Is the Rainforest Alliances approach helping to slow deforestation?
Absolutely — in the areas where we work, deforestation levels are 20 times less than in the areas where we don’t. By giving value to the forests in the reserve, the Rainforest Alliance is both generating opportunities for the people who live there and conserving the environment. How do the communities benefit from selling their Forest Stewardship Council/Rainforest Alliance Certified products? Because of the great demand for certified products, the communities are have access to a stable market. And because the buyers recognize the efforts that the communities are making, they are willing to pay a premium for the products. This is true for example in the case of certified xate, which is sold to churches in the United States. Besides higher prices, the communities receive technical support for the production, management and marketing of their products and they learn ways to improve their business and organizational skills. What improvements have you seen within communities once they ac
