Briefing on Solutions for the Amazon - Green Peace

"There is no one solution to save the Amazon Rainforest. A wide range of sustainable and effective initiatives are needed to keep the forest alive while improving the quality of life for the 20 million people that live there. Obviously this can only be achieved, if economic alternatives and solutions to destructive logging can be found. Outlined below are just a few of the products that are either currently being produced in the rainforest or that have a potential to provide people living from the forest with sustainable means of income."

Non-Timber Forest Products

"The economic value of a forest extends beyond the value of its timber. Traditionally, indigenous people have harvested many forms of produce from the forest without destroying its ecosystem. Fibres, fruits, seeds, flowers, nuts and honey are just some of the many options of non-timber forest products from the forest."

Palm Fruits and Palm Hearts

The fruits of the Açaí Palm are traditionally used to make a wine rich in minerals. One palm tree produces about 20kg of fruit per year. The tasty, dark violet wine is the most important non-wood forest product, in terms of money, from the river delta of the Amazon.