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Coracao x Pachamama Alliance: Why We Must Protect the Amazon

Coracao x Pachamama Alliance: Why We Must Protect the Amazon

In 2014 I had the amazingly fortunate opportunity to visit the Sapara Nation, a place so remote in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle, only about 50 outsiders a year make the trek!

 

Many people think of the rainforest as an idyllic & tranquil place - at least I did before I went. Let me tell you it’s not. It's filled with biting bugs, voracious mosquitos, giant spiders, venomous ants and viperous snakes, among an estimated three million other species.

After I left the rainforest, a hot shower was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. My friend Cliff was covered in mosquito bites from head to toe, and literally kissed the ground with tears of joy and relief when we got to the lawn of our hotel. 

Living in the rainforest is really hard. This gave me an even deeper respect for the Sapara Nation and all the other tribes who have learned to live in harmony with the land and who are putting everything on the line to protect the Amazon and their way of life.

At Coracao we have had the privilege to partner with the Pachamama Alliance since 2015. They work directly with tribes in the Amazon, to empower, educate and support the tribal communities with the resources they need to fight against companies who would like to kick them off their land to clear-cut for oil exploitation, cattle grazing, soy farms and whatever else they can do to make a quick profit.

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Recently, I discovered groundbreaking new information about the Amazon, that has increased the importance for its protection & preservation.

Up until recently, I had thought the Rainforest was one of the last untouched places on Earth, and that it was really important to protect the biodiversity of this untouched wilderness. 

However, scientists have recently been using light-based remote sensing lidar to look underneath the thick canopy of the Amazon. What they are discovering are historical remains of vast urban cities, pyramids, roads, canals, and reservoirs. Evidence that the Amazon was once heavily populated and in many places quite urbanized before the recorded history of the region began!

The history of the Amazon is an incredibly fascinating subject and there are so many stories and secrets yet to be told, we are literally barely scratching the surface.  

So while our understanding and history of the Amazon is being updated, in my mind it makes even more sense to protect it, for the following reasons:

  1. To protect and better understand our shared human history.
  2. To protect the millions of undiscovered or yet-to-be-rediscovered plants and animals that reside there. 
  3. To protect the tribes, including their knowledge, wisdom, medicine and their freedom to live on their ancestral lands. 
  4. The Amazon Rainforest currently absorbs one-fourth of the C02 absorbed by all the land on Earth. If the trees are cut & burned, that carbon dioxide will be released back into the atmosphere.

The amount of C02 absorbed by the Amazon today is 30% less than it was in the 1990s, due to deforestation.

If you’d like to play a part in stopping deforestation, protecting the history & biodiversity of the region and supporting the tribal communities, consider donating directly to the Pachama Alliance. They also offer incredible journeys into the Amazon a few times a year, I highly recommend it, it is a journey of a lifetime. 

Also, 10% of all Coracao’s online sales this week will go to the Pachamama Alliance, to support their incredibly important work. 

Thank you for supporting Coracao and enjoying our chocolate. 

I am grateful. 

 

Daniel Korson

Founder

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