Film Description

Is a living rain forest of greater economic value than one that has been cut down? The international marketing of foods, cosmetics, and crafts derived from tropical forests may provide native inhabitants with the economic means to protect their vanishing lands. RAIN FORESTS: PROVING THEIR WORTH explores this promising movement to market sustainably collected forest products. Several hopeful developments are presented: new groves of peach palms in Costa Rica, bustling markets on the Amazon, and environmentally conscious American companies successfully using renewable forest products. But obstacles remain: Brazil nut collectors aren't getting fair prices, and the trees that once sustained them are being burned for charcoal. Some forest inhabitants are concerned that outsiders will bring unwelcome change to traditional ways. RAIN FORESTS: PROVING THEIR WORTH provides a provocative look at a crucial effort to save the rain forests.