Courtesy monabay.com.... Kayapo Chief Raoni weeps at a funeral in 2002. Raoni has been a fierce opponent of the Belo Monte dam, which will flood his tribe's lands along the Xingu River.

by Vic Shayne, PhD

For decades environmentalists have been warning the world that the Rainforest of South America’s Amazon is under assault. They began to see the dissolution of the environment, not just locally, but also globally, and sent up a red flag. The end result is that warnings have gone ignored and mega-corporations have been abusing the area to the point where, like the rest of our limping planet, we are at a severe crisis.

Who’s doing the damage?

Logging companies, oil companies, factory farmers, the hamburger industry and others are destroying the ecosystem. Oil, copper, gold and mahogany are key resources.Leather used by companies like Nike, is also coming from the region.

Soon there will be nothing left. Greed destroys not only completely, but irreversibly.

The Amazon may be gone in OUR LIFETIME!

PBS.org states, “Although rainforests have been around for millions of years — they’re the Earth’s oldest living ecosystems — they may not be around for much longer. At the present rate of destruction, all the earth’s rainforests will be gone in 30 years. And once the rainforest is destroyed, it doesn’t come back. 137 species of plants and animals become extinct every day in rainforests around the world.”

We may liken the attitude of the guilty corporations to sociopaths. They do not care or consider the rights, feelings and needs of others. They are blinded by greed and power past the point of no return, and until nothing is left.

The richness of the region

Amazonwatch.org tells us: “The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest and most biodiverse tropical rainforest, covering an area larger than the continental United States. It houses one-third of the Earth’s plant and animal species and produces one-fifth of all its fresh water. Nearly 400 distinct indigenous peoples depend on the Amazon rainforest for their physical and cultural survival. At current rates of deforestation, nearly 50 percent of the Amazon could be lost or severely degraded by the year 2020, and the vast majority will no longer be in a pristine state.”

Some of the most powerful, effective herbs come from the Amazon, including pau d’arco and cat’s claw used in NutriPlex Formulas‘ products. NutriPlex has taken a stand against the destruction of the rainforest for the past fifteen years by supporting sustainable agriculture, publicizing rainforest deforestation, partaking in petitions, boycotting corporations that are part of the problem, and more.

So why is the Chief weeping?

The Native Chief from Brazil has many reasons to weep — deforestation, pollution, loss of culture, loss of a future. Most recently he sheds tears over the newest assault on his ancient land — the building of the Belo Monte dam that will effectively destroy the ecosystem, and the way of life for his people, forever.

Taking action

If your heart goes out to the natives and your senses tell you that losing the Amazon would be a disaster we cannot survive, there are several groups you may contact. Here are a couple to get you on your way: mongabay.com, Save the Amazon Rainforest, staro.org, amazonrescue.org.

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