in the form of cheap dog food, hamburgers, corned beef, sausages, steak, or pie fillings, creates the demand which results in the destruction of the remaining forest and it's fauna.

Boycott oil palm products !

Vast areas of rainforest in Borneo, Sumatra, West Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia are being clear-felled and burned to make way for colossal oil palm plantations, causing the annihilation of wildlife on a catastrophic scale.

Only a few small areas protected as nature reserves or national parks now remain, and even these are now severely threatened by commercial interests and governmental policies which seek to downgrade the protected status of such areas and open them up for exploitation. Already 90 percent of the natural forest has gone, with massive reductions in butterfly populations.

A United Nations report claims that by the beginning of the 2020s, all the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra will have vanished, causing the certain extinction of the wild orang-utan, and catastrophic losses amongst other mammal, bird, and insect species.

Many of Borneo's 945 butterflies, including the huge birdwing Troides andromache are certain to be lost. The massive growth of palm oil plantations is wiping out the birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects, by depriving them of their last remaining habitat.

Palm oil has become a much sought after commodity - as well as being used in food products, it is finding growing use as a so-called environmentally friendly bio-fuel, but it's large scale deployment will cause the extinction of the orang utan, one of the most well-loved species on the planet, and the loss of thousands of other species.

Alternative sources of vegetable oil such as plankton farming, which are far less damaging to the environment, need to be given priority for research funding, and the public need to be made aware of the terrible impact of oil palm plantations on wildlife.

This can be achieved by lobbying the press, television and governments, and by using the internet to raise petitions and bring pressure for changes in policy.

We also need to ask ourselves whether we need to consume such vast quantities of palm oil. Much of it goes to create plastic packaging, and we can reduce the impact by demanding simpler and more environmentally friendly packaging from the major supermarket chains. Paper and card packaging is far less destructive, because it is biodegradable, and can be produced from sustainable temperate woodlands.

Eco-friendly employment for indigenous people !

One of the major problems facing the environment is that of poverty. In poorer countries, or countries where governments are corrupt and distribution of wealth is unjust, the poorer people cannot be blamed for funding their family needs by resorting to environmentally damaging practices.

Slash and burn farming, high levels of crime, and low quality of life are all by-products of unemployment.

Governments, conservation organisations and banks in the developed world need to focus their attention firmly on bringing pressure to create a fair balance of wealth in the less developed world, eliminating the unfairness that cultivates crime.

It is equally important to generate forms of employment that have the minimum impact on the environment, and to provide funding to educate the next generation - many children in undeveloped counties never get the chance to venture beyond the towns and cities, and never get the chance to see the wildlife in their own countries. We in the wealthy countries need to provide the funding and educational resources which enable indigenous people, particularly the children on who the future depends, to learn about and gain access to the forests, and thereby appreciate them and create local demand for their retention.

Support Eco-tourism !

In less developed countries governments often lack the financial, educational and technical resources that are necessary to create an effective National Park and conservation infra-structure.

Private nature reserves, in the form of commercial eco-tourism venues, are therefore essential if habitats are to be protected from other forms of development.

Eco-lodges and their surrounding private nature reserves create a high demand from tourists for the retention of the forests. Many of the most important forest areas in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Gabon, Madagascar, India, West Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Queensland and elsewhere in the tropics are protected almost solely by virtue of the demands of eco-tourism.

Eco-tourism generates expanding interest in protecting the environment, at one level  for the benefit of the tourists, and at another in benefiting indigenous populations. Local people, instead of being unemployed, or finding themselves in environmentally damaging industries, find employment as guides, cooks, cleaners, boatmen and drivers serving the eco-lodges. A vast amount of secondary employment arises within the travel and tourism industry - airlines, city hotels, travel agencies etc etc.

If you want to protect rainforests, one of the best ways is to create demand for their retention by visiting them and staying at eco-lodges. I have visited many such establishments, and spent a great deal of time discussing operational aspects with the landowners and managers, and have seen first hand the many positive effects they have in protecting the forests and providing education and employment for local people.

Reduce carbon emissions !

The climate of the Earth has changed many times over the millennia, and will change many more times. These changes are known to be triggered by natural events such as meteorite strikes, major volcanic eruptions, solar activity, continental shift, and by changes in the vegetation structure.

In the late 20th century we discovered that human activity could also trigger climate change. It was feared that nuclear war or the burning of Middle east oilfields might trigger a new ice age. Then came the fear of global warming caused by the release of ozone-destroying chemicals from aerosols. Fortunately these fears have proven largely to be unfounded or unrealised, but this has led to public apathy and serious distrust of scientific predictions.

Current evidence ( receding ice-caps, raised average global temperatures ) however leaves absolutely no doubt that our climate is changing, and that extremely high levels of carbon emissions are the major factor triggering the build-up of the "greenhouse gases" which are thought to be the primary cause of global warming.

The consequences of uncontrolled carbon emission are potentially catastrophic for the human race and for all the fauna and flora on this planet. The polar ice caps are melting, sea levels are beginning to rise, and will cause most low-lying areas of land throughout the world to become submerged. The rising average temperatures and less predictable climate will cause deserts to expand, and bring major changes in vegetation structure. Thousands of butterfly and moth species will become extinct, insectivorous birds will perish in huge numbers, and any animals that are unable to migrate to suitable new areas will face certain extinction.

We all need to make immediate and major changes to our daily lives if we are to avert such disaster. We need to use less fuel, which means less driving, fewer flights, more efficient insulation for our homes and work places, and more efficient manufacturing processes.

We are used to the luxury of personal travel, and realistically are most unlikely to make sacrifices when it comes to leisure travel. We can however make significant reductions to our emissions by adopting practices such as improvement of home and business insulation, car-sharing for travel to work, and cutting down on unnecessary business travel ( often matters can be dealt with just as efficiently via the telephone or internet, rather than direct contact which involves road, rail and air travel ).

At governmental and international level, energy policies must be changed. Fossil fuels must be abandoned, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned, and alternative energy sources such as wind generators, tidal power, and solar energy must receive massive research funding, with the aim of eliminating the usage of fossil fuels, minimising carbon emissions, and controlling the rise in global average temperatures. These are matters which must not be delayed. The consequences of failure are too horrific to even imagine.

Support Rainforest Conservation organisations !

Supporting rainforest conservation is not just a simple case of making an occasional conscience-relieving donation to Friends of the Earth or Rainforest Concern. Any such donations are of course very valuable because they can fund the purchase of nature reserves or fund vital research projects. What is more important, is that be adding our names to the membership lists of such organisations immediately gives them more "clout", by demonstrating to governments that the rainforest conservation movement has great public support. It also indicates that governments have to seriously adopt "green" policies if they hope to get our votes at elections.....

By adding our names to the membership lists of conservation organisations, we raise their profile, which in turn enables them to attract further funding, from the public, and in financial terms more importantly from commercial companies and governments.

Funding is absolutely vital. Scientific surveys, including the production of wildlife inventories, can demonstrate that a site has particularly high bio-diversity or abundance, or that it is home to particularly rare or threatened species. Such data can be used to raise the protected status of a site from a weakly protected local nature reserve to a highly protected national reserve. Scientists conducting such studies have to be paid - they don't usually work for nothing !

To be effective, any conservation organisation needs to enrol the help of volunteers, but very little can be done in practice without the use of full-time, highly qualified researchers, field-workers, and administrators.

If you are in a position, either as a business or a private individual, to make a donation, please consider just how valuable your contribution can be, and give generously. If you are not in a position to make a donation, at least enrol on the membership lists of one or two rainforest conservation organisations - it costs very little to get a year's membership, and merely by swelling their membership list you will immediately raise their profile and increase their effectiveness.

Lobby Politicians !

None of us trust politicians, we are all sceptical about their promises and have little faith in their commitment to the environment. Some of it is our own fault however, because politicians know that high profile subjects like health, pensions, immigration and the economy are the real vote winners. We need to change that. We need to bombard our politicians with letters and e-mails telling them that issues of climate change, wildlife protection and rainforest conservation are important to us, and to demand that they improve governmental policies to meet our demands if they expect to get our votes !

If MP's, Ministers and Senators get correspondence relating to health and taxation, those are the issues that they will raise in Parliament. If they get a mass of correspondence relating to rainforest conservation and climate change, they will be forced to raise those issues as well, and our governments will be forced to implement green policies.

Sign on-line Petitions !

Petitions can have a major influence on government policies.

By way of example the petition raised by Ecological Internet to save Cristalino State Park in Brazil brought a massive response. This vast rainforest reserve, one of the most bio-diverse butterfly habitats on Earth, was going to be downgraded in status and opened up for development by the State Government of Mato Grosso in 2006. The petition, directed at the Brazilian national Government, brought about a reversal of policy, saving the forest from destruction, and ensuring the survival of the 1600 species of butterfly that breed there, not to mention the 600 birds, the tapirs, giant river otters, anacondas, capybaras and myriads of other wildlife.

Another example was the World Climate Summit in Bali, December 2007. The United States, Canada and Japan did their utmost to block proposals for the imposition of stricter controls on carbon emissions, but the Avaaz emergency petition took less than 36 hours to raise an amazing 600,000 protest votes from around the world, causing huge embarrassment to the offending governments, and forcing them to change their policies in favour of more stringent carbon-emission controls. Having been forced to change their own stance, these governments will now seek to bring China and many other nations into line with public demand.

To find out more about the threats to rainforests and the environment, and to access on-line petitions, visit the Rainforest Portal website.

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