Continuous work
as the Amazon requires
Whether totally accurate or maybe even distorted (for whatever reason), the numbers and facts about the Amazon that are constantly divulged around the world are disturbing, to say the least.
The Amazon needs integrated and continuous efforts from private entities, governmental bodies, universities, companies, and individuals.
It is up to everyone to work to neutralize disturbing numbers.
In this sense, the Soka Amazon Institute – which has been here for many years – seeks to be comprehensive and diverse in its model of action, both contributing to the regeneration of devastated green areas, supporting scientific research to increase the productivity of plantations, and executing projects aimed at improving the quality of life of the region's populations, especially the riverside peoples. After all, they have been here for decades and are increasingly receptive to the most appropriate and non-aggressive techniques towards nature, when using their small pieces of land correctly.
Environmental Management
The correct expression to define what we do in the Daisaku Ikeda private natural heritage reserve (RPPN) is socio-environmental management.
We are fully aware that the Amazon is in a rush.
It is in a rush for the revival of the lost or endangered trees, for the improvement of the living conditions of its inhabitants and the small communities immersed in the forest, for the habitat of its rich fauna, as well as for all that the forest represents for the country and for the planet.
More than words, the Amazon needs action.
Actions on 3 fronts
The actions carried out by the Soka Amazon Institute are based on three complementary fronts:
This is how we try to do our part in defense of the immense heritage that this region represents.
With humbleness, but with determination, we make a promise:
we will continue to work at the same pace that brought us here.
Find out more about the topics:
nature conservation, environmental education, and scientific research.
More than planting trees:
our goal is to protect flora and fauna, to maintain a living reserve.
Think for a minute about the immense diversity of trees in the Amazon, many of which are endangered; think about the enormous fauna that inhabits the region, and that needs the means to survive here.
Then, think about the symbiosis of this rich flora and unique fauna, and what any action that is taken to preserve this wealth represents for humanity.
This is what we talk about when
the subject is the Amazon.
More than just planting trees, what we seek is to create means to spread solid awareness to people – no matter at what level or what positions they occupy in society – about the reason for so many plantations and their actual meaning.
It is about participating in a huge movement that is fighting to keep a reserve alive for the good of the planet and its inhabitants.
Variety of the Amazonian flora
Mahogany and cedar, for example, are endangered species.
There are many, many species of trees, each with its own meaning, all of enormous environmental interest.
The many essential oils
There are essential oils extracted, for example, from andiroba and copaiba. In formal medicine, as well as in that which has been practiced informally over the years, these oils are used, among others, for anti-inflammatory products, fungicides, and repellents.
has been used on a large scale for many, many years, both in perfumes and in medicinal products. The risk of its extinction, by the way, has even led to protests against Chanel, owner of the Number 5 brand, the perfume made famous by actress Marilyn Monroe. In some countries this essential oil is used for inhalations, baths, and massages. Indians use it to heal wounds and combat skin diseases.
The list is huge.
There is the moment when the usefulness of trees for humans is joined with the necessity and value of the vast fauna: mammals, insects, birds, the many aquatic species, feed on the fruits and seeds.
Our contribution in the case of these splendid flora and fauna begins, but does not end, with collecting and treating seeds, planting them correctly in the most appropriate places, so that they can, in the future, be suppliers of new seeds.
The goal is this: to contribute to keeping this reserve alive.
The Earth Charter
The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental ethical principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society in the 21st century. It seeks to inspire all peoples to a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations.
It is a vision of hope and a call to action.
The document is the result of a decade of intercultural dialogue around common goals and shared values.
Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs)
The set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, came into place in 2015 and is a universal call to action against poverty and slave labor, protection of the planet, and to ensure that all people have peace and prosperity.
The SDGs “Quality Education”, “Sustainable Cities and Communities”, “Combating Climate Change”, and “Earth Life”, as well as partnerships and means of implementation, are the priorities of the Soka Amazon Institute and they bring us together to make a positive change for the people and the planet.
Global Compact
Launched in 2000 by the then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Global Compact is a call for companies to align their strategies and operations with 10 universal principles in the areas of Human Rights, Labor, Environment and Anti-Corruption and to develop actions that contribute to meeting society’s challenges. It is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, with more than 16 thousand members, among companies and organizations, distributed among 69 local networks, covering 160 countries.
The very closeness of the Soka Amazon Institute to the Manaus Industrial Pole led us to become signatories of this important UN movement that is concerned with actions for the elimination of poverty, slave labor, and social injustice.