Rainforests are one of the most important biomes on our Earth today. They house thousands upon thousands of different species of animals, and produce a huge portion of the world's oxygen levels. Yet, even so, they are disappearing more quickly than they ever have in the past. A few posts ago, I discussed the rampant problem of deforestation in forests, and the many problems it caused. However, deforestation within rainforests is much, much worse, and should be discussed. So, in this post, I will talk about the quickly depleting rain forests, and why we should do something about it.
What are Rainforests?
However, before we talk about why these rainforests are being destroyed, it is more important to first understand what exactly rain forests are, and what they do for our Earth. So, rainforests, as defined by dictionary.com, are "A tropical forest, usually of tall, densely growing, broad-leaved evergreen trees in an area of high annual rainfall." While this definition is correct in the literal sense, it fails to grasp what rainforests REALLY are. Rainforests are defined based on their wildlife, location, and percentage of rainfall.
Wildlife: rainforests are known for their biodiversity, many of which host animals that have symbiotic relationships (relationships where different species of animals work together).
Location: rainforests are located in the tropical region of our world, near the equator. The heat and rain specific to that area help support the wildlife that resides within many rainforests.
Rainfall: rainforests receive an incredible amount of rainfall. On average, they receive 80 inches per year. On some days, they can even receive on full inch.
Keep in mind that all rainforests are different, so they may not all follow these categories exactly. However, most if not all of them do share these same characteristics.
Why are rainforests so important?
Now that we know what exactly what rainforests are, why do they matter so much? If they aren't important, is it even worth preserving them? Well, rainforests are extremely important, essential even. They host up to half of the world's species of animals, plants and insects, and produce a large amount of the oxygen we breathe every day. Without them, our world would not be what it is today. Let's look at some of the specific reasons as to why rainforests are so important.
Biodiversity- as mentioned before, rainforests around the world are home to nearly half of the entire world's species of plants, animals, and insects. That totals up to nearly 5 million different species, all living within about 6% of the Earth's surface.
Oxygen Productivity- in the Amazon Rainforest alone, nearly 20% of the world's oxygen is produced. Because of the sheer amount of trees located within rainforests, they are often very adept at producing oxygen. The trees take in C02 from the atmosphere to use in photosynthesis, and oxygen is created as a by-product in large quantities.
Medicine- many plants within rainforests, because of their unique features, have been used to produce many modern-day medicines, most of which help to cure life threatening diseases.
What's The Problem?
We know that rainforests are great and all. They give us oxygen, and a host of other benefits. But why do we need to be worried about them? Well, the majority of rainforests in the world are quickly disappearing. It is estimated that every year, about 78 MILLION acres of rain forest are cut down, and that number is only growing. As our population increases, so does the need for wood products, and thus more and more trees are cut down, especially within rainforests.
Many farmers, in an effort to make a living for themselves, cut down acres of rainforest to create cattle farms. They then sell or burn the wood they cut down to make a profit. This method of business is extremely unsustainable, and is the root of our current deforestation problems. Here are some sobering facts about the true scale of destruction found in rainforests today:
(Big thanks to raintree.com for providing the facts used in this segment)
Rainforests used to cover about 14% of the Earth's surface, now they only cover 6%.
It is estimated that the remaining rainforests will be gone in less than 40 years.
Experts say that we lose 137 plant, animal, and insect species every day because of the destruction of rainforests.
There were about ten million Indians living within the Amazon Rainforest 5 centuries ago. Now there are less than 200,000.
Currently, 121 prescription drugs for life-threatening diseases have come from the rainforests. Without them, we will not have access to these cures.
It is estimated that a farmer makes about 400 dollars per acre of rainforest if the wood from that acre is harvested. However, if this land was harvested sustainably, they could make up to 2,400 dollars per acre.
Why is this happening?
Hearing these facts may make you question why rainforest deforestation is even a problem in the first place. How could these people not realize that they can make more money, AND SAVE THE PLANET, by changing a few of their business methods? Well it is not entirely their fault. Because our population has expanded so rapidly throughout the past few decades, the world's infrastructure is rushing to keep up. Many businesses need to produce much more than they used to, and they had not planned for such a rapid change.
As such, many farmers located near rainforests do not consider the long term effects of their actions. They see that there is a need for their products now, and they are attempting to supply. Consumers within first world countries want many of the products that come from rainforests, and thus they are given them. It is our responsibility as these consumers to ensure that we are helping the rainforests, rather than hurting them.
Conclusion
Finally, you may be wondering how exactly you can help the rainforests. After all, we are halfway across the globe, how can we hope to help a problem we can't even reach? Well, no matter where you are, there are many ways you can help save the rainforests. The destruction of these forests not only effects the environment, but it effects us in many ways as well. Unfortunately, I do not want to make this post extremely long, so there is so much that I was not able to talk about. If you want to learn more about the rainforests, and how they can be preserved, click here. Also, look to my next post as I will be talking about some of the most popular ways we can help to preserve one of the most vital, life-giving areas of our planet. Thanks for reading.
All credit for information used in this post goes to:
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/amazon/about_the_amazon/why_amazon_important/
http://kids.mongabay.com/elementary/003.html
http://www.elon.edu/e-web/pendulum/Issues/2006/08_31/opinions/rainforest.xhtml
http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm#.WSCjtmjythE
Images:
https://sites.google.com/site/group4projectgroupl/what-is-a-rainforest
http://concordiansaverainforest.org/tag/rainforest/
http://www.oddizzi.com/teachers/explore-the-world/physical-features/ecosystems/rainforests/animals/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropics
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-5560373-stock-footage-rain-in-rainforest-peru.html?src=rel/728530:2
http://kids.mongabay.com/
https://www.oneworldeducation.org/deforestation-amazon
http://www.oddizzi.com/teachers/explore-the-world/physical-features/ecosystems/rainforests/deforestation/
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/meat-burgers-amazon-rainforest/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_rainforest
Note: This is a repost of an earlier post I made. I had to re-post it because there were some spacing issues I needed to fix.
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