Rainforest+Destruction

= Rainforest Conservation =  A rainforest is ** a lush forest ** that gets at least ** 60 inches of rain per year **. Only 2**%** of the earth is covered in rainforest, yet rainforests contain ** 50% of the plants and animals ** found in the world.

Fifty million acres ** of rainforest are ** destroyed annually **. This is the equivalent of about two football fields per second. ** Eighty percent ** of the world’s rainforest destruction is caused by farmers clearing land for agriculture.
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The ** cacao tree ** produces cacao beans, which are the basis of chocolate. Cacao can only survive in ** tropical rainforest ** environments. If the entire rainforest is destroyed, we will be **unable to produce chocolate** . When cacao is grown in the shade, the traditional way, it can produce cacao beans for ** fifty years. **



Nevertheless, some farmers decide to grow **cacao trees in the sun**. This causes the plants to ** produce cacao faster **, but also **to do so for less time** and to die after about 30 years. Sun grown cacao is also **terrible for the environment**. In order to plant cacao in the sun, ** acres of trees have to be cleared **. When the plants die, the land is sapped of nutrients and more has to be cleared so the process can restart. Furthermore, chemicals have to be added to the cacao in order to protect it from the harsh conditions. Just think; you could have contaminated cacao!



Of the major American chocolate companies, Hershey's may be the worst for the rainforest. Besides its lack of approval from the Rainforest Alliance, Hershey's also uses palm oil, which is horrible for the rainforest (see more on palm oil below.) There is, however, some rainforest friendly chocolate on the market. Companies like Divine Chocolate use shade grown cacao and support sustainable practices. So do you know about chocolate and the rainforest? Find out : []!

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Many rainforests are either destroyed or endangered, due to deforestation. Deforestation is the removal of trees from an area of land. Deforestation is a form of habitat destruction. In rainforests deforestation is the result of hunting, farming and logging. One of the most used techniques for clearing land for farming in the rainforest is the “slash-and-burn” technique. Farmers cut down and burn trees and plants in a small patch of rainforest and then use it as farm land for while. Soon after, the soil loses nutrients because the tees are gone. Because there are no nutrients, farmers can’t farm, so they slash-and-burn another patch of forest and the process continues. This process is bad, because it destroys rainforests and their inhabitants. If there isn’t a stop put to deforestation in rainforests soon, there won’t be much rainforest left to admire. =====

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