If you care about the fate of the tropical rainforest you need to read the book of our LT&C member, Club of Rome member and former long-time director of WWF International, Claude Martin: On the Edge: The State and Fate of the World’s Tropical Rainforests. This book – a Report to the Club of Rome – provides an up-to-date picture of the health of the world’s tropical forests. It integrates information from satellite imaging, ecology and economics to explain deforestation and forest health throughout the tropical world. Almost 50% of the tropical rain forests have gone since the Limits of Growth Report of the Club of Rome was published in 1972. It is vital that the world acts on advice and warnings of this report.

We therefore need within our mission, to raise more support from tourism to protected areas, make extra efforts to identify more LT&C-Examples in the tropical rain forests, such as the Napo Wildlife Center supporting the Yasuni national park in Ecuador or the way how the local people in Bolivia support with their forms of tourism the Madidi national park. Another example is Amahoro Tours in Rwanda. And if you travel you may neutralise your climate footprint with our member South Pole by investing into the LT&C-Example Kariba REDD+ project in Zimbabwe. There is actually no excuse that everyone of us as tourist could  not do something to help protecting our remaining valuable tropical rain forests. And ideally we in LT&C can find ways and incentives how existing LT&C-Examples can be replicated. Financial institutions and tourism business therefore should focus on and provide support where good-case-(LT&C-Example)-providers couple with example-replicators…

Read also the interview with Claude Martin and see: Club of Rome – Press release On the Edge international version