Worksheet 1a Postcards

Worksheet 17: Sky Rainforest Rescue
Sky and WWF are working with farmers to help improve
the quality of their existing soil so they do not need to
cut down more trees.
Experts are helping farmers to plan how they can use
their land so they can grow more food and make more
money without clearing forests for new land.
The trees and plants of the Amazon hold many
nutrients. But without them, the soil becomes very
poor. Farmers cut and burn forest to fertilize the soil.
But it soon becomes degraded and they need to burn
down more forest so they have fresh land to grow on.
Many small scale farmers do not officially own their
land so they are worried about losing it. Cutting forest
and growing crops is seen by some as a way to make
sure no one can take the land away.
Sky and WWF are working with the local government in
a state called Acre in Brazil to help small land owners
manage their land without cutting forest. In return they
are prioritised to receive official ownership of their land.
Huge amounts of rainforest have been cleared to
make space for cattle pasture.
Sky and WWF are helping to make sure that there are
rules to make cattle ranching less destructive to the
rainforest.
The rubber prices have dropped meaning many of the
people who used to harvest rubber from the trees can
no longer make a living this way.
Sky and WWF have set up rubber processing
technology which helps rubber tappers to create a
more valuable and better quality product so they can
continue to harvest rubber – a sustainable industry.
Many people do not realize how important the
trees in the Amazon are for the health of the local
environment and the world.
Sky and WWF are working with teachers to add
learning about the environment to lessons in the
project area of Acre state, Brazil.
The construction of roads and dams is important to
bring essential services to people. But if it’s not done
properly, it can have devastating impacts for people,
the rainforest and the animals that live there.
Sky and WWF are funding important work with
governments and international bodies to improve
the planning of roads and dams in the Amazon in
order to minimise damage to the environment and
people’s lives.
Illegal and unsustainable fishing in the Amazon is
threatening some important species of fish.
Sky and WWF are working with local people in the
Amazon to monitor and sustainably manage fish
populations. This way there is enough fish in the lakes
that people can harvest to sell or eat.
WoRKinG
ToGETHER To
HElp SAVE
1 Billion TREES