Record losses in the Amazon region

It is a sad record hunt with uncertain consequences: from one year to the next, the rainforest loss in the Amazon region increases at an ever greater rate. This year you already have that Peak reached for 15 years. It was in September alone 1.455 km² – that is almost twice the area of ​​the city of Hamburg.

A devastating development

If things continue at this rate, the Amazon rainforest could reach a dangerous tipping point in the coming decades: Then it will no longer just be people who are responsible for the disappearance of the forest with hundreds of thousands of clearings by fire every year, but the destruction will be driven forward by itself. Because the bare areas disrupt the water cycle of the otherwise contiguous forest areas so much that more and more trees are dying.

The runoff election between incumbent right-wing President Bolsonaro and his challenger Lula da Silva at the end of October will be one of the decisive factors in which direction deforestation progresses. Irrespective of this, it is all the more important to add value to the local forest through sustainable management and to preserve it in the long term.

Protection through use

At Betterwood, we act according to this principle. Our supplier from Brazil only fells three trees per hectare in 35 years. Light machinery is used for selective wood removal to ensure gentle harvesting. In addition, over 13% of the total area of ​​the managed forest is designated as a protected zone. An example of sustainable forestry that offers a real alternative to economically motivated deforestation to gain land for agriculture and mining.

With the purchase of certified tropical wood from tested Origin we in Europe can thus make an important contribution to the preservation of the ecosystems in the Amazon. In connection with this Biomaderas GmbH (whose Onlineshop Betterwood ist) last year supported an official request for the expansion of FSC-certified areas in Brazil. The open letter”Amazon initiative', signed by sustainable timber importers from Europe, calls on local authorities to conserve more forest cover by expanding concessions with responsible, sustainable management.