Rainforests

Get active in rainforest management and grow your business
By Melissa Levine Rainforests around the world have decreased dramatically because of deforestation from logging, farming and ranching. The rainforests of the world are in greater jeopardy every day because of the exploitative practices of international companies. With many industries "going green," businesses that invest time and money into the preservation of temperate and tropical rainforests can improve their reputation in the world as well as their bottom lines.
 

With more consumers seeking ways to lessen their environmental footprint, companies that champion rainforest management can increase positive press and gain free advertising by becoming involved in the effort against deforestation. Show your customers that your business is in touch with the movement toward global environmental preservation by taking the following steps:

1. Increase your awareness of tropical and temperate rainforests;

2. Become familiar with the importance of rainforest management;

3. Get involved in organizations that support managing rainforests.

Learn how the destruction of rainforests impacts the world at large

Become fully knowledgeable about the global importance of rainforests by understanding the problem of deforestation.
Try: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is an international organization that conducts research about deforestation and the affect it has on people. CIFOR'S website includes bibliographies and full-text files of research articles about rainforests. Amazon Watch is a non-profit organization that works directly with and for people living in the Amazon Basin. Several full-length research reports are available on the organization's website.

Find out how investing in tropical rainforests can benefit your business

Participate in seminars, workshops and investment opportunities that inform you about the contribution your company can make to the preservation of the rainforests and the rewards you will gain as a result.
Try: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) was founded under the auspices of the United Nations and supports the management and conservation of rainforests. ITTO offers many workshops and seminars throughout the year that are geared toward businesses. Canopy Capital is an investment company based in the United Kingdom whose goal is to support the management of Amazon rainforests with the assistance of individual investors.

Become an advocate of rainforest management

Work with advocacy organizations that promote sustainable management of rainforests.
Try: Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is a global organization with a small staff, thousands of volunteers and a multi-million dollar budget that has convinced many major corporations to stop contributing to the destruction of rainforests. World Resources Institute (WRI) is a think tank and advocacy group that operates on an international basis that has partnered with organizations and businesses around the world that support conservation.

• Explore other ways to participate in managing rainforests by researching the contributions companies such as McDonald's and Proctor & Gamble make to the cause.