Over the past decade, there has been many programs and effort from private organizations, governments and locals from these forest belts aimed at reducing the pace at which the forests are depleting. It is such a difficult fight because the problems related to it is complex. Thankfully, there is enough research and evidence of what the main causes are, so naturally, there is a place to start.
The bulk of the Amazon Rainforests is in Brazil. In the last 20 years or so, satellite scans and images, powered by technology acquired by the U.S. Landsat and the Chinese/Brazilian CBERS satellites have been the focus in the Amazon. Together with that, there are other pieces of technology put in place by wealthy nations who have an interest in this environmental disaster. The problem with these sky image technologies is that, the rainforests have very thick cloud cover all year round and its difficult to get any clear days for the cameras to get good shots.
Besides that, illegal loggers are also very sophisticated in their activities and its just hard to know where to find them, considering the scope of forest land in question.
The story is no different from other rainforests in the Congo basin. The countries in those areas such as Gabon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea simply do not have the resources to monitor illegal activities. Support from America, UK and Norway have gone a long way to managing the area. –Source: Monitoring Tropical Rain Forests: Some Recent Developments, Gordon Petrie.
Policies and laws
There are many policies that are aimed at discouraging large industries to engage in unsustainable practices and attitudes towards forests, and also to get them to use responsible ways of getting their raw materials. Very often, the will to police and enforce these laws are low, as many of them are financially and politically driven. Each time people have to make decisions that affect their livelihoods, there is some hesitance, after all, man must survive at all cost. It is therefore important that farmers (both local and international) and loggers who destroy forestlands are given the training, support and necessary logistics to engage in sustainable activities that will benefit all in the end.
Campaign & pressure groups
The health of the Amazon Rainforests and other forests is critical and has a direct link to the health of the planet. Fortunately, many people agree with this and as a result, there are many organizations and pressure groups who are campaigning hard to educate people and hold large businesses that exploit the forests accountable. We must all show interest and support such organizations.