Destruction of Rainforests Harms More Than the Trees

Our world's rainforests play a vital role in regulating the planet's temperature and weather patterns. They are characterized by the massive amounts of rainfall that occur annually, and by the diverse organisms that live there. Rainforests are estimated to experience 50 to 260 inches of rain every year. The Amazon Basin holds one-fifth of the world's fresh water, and the forests are estimated to produce around 40% of the world's oxygen. There are two types of rainforest: temperate and tropical. They can be found on every continent except for Antarctica.

via Wikipedia - Public Domain

What Lives in the Rainforests?

Rainforests cover less than 6% of the planet, but they are home to 50% of the world's wildlife. Since rainforests grow in such varying places around the world, wildlife often varies greatly as well. Every animal has adapted to their specific biome, but there are some similarities across the board. Rainforests are home to many animals that have adapted to life in trees, such as birds, monkeys with prehensile tails, and thousands of types of insects. Many birds and insects are brightly colored, such as parrots and butterflies, but many other animals have adapted to camouflage themselves, such as stick insects and some reptiles.

 via Wikipedia - courtesy Luc Viator/www.Lucnix.be

Plant life is also abundant and varied in the rainforests. It is estimated that in a 4 square mile plot of forest, there are 1,500 flowering plants and 750 types of trees. Many of these plants have medicinal value, and have been shown to have cancer-treating properties. As many as 2,000 plants have been shown to have these qualities. Plants close to the ground tend to have large leaves to absorb the maximum amount of sunlight through the thick canopy of trees. 

What's Happening to the Rainforests?

Rainforests used to cover around 15% of the earth's surface, but now they cover less than 6%. It is estimated that around 56,000 square miles of rainforest are destroyed every year. Trees are cut down for profit from the lumber, to convert the land for agricultural use, and to create land for highways and other development. 

Deforestation has negative implications not only for the forest itself, but for the environment of the entire planet. Scientists have estimated that 15% of greenhouse gas emissions are a direct result of deforestation. Destruction of forests also interferes with the production of fresh water by disrupting rain cycles. A recent scientific study has shown that rainforests are turning brown due to increased periods of drought. They are losing their ability to photosynthesize, which is harming the environment further.

via Wikipedia - used under Creative Commons License

The destruction also means that the rainforests' indigenous wildlife is left more open to poachers and other threats. Without the trees to protect them or provide food, many of the species that call the rainforest home will die. This is especially disturbing because of the sheer number of animals that are native to the rainforests. It strikes a concerning parallel to the destruction of coral reefs and the resulting affects on marine life, as noted in the previously posted infographic.

SOURCES

Lang, I. (n.d.). Study: Climate change turns green rainforests brown. The State Column. Retrieved , from http://www.statecolumn.com/2014/04/study-climate-change-turns-green-rainforests-brown/

WHICH ANIMALS LIVE IN RAINFORESTS?. (n.d.). All About Wildlife. Retrieved , from http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/which-animals-live-in-rainforests

Facts About Rainforests. (n.d.). The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved , from http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/rainforests/rainforests-facts.xml

Tropical Rainforest. (n.d.). Blue Planet Biomes. Retrieved , from http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm

Rainforest Facts and Figures. (n.d.). The Rainforest Foundation UK. Retrieved , from http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/Rainforest_facts

Deforestation. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved , from https://worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation