Our Cause
Why Support Tropical Biodiversity?
What is Tropical Biodiversity?
Tropical biodiversity, also called the ‘latitudinal gradient of species diversity,’ refers to the rich concentration of the planets’ flora and fauna in the equatorial belt. Here, under the sun’s most direct rays and with abundant rainfall and moisture, lush, complex, and species-diverse ecosystems thrive.
“Tropical habitats represent an important component in all of Earth's life diversity, because a great part of the 34 biodiversity hotspots (areas of high numbers of endemic species) are tropical ecosystems.”
Source: Origins and Maintenance of Tropical Biodiversity (https://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/C20/E6-142-TE-20.pdf )
How GTCL is helping.
A percentage of our profit from the sale of products goes to:
- Conservation and sustainability efforts for endangered or rare ingredients such as elemi, which is already on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species*.
- Encouraging organic farming and the propagation of Trigona stingless bees for cross-crop pollination. In the process, we improve farmers’ livelihoods by helping them avoid debt traps created by buyers of produce who lend them funds for chemical pesticides just to increase production volumes for some of these goods.
- Helping fund: further education in sustainable farming operations, provision of more bees, as well as investing in new equipment, and training, when necessary.
Lastly, by creating awareness around the benefits of these natural superfoods and healing skincare, we are encouraging more and more farmers to grow them, thereby protecting the endemic plants.
Why should you care?
As our world hurtles towards modernisation, precious “life hotspots” such as tropical rainforests are in danger of disappearing, and with them, the potential to discover and harness more of nature’s healing and nutritious produce.
Tropical deforestation and forest denudation are real threats, even when they provide benefits to humans in the short term.
Unfortunately, destruction of these tropical habitats also leads to profound and devastating long term consequences, including:
- Social conflict
- Reduction of species diversity
- Extinction of animals and plants, especially those that are endemic to the tropics
- Global climate change
Think about it: for every square meter of rainforest we remove --- especially for using harmful farming practices -- we eradicate the potential to discovering the cure for cancer, obesity or the common flu.
How you can help.
You help support the cause for tropical bio-diversity when you buy GTCL’s all-natural products (and other similar brands that are sustainably sourced in tropical habitats).
Help us spread the word by promoting our posts on #TropicalBioDiversity, #CleanEating, #ConsciousLiving and #CleanBeauty on your own social channels, or by simply talking about them with your friends.
Support Tropical Biodiversity.