Stop using unsustainable wood. The high demand for wood products such as furniture and flooring has led to destruction of large areas of the rainforests. According to Rainforest Relief, importation of rainforest woods into the U.S. must be reduced by 90 percent. Avoiding products made from rainforest wood, such as mahogany, is one way that everyone can help. However, to make a real difference, alternative, renewable wood sources need to be found and better logging methods implemented.
Choose Rainforest Alliance certified products. The alliance works to stop the major contributing factors of rainforest destruction, such as logging, agricultural expansion, cattle ranching and tourism. The alliance ensures working forests, farms, hotels and properties are managed in an ecologically friendly, sustainable manner. The products and services supplied by these places, such as coffee from farms, can then carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified logo (a little green frog.)
Alter the destructive cycle of agricultural production. According to El Bosque Nuevo, small farms have cleared small areas of forest for growing crops and this hasn't impacted on the rainforest because it has been done over hundreds of years. However, when large areas of the rainforest are burned in order to make room for large farms and ranches, this causes progressive deterioration of the land. This farming land is productive for only a few years, but the impact on the rainforest is irreparable. Replanting deforested land to create new habitats could help reserve the rainforest.
Follow a few simple rules to ensure that if you visit the rainforest, you do so in a conscientious manner. If you decide to take a guided rainforest tour, do your research. Dive the Reef recommends ensuring the tour is certified as being ecologically friendly. If there is a trail or a path then stick to it. Wandering off these paths increase the possibilities of trampling delicate seedlings. Don't pick flowers or take items lying on the forest floor. As these items decompose, they give essential nutrients back to the forest -- a far more important task than being a nice souvenir.
