The Rainforests Are Very Important To The World For Many Reasons, Most

The rainforests are very important to the world for many reasons, most of them being very simple. One major reason is that the plants in the forest turn carbon dioxide into clean air, which helps us fight pollution. Also, by absorbing carbon dioxide, the rainforests help deter the greenhouse effect. The trees of the rainforest store carbon dioxide in their roots, stems, branches, and leaves. The plants and animals of the rainforest also provide us with food, fuel wood, shelter, jobs, and medicines. Image losing the potential cure for cancer or AIDS that might have been found in an undiscovered plant from the rainforest. (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996) The vine Aucistrocladus koropensis may be effective in treating AIDS; we can only guess what other beneficial plants may be destroyed before we find them. (Allo, 1996) It is repeated often that the rainforest contains important plants that will cure the worst diseases of today. Although there is scientific proof of its value, the rainforest continues to disappear. In ever sense, a standing rainforest supplies more economic wealth then if it were cleared... ...yet deforestation continues at an alarming rate. (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996) According to the National Forest Association of Forest Industries (1996), there are about 4 billion hectares of forest in the world, of which about 25 percent is tropical rainforest. The rainforest is full of diversity when it comes to the plants and animals that inhabit it... many of them are found no where else on Earth. These species have extremely valuable medical properties... the only known cure for certain diseases come from species of the rainforest. As an example of the rainforest's diversity, a single hectare in Kenya's Kakamega Forest may host between 100 and 150 different tree species, compared to only about 10 different species in a hectare of the forest of North America. (Allo, 1996) The diversity of rainforest species applies to much more than just trees. Although insects represent only 62 percent of the 1.4 million named organisms on the planet, scientists estimate that the total number of arthropods to number between 8 million and 80 million. (Allo, 1996) Only 20 percent of the nutrients of the rainforest are in the soil; 80 percent of the nutrients remain in the trees and plants. The rainwater of the forest is recycled by evaporation. Clouds above the forest's canopy help reflect sunlight which keeps temperatures within the forest to remain more stable. Although rainforests take vast amounts of time to regenerate, young forests are more effective at removing carbon from the air than older forests. Older forests absorb carbon less efficiently, but have more total carbon stored within them. The soil of the rainforests is only suitable for being rainforest soil, crops do not grow well in it. When forests are cut down, the soil erodes quickly and soon only a dry desert remains. Humans also inhabit the rainforests. Most of these people are indigenous, or Indian. It is estimated that there are over 1,000 or more indigenous groups around the world, but they are also becoming extinct. In 1900, Brazil had one million Indians. Today, there are fewer than 200,000 in the Amazon. (Stevenson Press, 1996) There are two types of rainforests: tropical and temperate. Tropical rainforests are found in 85 countries around the world. Ninety percent of these forests are concentrated into fifteen countries, each country containing over 10 million hectares each. (Malaysian Timber Council, 1995) Tropical rainforests are located near the equator, where temperatures stay above 80 degrees Fahrenheit year round. These dense, damp forests occur in Latin and South America, Africa, and in Southeast Asia. Although they [tropical rainforests] cover just seven percent of the Earth's surface, they can provide habitat for between 50 and 90 percent of its plant and animal species. In 1990, tropical rainforests totaled some 1.7 billion hectares. (Forest Alliance of British Columbia, 1996) Half of the world's rainforests lie within the borders of Brazil, Indonesia, and Zaire. A tropical rainforest has three layers: the forest floor, the understory, and the canopy. The forest floor has poor soil. Mainly insects live on this layer, although large mammals like gorillas and jaguars are also found there. Many smaller animals, including anteaters, lemurs, and tree kangaroos live in the understory. This is also where many small trees and shrubs are found. The canopy, or top layer, is made up of the tops of trees which can grow to be over 200 feet high. Many tropical birds, monkeys, apes, snakes, and other animals live in