| The Amazon is the world’s biggest river in terms of the size of its basin, which covers almost 2.6 million square miles (7 million km2) of land belonging to seven different Latin American countries. The river allows logging companies to penetrate into the heart of Amazonia, but it is the building of new roads that has really allowed them to intensify their activity and, thus, speed up the deforestation that is threatening not just biodiversity and ecosystems but indigenous people, too. Since 1993, wood certification schemes have been in place to ensure the world’s forests and their inhabitants are protected. Labels such as that given by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) mean that consumers can be sure the wood they buy comes from forests where sustainable logging respects the rights of indigenous people and allows reforesting of felled areas. Well-informed consumers who buy responsibly can thus oblige producer countries to keep a close eye on how their forests are managed.
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