History and Current Status of Rainforest Destruction and Virus Spread

History and Current Status of Rainforest Destruction and Virus Spread

### 1990s: The Beginning of the Problem
In the 1990s, the impact of rainforest destruction on the emergence of new viruses began to be pointed out. In 1995, the Ebola virus spread mainly among workers at logging sites, shocking the international community as an infectious disease with a high fatality rate. In 1995, the Ebola virus spread mainly among workers at forest logging sites.

During this period, the international community began to view tropical rainforest conservation as an important factor in reducing the risk of infectious diseases and began to promote conservation activities. However, due to many challenges in terms of local monitoring systems and funding, it could not be said that sufficient measures had been taken.

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### 2000s: Globalization and Growing Environmental Problems
In the 2000s, the destruction of tropical rainforests became even more serious. Many areas, including the Amazon rainforest, reported significant reductions in forest area due to development for agriculture and cattle ranching. In Brazil, deforestation peaked in 2004, with an annual loss of about 27,000 square kilometers of forest.

The risk of virus spread through deforestation began to be widely recognized, and the World Health Organization (WHO) explicitly warned of the link between ecosystem destruction and infectious disease risk. During this period, an emerging infectious disease, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), became endemic, and human-wildlife contact in animal markets and deforestation areas was identified as the cause.

An international movement of note is the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), which was established in 2005. This organization aims to provide a mechanism to support forest conservation in developing countries while curbing deforestation. On the other hand, issues such as illegal logging and lack of transparency in the supply chain remain.

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### 2010s: Transition to circular economy and sustainability
The 2010s was a period of international response to rainforest destruction and its impacts. This period saw a shift to a circular economy with an emphasis on sustainability, and rainforest conservation was part of this shift. The 2015 Paris Agreement was particularly noteworthy as an important framework linking climate change measures and forest conservation.

Efforts to reduce environmental impacts also progressed at the corporate level. For example, Brazilian agricultural companies introduced a certification system to establish deforestation-free supply chains. Furthermore, in 2018, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) published a list of companies involved in rainforest destruction, strengthening social monitoring of corporate behavior.

Meanwhile, the impacts of deforestation are becoming more serious, and in 2019, some 4,000 forest fires were identified in the Amazon rainforest, again drawing attention to this global issue. In Brazil in particular, the expansion of land for agriculture has been identified as a major factor, requiring tighter government regulation.

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### 2020s: New Challenges and Progress
In the 2020s, the problems of rainforest destruction and virus spread have become more serious. In addition to the Ebola virus, outbreaks of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have been attributed to contact with wild animals, drawing attention to the relationship between deforestation and infectious diseases.

According to a report by WWF, an international environmental organization, deforestation is concentrated in 24 tropical and subtropical regions, resulting in loss of biodiversity and increased risk of emerging infectious diseases. In addition, Brazilian meat giant JBS has announced that it is aiming for a deforestation-free supply chain, but many companies are still criticized for their involvement in deforestation.

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### Japan's Involvement and International Response
Japan accounts for approximately 18% of the world's imports of tropical wood plywood, and is thus considered to be indirectly involved in rainforest destruction. Amid calls for the promotion of sustainable consumption behavior, the international community has adopted the concept of "one health" and is promoting measures that integrate environmental, animal, and human health.

Furthermore, the relationship between climate change and the risk of infectious diseases is also attracting attention, and the control of deforestation is recognized as a global issue. Companies, governments, and consumers are expected to cooperate in taking action, with the establishment of sustainable supply chains by companies playing a particularly important role.

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The issues of tropical rainforest destruction and virus spread have been recognized as international challenges since the 1990s, but their importance has increased further with the expansion of environmental issues in the 2000s, the shift to a circular economy in the 2010s, and the combined challenges of climate change and infectious diseases in the 2020s. Integrated efforts on all fronts are required to realize a sustainable society.