Many have underestimated the necessity of the Amazon rainforests for the ongoing survival of humanity. They are the lungs of the planet, not only providing  us with the majority of oxygen we need to sustain ourselves, but providing a home for more species of plants and animals than all of the other ecosystems on Earth combined. Indigenous tribes inhabiting the rainforests harvest many life-saving botanicals found nowhere else in the world. For these reasons, the rainforest must be saved in order for them to continue to sustain life on our planet. The tribes of the Amazon also must be supported, which is an important step in the preservation of this amazing natural resource.

The Amazon Tribes

Many indigenous tribes can help preserve the rainforest by entering into private business agreements with those who can use medicinal herbs harvested from this region. By buying these herbs, the tribes are sustained and can fend off those who would slash and burn rainforest lands in favor of development.

At one time there were originally an estimated four billion acres of Amazon rainforest. As of right now, only 2.7 billion acres remain. Over half of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed during the past 50 years, and we are losing rainforest lands at a rate of 75 acres every minute. This amounts to 108,000 acres of decimated rainforest each day, or over 39 million acres of rainforest destroyed each year.

Of all the tribes of the Amazon, it is believed that 90 of them have disappeared completely since the year 1900.

Companies that harvest medicinal herbs have formed pacts with Amazon tribes such as the Rio Pisque Federation, representing all native tribes along the isolated Pisque River, or the Provenir natives, who finally gained ownership of their lands in 2003 after over 70 years of inhabiting them.

The influx of money brought by the harvesting of Amazon rainforest herbs helps the indigenous people stave off such prospectors as loggers and oil exploration. Purchasing their native herbs not only provides the world with outstanding plant materials with incredible healing powers, but also allows the people of the Amazon to retain control over the use of their land and their natural resources.

The Provenir finally own 13,000 acres of Amazon rainforest, upon which they grow and harvest important healing herbs. They now enjoy the security of owning their land as well as knowing they are an important part of preserving one of Earth’s most important natural resources.

The Rio Pisque Federation has been able to utilize the funds earned from harvesting herbs to preserve their communities and educate their children, insuring the ongoing prosperity and survival of their tribes.

The Birth of Independent Businesses

The purchase of harvested herbs from the Amazon has essentially turned traditional tribesmen into self-employed businessmen, who not only earn profits that will sustain their way of life but also contribute largely to the preservation of the rainforests. By supporting companies that utilize native-harvested Amazon herbs, you can help ensure the ongoing prosperity of these native cultures and help preserve the source of our planet’s oxygen.