As many of you Sloth-lovers will know, the Amazon is by far the largest rainforest in the whole world. The South-American forest covers more than 5,5 million square kilometres, most of which lies in Brazil. The Amazon is commonly known as the ‘lungs of the world’ since a lot of the world’s carbon is taken up and stored in the Amazonian trees.
This amazing rainforest is under threat, now more than ever. In ten years time, 27% might be gone. . In this blog post, you can read all about the current situation, the possible future, and why gambling at Slothino can help counteract deforestation.
Why the Amazon is so important
The Amazon alone constitutes about half of our planet’s total area of rainforest. Even though there are many plants and trees still to be discovered it is already considered the most biodiverse rainforest in the world. Experts estimate that up to 300 billion tons of carbon are stored in the trees in the Amazon. This makes it one of the most important natural countermeasures to global warming.
Animals, like sloths, losing their habitat
Apart from the issue of carbon storage, there are of course many, many animals in this rainforest. There are up to three million different animals and plants in the Amazon. Up to 10% of all known species are living in the Amazon, and many of them can only be found in this particular area. Destroying their habitat can mean the extermination of these species.
This could very well result in a real demise in the sloth population in the Amazon. Sloths famously aren’t the fastest animals in the rainforest. They stand no chance against bulldozers felling trees.
Indigenous communities under threat
Next to the flora and fauna and the general wellbeing of our planet, there are individual humans under threat as well. There are more than 3.000 different indigenous territories in the Amazon, some of them famously have barely had contact with the outside world. This modern feat of colonization for profit means of diminution of their living space.
New 12-year high in deforestation
While deforestation is nothing new, the recent surge is something to worry about. Especially since the new government in Brazil was sworn in the rules have loosened and deforestation is at a 12-year high. From August 2019 to July 2020 more than 9,5% more rainforest has been cleared than in the same period a year before.
The WWF estimates that 27 percent of the Amazon will be gone if this current rate is continued.
wwf.panda.org
Deforestation needs to come to a standstill before irreparable damage is done. Experts say that at least 40% of the Amazon needs to remain for biodiversity to continue to prosper (source).
Help by playing at Slothino
While this alone won’t solve the complex problems the Amazon is facing, gambling at Slothino is an easy and a very pleasurable way for you to contribute. Especially when you utilize the Slothino bonus to make a great start.
Slothino uses its place in the spotlight to help create awareness and hopefully protect the sloths’ habitat in the Amazon. It’s the least we can do for our beloved two- and three-toed friends!
