Imagine a portion of real estate almost the size of the United States and you get an idea of the immensity of the Amazon Rainforest. Imagine a virgin tropical environment hundreds of miles from the nearest road or source of pollution. Think of the Rainforest soil, rich in minerals and trace elements as the forest continuously recycles in a virtually closed ecosystem.
 

Imagine over 200,000 species of plants thriving in this tropical paradise. Consider that approximately 40% of modern therapies and medicines are derived from just 2% of these Rainforest botanicals. Think about the life-saving research that still needs to be done.

Clearly we are looking at our planet’s greatest natural treasure house – home of the highest concentration of nutrients and life energy on earth. It plays a key role in maintaining global health and climatic stability. Every person in the world is a direct or indirect beneficiary of the Amazon Rainforest. For the sake of all mankind, the Rainforest must be preserved.

“The rainforests of the world are critical to the ecological well-being of the entire planet. Our best natural defense against global warming, they absorb massive amounts of CO2, while generating over 20% of the oxygen we breathe. As we saturate our atmosphere with "greenhouse gases" from the burning of oil, gas, coal and forest timber, protecting the Amazon, the largest rainforest in the world, is more urgent than ever.”  - Raintrust Inc.

Did you know . . .

The Rainforests produce 20%-30% of the Earth's supply of oxygen and dramatically reduce excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to control global warming.

The Rainforest is much more valuable economically remaining as a forest than farmland or grazing land. Statistics show that rainforest land over the course of a year converted to cattle operations yields the land owner $60 per acre. In that same year, if timber is harvested the land is worth $400 per acre. If, however, its renewable and sustainable resources are harvested, the land will then yield an average of $2,400 per acre, per year.

Rainforests cover less than 2% of the Earth's surface, yet they are home to 50% - 70% of all life forms on our planet. The rainforests are the richest, oldest, most productive and most complex ecosystems on Earth.

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest in the world — covering over 1 billion acres. It is home to two million species of animals and birds (that's half the world's species).

The Amazon Rainforest is home to more than 200,000 Indigenous people living in hundreds of unique communities.

25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, yet less than 2% of these tropical trees and plants have been studied by scientists. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources.

Of the 3000 plants the U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified as active against cancer cells, 70% are found in the rainforest. 25% of the active ingredients in today's cancer-fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest.

Each acre of rainforest saved from being cleared through burning will prevent 42 tons of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.

At least 80% of the developed world's diet originated in the tropical rainforest. Its bountiful gifts to the world include 3000 fruits like avocados, coconuts, figs, oranges, lemons, and cacao.

The Amazon Rainforest is truly the highest concentration of life energy on earth. Let’s do everything that we can - individually and collectively - to leave our children and our grandchildren a living planet.