The rain forests of the world are rapidly vanishing. But what are the rain forests and why are so important to the whole world?
There are two kinds of rain forests: tropical and temperate. Temperate rain forests are generally younger than the tropical rain forests. Most temperate rain forests are located in Russia, Canada, and the USA.
Tropical rain forests, on the other hand, are millions of years old and are located in 85 countries around the world from Latin America, Africa, to Southeast Asia. Half of the world’s rain forests are found just in three countries: Indonesia, Congo, and Brazil.
The richness of life in there forests is amazing. Even though these tropical rain forests only cover seven percent of the Earth’s surface, they provide a living area for at least 50 percent of the world7s plant and animal species. Many of these species are not found anywhere else in the world. Humans also live in the rain forests.
The rain forests are important not only for the animals, plants, and people living there. A great benefit of the rain forests is how the trees in rain forests turn carbon dioxide into clean air. The trees store carbon dioxide in their roots, stems, branches, and leaves. This helps to reduce pollution in the atmosphere and also limits the Greenhouse effect, which raises the Earth’s temperature.
Researchers and scientists are discovering that the rain forests may also help them find cures for many diseases. Rain forest plants have provided treatments for heart disease and illnesses like rheumatism. These plants often exist in one small area of forest and, if the forests are destroyed, new ways to fight disease may die with them. “Imagine losing the potential cure for cancer or AIDS that might have been found in a undiscovered plant from the rain forest,” comments a spokesperson for the Tropical Rain Forest Coalition.
The facts about rain forests destruction are scary. Estimates range from 350 to over 1,000 hectares of rain forest being destroyed every hour. Very little of the land that is cleared is being replanted with new trees. Tropical rain forests once covered over 14 percent of the Earth’s surface; they now cover less than eight percent, due to heavy deforestation.
