Deforestation and Malaria

Here at UKVending we take our responsibility to the environment seriously, both here at our base in Rochester and from around the world where we source our products. That is why we are members of the Rainforest Alliance who promote a sustainable future for the planet.

It shocks us to hear that in many of the deforested areas of the world where rainforests have been chopped down to satisfy the growing global demand for coffee, timber, soybean, cocoa, wood products, palm oil, tobacco, beef and cotton, the risk off malaria is growing as a consequence of these actions. What this means, for ordinary consumers, is a need to understand the environmental impact of buying such products, which are obtained through sources that lead to forest destruction and the increased breeding of mosquitoes.

Earlier studies have shown that cutting down rainforest or disturbing its environment in other ways is a risk factor for malarial transmission because it creates an ideal habitat for mosquitoes, with a lower predator risk and warmer conditions.