There must have been many of your readers who, like me, enjoyed the story of Stephen Fry's hunt to search through the Amazon rain forest for the manatee, an animal on the verge of extinction.

I was disappointed, though, that although he drew attention to the way that hunting was causing problems for these animals, there was no mention made of the wider problems of habitat loss and rises in greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation.

The greatest single cause of climate change is one of the main drivers of this – and we're responsible, because of our meat and dairy industries.

The story goes like this. The Amazon rain forest acts as a giant sponge, soaking up all of our waste carbon, when things are going well.

However, vast tracts of the forest are being chopped down to make way for ranches devoted to intensive farming methods.

The animals are fed on soy and grain that's been cleared from the Amazon itself.

The WWF states that between 2000 and 2006 150,000sq km have disappeared; by 2030 have the forest may have disappeared, with catastrophic effects.

Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have both publicised the issue. Major supermarkets have said that they no longer source goods that are farmed in this way, but they still support the businesses that engage in this trade in other ways. (Clarks and other shoe manufacturers have boycotted them completely when they're buying in leather).

So what can we do? Here are a couple of suggestions to set the ball rolling. For a start, it helps to buy local produce wherever possible.

Secondly, Friends of the Earth have sponsored an Early Day Motion to draw attention to the problem and hopefully improve matters. Wells MP David Heathcoat-Amory hasn't signed it as yet. To ask him to do so, you can either write to him or contact him through the FoE website and the "Fix the Food Chain" section.

Maybe we still have a chance of protecting the home of these, and other, marvellous creatures.

Elaine Allen Bere Lane Glastonbury