The Rain Forest Action Network

The Rainforest Action Network

The rainforest action network or RAN was founded in 1985 and since then it has worked to protect rain forests and preserve them and also to protect the right of the people living in and around the protected area. the main aim of the RAN was to bring public attention to the destruction of rain forests around the world through education programs and communication. The RAN use media to bring attention to the destruction of the rain forests to the public, which leads to market changes and pressures on banks, logging companies etc. the head quarters of the RAN is in San Fransisco.

The organisation also uses direct action to protect the rainforest, for example the RAN led a boycott of burger king because the fast food chain was importing cheap beef which was fed by clearing rain forests to provide cattle pasture. This boycott worked effectively, after a loss of 12 percent in sales, burger king has stopped importing rainforest beef from south America.

The RAN also works with grass roots movements in different areas, these movements help educate and inform the public about the rain forests and the destruction they are facing. Through these local groups, enough pressure is exerted to carry out effective change to protect the environment.

By keeping the public informed about the different assaults being carried out on rain forests, they are able to inform people how they can individually help to protect the ecosystem, also by informing the consumers about which products are using old growth trees and which are using sustainable and responsible logging.


The organisation depends on the people to protest and apply pressure on corporations and organisations for them to stop excessive cutting of the rainforest, and as a result, public education and to be able to inform the public of the current issues facing preservation is the most important aspect of the RAN.

The methods used by the RAN seem to be very effective and anticipating of modern trends. the results achieved by them seem to be very promising, by only bringing public awareness to certain issues and organising protests the RAN has won many concessions from several different corporations

K.K.