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Deforestation Mitigation Essay

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Deforestation Mitigation Strategies
Tropical rainforests cover approximately thirty percent of the earth’s land area, around 2.5 million square miles, the size of the lower 48 states, despite the fact 80,000 acres (32,000) hectares are destroyed per day for economic reasons. Tropical rainforests are biodiversity hotspots. Rainforests are carbon sinks absorbing about half the carbon dioxide humans release into the atmosphere. Continued deforestation will affect the entire world with the ecological ramifications of species extinction, loss of carbon sinks, and loss of renewable resources. Deforestation reduces the availability of renewable resources like medicinal plants, timber, nuts and fruit, and indigenous game. Over time, loss of …show more content…

The Brosimum Alicastrum Plan.
The Brosimum Alicastrum is a large rainforest tree native to tropical regions and known as the Maya Nut tree. The tree grows to 130 feet, grows naturally in rainforest soils, can produce an average of 400 pounds of 100% organic nuts a year and have more vital nutrients than foods grown on farmed soils. Other than being one of the largest and fastest growing trees of the rainforest it produces a fruit high in protein, calcium, fiber, iron and vitamins A, E, C, and B. The nut can be prepared to taste like chocolate, coffee, or even mashed potatoes (The Equilibrium Fund, 2010). If dried and ground into flour can be used to make cakes, cookies, cereal. The leaves of the trees are high in nutrients that can be used for cattle fodder (Cable News Network, 2009).
The nut was used in the ancient Mayan culture as food stable with special cultivated orchards designed specifically for this tree. Over the centuries this nut was forgotten. People living in the in the areas where the Maya Nut tree now flourishes, don’t know about the fruit itself. Environmentally, this is the ideal tree to use for reforestation; fast growing, producing food, creating an earning income for the individual farmer while protecting watersheds, preventing erosion, helping with carbon

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