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SUPPORTING THE PRESERVATION OF THE BRAZILIAN FOREST
As a visitor to TheNatureStore.com, you don’t need to be
sold on the importance of protecting the forests of the world. We
know our customers are here because they have an appreciation for
nature. That’s why we are now offering products that not only
encourage the preservation of the forests of Brazil, but also support
the local economy by employing people native to this region.
Our butterfly specimen products come from a butterfly farm located
in the Atlantic Forest (neighbor of the Amazon Rainforest). Over
93% of this forest has been lost to deforestation mostly due to
coffee farming and Asian water buffalo ranching. The remaining 7%
is still among the biologically richest and diverse forests in the
world and exhibits a high number of species that can be found nowhere
else on Earth. Over 60% of Brazil’s threatened animal species
call this forest home. In order to work towards preserving what
is left, it is crucial to encourage the natives of this region to
practice sustainable development through improved forest management
techniques and organic agriculture.
 The
butterfly farm supplying our products preserves the native trees
and flowers that serve as habitat for butterflies native to this
forest. The butterflies’ life cycle is encouraged on the farm
and the specimens are harvested after they die naturally. The farm
is managed by Mrs. Elizabeth and employs her entire family of 24
people along with 40 additional natives. The artwork is created
by Sonia Gimenes, originally from Brazil but now a US citizen. Her
award-winning artwork has been displayed in museums and art exhibitions
across the United States.
Through the sale of these pieces, our goal is to promote the sustainable
development that this farm is practicing and support them in their
efforts to provide an ecologically friendly career for their native
people. In turn, we are all helping to protect one of the most important
forests left in the world. |
