
The Brazil nut and the Amazon rainforest are inseparable and as deforestation, wildfires, and land grabbers destroy the rainforest, the negative chain effect begins. Therefore, the conservation of the Brazil nut and the Amazon rainforest depend on each other, thus affecting the millions of people who call the Amazon region home.
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most majestic, biodiverse, and environmentally important regions of the world. Covering an area of over 5.5 million km2 and spreading over various countries in South America, it is the largest rainforest on the globe. Located within the rainforest is the tough, delicious, and nutritional Amazonia (Brazil) nut. Over the past decades, the Brazil nut has grown to become one of the most important economic products of the Amazon[1].
Brazil Nut Origins
Brazil nuts are harvested in the wild of the
Once Brazil nuts are harvested, they are enjoyed around the world for their delicious taste, amplifying recipes or just serving as a tasty snack. Moreover, they provide various health benefits being high in fiber, vitamin E, thiamin and minerals such as selenium, potassium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese. They also contain more selenium than any other food on the planet.
Threats Against the Amazon Rainforest

Furthermore, the rainforest is also threatened by “land grabbers”, which are individuals who clear paths in the Amazon for cattle pastures. Just from April 27 to September 9, 2019 alone, 2.8 thousand hectares of forest were illegally cut down[4]. Unfortunately, the expansion of cattle pasture usually takes away from Brazil nut harvesters.
Sustainability, Livelihood, and Conservation
Throughout the years, the growth and harvest
[1] Kainer, K. A., Wadt, L. H., & Staudhammer, C. L. (2018). The evolving role of Bertholletia excelsa in Amazonia: contributing to local livelihoods and forest conservation. Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente, 48.
[2] Spring, J. (2020, July 10). La deforestación del Amazonas aumenta en junio y podría ser la peor en una década. Reuters. https://es.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idESKBN24B1XO
[3] Amazon region: Brazil records big increase in fires. (2020, August 2). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53626544v
[4] Maisonnave, F. (2020, July 28). Amazon land grabbers are destroying brazil nut groves for cattle pasture. Climate Change News. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/07/28/amazon-land-grabbers-destroying-brazil-nut-groves-cattle-pasture/
[5] Laird, S. A., & Pierce, A. R. (2002). Tapping the green market: certification and management of non-timber forest products. Earthscan.
[6] Clay, J. W. (1997). Brazil nuts: the use of a keystone species for conservation and development. Harvesting wild species: implications for biodiversity conservation, 246-282.