OPINION: Deforestation, Coffee and Chocolate

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Can Chocolate Lovers and Coffee Drinkers Stop Deforestation? by Markis Gradner

I hear arguments about chocolate lovers and coffee drinkers needing to stop deforestation because it is the forests, more specifically the rainforests that produce the chocolate we eat and the coffee that people drink.

My question is, it seems that the chocolate making companies and the coffee companies would have more to lose. Why don't they buy up big plantations and help save the rainforests? If the rainforests are gone, yes we lose our chocolate and coffee and possible cancer fighting drugs but they will lose the entire company. So, it seems we all need to do something. I just think that the companies have bigger pockets and more weight to throw around than us little guys. Agree?

Causes of Deforestation

Deforestation is a problem that could lead to disastrous consequences for mankind as a whole. Rapid urbanization is one of the primary causes of deforestation. As cities and towns expand, forests in their surrounding vicinity are being mercilessly cut down in order to make way for suburban townships.

The forest cover in many areas is also decreasing since the land is being occupied for farming purposes in many countries. Increased global consumption is another one of the major reasons behind the decreasing forest cover. From paper to wooden furniture, one can imagine an entire host of products that owe their creation to trees and plants.

The Rapid Depletion of the World's Mangrove Forests

Mangroves can be described as 'rainforests by the sea'. Large stretches of the sub-tropical and tropical coastlines of Asia, Africa, Oceania, the Americas and the Caribbean are fringed by mangroves, once estimated to cover an area of over 32 million hectares. Now, less than 15 million hectares remain - less than half the original area.

The depletion of the world's mangroves is due to excessive shrimp farms, tourist complexes and intense land development. According to the latest study by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the current rate of mangrove loss is around 1% per annum - or around 150,000 ha of new mangrove area loss per year.

Now, the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) is working with other organizations in the global South towards restoring degraded and cleared mangrove areas as a high priority. MAP is especially interested in restoring some of the 250,000 ha of abandoned shrimp farms located in former coastal wetland areas, especially in Asia and Latin America. But, even more importantly, MAP is working to help conserve and protect existing mangrove wetlands around the world.

For many years we have lived with a blind eye towards the many atrocities that are going on in this world. Please visit our site for A Dream for Better world and for Deforestation.

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