Rainforest
Rainforest are forest that receives great amount of rainfall like the Tropical and Temperate rainforests. More than half of the world's species of plants and animals are found in the rainforest.
Tropical rainforest which can be found near the equator covers 2% of the earth's total land area, and are often called the "Earth's Lungs" because of the fact that they produce substantial amount of oxygen into the atmosphere. Also, 80% of the world's biodiversity are found in tropical rainforests.
Temperate rainforest occurs in the subtropical and temperate region and are characterized with coniferous or broadleaf forests. Salmon and bears are amongst the species of temperate rainforest.
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[edit] Uses
Timber as well as animal products are primary source that can be harvested from rainforests. Forests that are declared national parks have value for ecotourism destinations and for the ecosystem services provided. Many foods originally came from tropical forests, and are still mostly grown on plantations in regions that were formerly primary forest. Plant derived medicines are commonly used for fever, fungal infections, burns, gastrointestinal problems, pain, respiratory illness, and wound treatment.
[edit] Biodervisity
The biodiversity of the tropical rainforest is immeasurable and tremendous that only a fraction of a percent of its millions of species have been studied by scientists for their possible use and benefits. Additionally, more than half of the world's estimated 10 million plant and animal species. Rainforests are home to at least 3000 fruits and today, 121 prescription drugs are sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources.
[edit] Amazon Rainforest
- Related Article: Amazon Rainforest
Is a basin of moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon River Basin of South America. The basin has a total area of seven million square kilometers of which almost eighty percent is covered by rainforest. It is so vast that it reaches nine territories - Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The Amazon represents over half of the world's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the planet.
[edit] Other Rainforests
- Central America - large areas of rainforest in Central America has been cleared for cattle ranching and sugar cane plantation expansion. The Central American Rainforest stretches from Souther Mexico to the countries of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Belize and as as far as some islands in the Caribbean.
- Central Africa - considered to be as the world's second largest rainforest. Madagascar an island east of Central Africa is home to 2000 plant and 7000 tree species with about 80% being endemic. Some national parks like the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda is home to elephants, hippos, antilopes, buffaloes, tree-climbing lions, mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, pythons and crocodiles. Kenya's Kakamega Forest National Reserve has some 380 plant and 350 bird species.
- Southern and South East Asia - with rainforest stretching from India to the Malayan Peninsula. The monsoon rains played a significant role in maintaining these rainforests. Also, Bangladesh has the largest area of mangrove forests in the world which also supports and sustains marine biodiversity.The Southeast Asian rainforests are the oldest and consistent surviving rainforests on Earth, dating back to the Pleistocene Epoch 70 million years ago. It has a biological diversity and abundance unequaled by that of the Amazon or African rainforests. Orangutans and Tigers are the most famous species. The Rafflesia is a giant flower smells like a rotting corps, the foul scent attracts flies which will then help in pollination.
- Australasia - Australia, New Zealand and the island of New Guinea formed a unique rainforest as it isolated from the rest of the world.The island of New Guinea, the second largest in the world, has a great expanses of tropical rainforest. Much of New Guinea rainforests are still untouched and in some remote and inaccessible regions natives may have never seen a white-skinned person.
[edit] Destruction
Tragically, the tropical rainforests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. According to Rainforest Action Network, more than an acre-and-a-half is lost every second of every day or an area larger than all five boroughs of New York City. Rainforests are destroyed due to increasing economic activity, population growth or urbanization and increasing land area demand for cultivation.
[edit] Causes of Destruction
- Logging - Commercial logging operations inorder to produce timber, which is a source of income and contributes greatly to the local economy.
- Agriculture - rainforests are cleared inorder to increase farming production particularly crops as the demand continues to rise due to the world's rapid population growth. As population continues to grow the threat to our rainforests will continue to worsen.
- Fuel - forests provide a good source firewood used in cooking and heating. In some parts of the globe, fuelwood are used to produce charcoal - which can be a very good source of income.
- Dams - huge dams used to power Hydroelectric plants will put rainforest ecology and its biodeversity into an end as these areas will permanently be submerged in water. India and South America, suffered hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests being destroyed by the building of hydroelectric dams.
- Mining - leads to direct forest loss due to its clearing operations to establish mining facilities. Mining also involves the use of explosives for blasting operations which severely disturbs the forests ecosystem.
- Colonization - because of rapid population growth, real estate and housing industries continues to develop land for settlement and some of these are forest areas.
[edit] Conservation
To avoid further destruction and deforestation, local governments, activists, environmentalists, researchers and scientists join together in protecting rainforests. Most rainforests are now declared as National Parks which prohibits land conversion, infratructure building, mining and logging. Measures like 'log ban' are also being implemented in some countries.
[edit] Reforestation
- Related Article: Reforestation
Replanting of trees to areas that suffered severe forest depletion promotes and helps the quality of human life by reducing pollution and dust from the air, rebuild natural habitats and ecosystems, mitigate global warming and climate change and harvest for resources.
[edit] Indigenous Settlement
An estimated of 50 million tribal people living in rainforests. Tribal people entirely depends their source of food, shelter and basic needs from the forest itself. The Pygmies in Central America, Huli in New Guinea and Yanomani in South America.
[edit] Effects of Climate Change
- Related Article: Climate Change and Global Warming
It was thought before that tropical rainforests were unaffected by the effects of climate change and global warming. Recent research and studies concluded that the warming of the environment causes the clouds to form in a higher altitude, drying out some of the habitat and unexpected changes in the flora and fauna. This incident was observed at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica. One significant findings is the disappearance of some toads, lizards and other amphibians because of the warming shift. It has also been confirmed that the warming of the climate, causes the rainforest to produce and give off more Carbon Dioxide to the atmosphere than they absorb. This findings reverses the common belief that tropical forests are always a sink for carbon dioxide, by taking huge amounts out of the atmosphere.
