OUR WORLD Rainforests are precious and we are losing them fast. 28 million acres of rainforest are destroyed annually. At this rate, in 49 years time there will be none left. Rainforests contain half the planet’s wildlife and represent home for many people. They create oxygen and absorb more carbon dioxide than the entire transport system produces, control global weather patterns and contain many ingredients for medicines. Rainforests regulate the global ecosystem, without them we face the increasing occurrence of natural disasters and ultimately the extinction of life on earth.
ASK AROUND IN YOUR CITY, LOOK FOR JOINING AN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP, BECOME AWARE OF HOW MUCH THIS GOVERNMENT IS DESTROYING OUR OWN JUNGLE “THE PERUVIAN AMAZON”, SUPPORT NATIVE TRIBES GROUPS LIKE AGUARUNAS, CHIPIBOS, ACHANINCAS, ANECHAS, YAGUAS IN THEIR QUEST TO COME TO LIMA, PROTEST & BE HEARD ABOUT THIS DESTRUCTION WHICH IS TOUCHING THEIR OWN HOME NEIGHBORHOOD – You must understand that this issue affect us all, even a small city like LIMA AND A COUNTRY LIKE PERU…..DO SOMETHING NOW / HAZ ALGO HOY, COMIENZA POR TI MISMO!!….Aqui algunos ejemplos de actividades al favor del Medio Ambiente in 2011.
CHILE WON’T DEPORT ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS – MAR 2011
The Chilean government decided not to deport two foreign environmental activists who were accused of meddling in Chilean environmental affairs. Spanish activist Patricia Ballestero, 21, and the North American ecologist, Lee Pope, 36, were taken to the Supreme Court to argue their right to stay. The two activists were said to have joined a protest staged by Mapuche Indians. The protestors opposed the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Bio-Bio River. Indigenous rights and the protection of the native environment were seen as two of the real issues in the decision. Companies that are trying to cut down trees have run into trouble recently. The Mapuche Indians say that they planted the trees now being cut down back when they had title to the land. As a result, they have taken over several forested areas, preventing loggers from cutting down the trees. Mininco, the timber company, said that it would prematurely chop down pine trees to avoid further difficulties with the Mapuches. The Mapuche chiefs demanded that the pine trees not be harvested early, that they receive title to land taken from them by former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and that security guards working for the lumber companies be removed.
GREY WHALES STARVING – MAY 2011
A researcher has said that a decreased food supply may be the cause of the recent increase in deaths among gray whales. Over 65 whales have died on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, and many more have washed up on beaches in California. The whales died while traveling north to the Bering Strait in their annual migration. They feed during the summer in the Bering Strait. Some experts have cited pollutants in the ocean as the cause of the sudden increase in dead gray whales. They say that pollutants such as cyanide are responsible. Others blame a desalinization plant in Guerro Negro for killing the whales. Bruce Mate, who is working on an Oregon Sea Grant said that the problem might be that the whales’ food supply is becoming limited. Gray whales typically eat everything for the year while they are in the Bering Strait. They do not eat during their migration, and only begin eating again once they have returned to Alaska. As a result, the whales go 3-5 months without additional food. Mate says that it is possible that during the summers, the whales are not storing up enough food to last them throughout the winter while they are away from the north. He cites changes in the food chain and possible major changes in the ecosystem as the cause of the whales’ decreased diet. Every year, the gray whales must make a 12,000-mile migration from Alaska to the Baja Peninsula without eating. The journey is the longest made by any marine mammal.
GUATEMALA CREATES BIOSPHERE NATURAL RESERVE – MAY 2011
This month, 32 Guatemalan families in the village of Vega Larga will move to another location in the northern part of the country. They are leaving so that their land can be used in an environmental reserve. In 1990, the Guatemalan government created the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, which now covers 2.2% of the country. The reserve stretches from just east of Guatemala City out to the nation’s Caribbean coast. Today, the reserve is the most important environmental location in the country, containing 70% of its biodiversity. The families that are moving own farms in the cloud forest part of the reserve area. The reserve has the largest cloud forest area in all of Central America. Guatemala’s national symbol, the quetzal bird, lives in this area and other parts of the reserve. The reserve is managed by the conservation group Defensores de la Naturaleza (Defenders of Nature). The group first contacted the families of Vega Larga in 1991. At first, the families were reluctant to move, despite the generally poor living conditions in the area. Working with other community members, Defenders of Nature eventually convinced the villagers that relocation would bring a better life. Now, the Defenders of Nature will plant native trees in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, finally restoring it to its natural condition.
Brazils rainforest destruction drops by 46% – APRIL 2011
According to Brazils national institute of space studies, the annual rate of destruction of its rainforests have decreased by 46 percent. Many experts believe that this is partly due to increased police patrol. This is the lowest it has been in 21 years. The demand for soybean, beef, and timber has caused an increase of deforestation over the years. People have urged Brazil to cut back on the amount of loggers and ranchers using their land. This stat will give Brazil some arguing room at this years world climate summit. Brazil states last year that it would reduce Amazon destruction by 50% in the next decade. This destruction down fall has helped Brazil lower its green house gases by 15%. That’s basically the whole article. …..When this article caught my eye, I was very excited. To hear that the destruction on one of the most ecologically diverse places on earth has fallen by 46% is fantastic! It really irritates me to hear about all these lumber companies cutting down very important forests and not thinking twice about it. So to hear that such a significant percent of deforestation of the rainforest has declined, I was excited. This is a big step in helping our earth and its ecosystems.
Did you know that four square miles of the rain forest houses over 2500 different species of plants and animals, most not even discovered yet!!….READ MORE AND LEAVE US YOUR VALUABLE COMMENTS HERE OR BY CLICKING IN THE FOLLOWING LINK: www.onetooneperu.org
THE PERUVIAN AMAZON JUNGLE 