Management of tropical rainforests is undertaken by actors at many different levels. This management has varying levels of effectiveness in different locations. Sustainable management means using goods and services in a way that they are still available to future generations.

International Level: Debt Reduction

Many of the countries that contain tropical rainforests are in the Global South. This means that they have low income.
Many of these countries are indebted to richer countries because of loans and international aid.
These countries often overexploit their resources, such as the rainforest, to attempt to pay back this money.
Debt reduction programs have become more popular in recent years in an attempt to conserve the rainforest.
In 2010, the USA signed an agreement to convert the Brazilian debt of $13.5 million to a fund to protect the Amazon.

International Level: NGO Programmes

Non-governmental organisations such as the WWF rely on volunteers and donations to promote conservation and education.
They often buy up areas of forest to create nature reserves.
They provide practical help to make programmes more sustainable.

National Governments:

Governments can pass laws to create protected areas and increase education about sustainability.
However, few governments are willing to do this due to the slow rate of economic development.
There is often a lot of corruption when it comes to rainforest management; there are a large number of illegal loggers and bribes placed around logging.

Local Level: Logging Practices

Satellites and drones can be introduce to find and stop illegal logging that usually goes unnoticed.
Selective logging involves the cutting down the trees only when they are fully grown. This lets smaller trees continue to grow.
Selective logging can help to prevent soil erosion and ensures that the forest does not run out.
Agroforestry follows a practice where only small areas are logged at a time. The cleared areas of forest are used to combine forestry and agriculture in a way that does not degrade the soil.
Replanting projects are also in place in Brazil.

Local Level: Ecotourism

Ecotourism promotes the scenery and wildlife of the rainforest to tourists.
The goals of ecotourism are to be sustainable and to educate those who visit.
There are many eco-lodges in the Amazon, these are small scale lodges that run on little to no energy and blend in with the scenery. They contrast large hotels that require large areas of land to be cleared.
Ecotourist establishments are mostly run by local communities; it provides employment and income, which helps to prevent people turning to logging activities for money.

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The next in our series of study notes on ecosystems looks at Tropical Rainforests, and in particular focuses on causes and effects of deforestation.