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Article By: Carla Hinsey
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What's Happening To Our Rainforests?
I am from Native American decent therefore a huge part of me has always been concerned about the welfare of Planet Earth. I live my life in such away as to tread as lightly upon the earth as I possible can. I do understand that this is a modern world and we all like the comforts that modern society has to offer. The thing that bothers me the most is that many people are completely unaware of the effects we have on the earth. What's worse, the majority of the people don't really care. One person can't really change the way things are, but collectively as an informed society, we can move mountains. It doesn't have to be a huge task. Just knowing about certain things and choosing a different way, we can really make a difference.
The most pressing environmental issues we face today are, global warming, pollution, over population, loss of habitat for the animals, and the destruction of the rainforest. There are many more issues, but these are some of the most severe. The issue I want to address today is the destruction of the rainforests. Some of the other issues fall directly in line with this most serious topic.
There are a lot of facts and figures to wade through but I think it's important to have a basic understanding of these things. They say knowledge is power. Well, if that's the case then I want to give you all the knowledge and power to make a difference.
There are two types of rainforests, tropical and temperate. tropical rainforests cover only seven percent of the Earth's surface. All of them are located on or near the equator. The equator sustains a constant temperature of eighty degrees Fahrenheit. For some reason most Americans believe that rainforests are located in South America. This is not the case. Believe it or not, rainforests are found in over eighty countries around the world. Although the majority of them are in South America, others are located in Latin, Africa, and Southeast Asia. As of 1990 the rainforests of the world totaled over one point seven billion hectares. Over half of the world's rainforests are located in Brazil, Indonesia, and Zaire.
There are three parts to the rainforest, the forest floor, the understory, and the canopy.
The forest floor is where the insects live. You will also find seed droppings from the canopy and understory there. Insect and seed eating animals visit the floor for food. Most of the soil is poor, the trees and other plants store all of their nutrients in their leaves and trunks.
The understory is the space between the floor and the canopy. The air here is very still and humid with the temperature staying constant. Here is where you find the birds and butterflies and at times small monkeys.
The canopy is the roof of the forest. Here it is sunny and windy. The trees range from eighty to one hundred and fifty feet. Others still can reach heights up to two hundred feet. This is called the "emergent layer." You will find the fruits and flowers here along with the animals that eat them.
Temperate rainforests are found in the western parts of North and South America. Their climates are much different than tropical ones. The temperature ranges from eighty degrees to below freezing. The forest soil in temperate forests are much more rich in nutrients. Although the temperate forests plants animals, and trees are far less diverse than those in the tropical rainforests, they play a huge role in the earths Eco System as well.
There are many reasons why we need to conserve the Rainforests. Some of which are, the ability of the rainforests to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, which helps to deter the greenhouse affect. The abundance of plant life is another, whose properties are used in the production of life saving medicines. Most of these plants are found nowhere else on earth except in tropical rainforests. A few examples of modern medicine already discovered from tropical rainforests are anesthetics, contraceptives, enzymes, hormones, laxatives, cough mixtures, antibiotics, and antiseptics. Some medical conditions that are being treated using medicines derived from plants of the rainforests are, cancer, malaria, heart disease, bronchitis, hypertension (high blood pressure), dysentery and tuberculosis.
Scientific studies indicate that only one percent of the species of plant and animals of the rainforests have been discovered, named, and catalogued.
Scientists calculate that over a million different species have yet to be discovered, let alone the possibility of their uses for human kind. Imagine the possibilities of these undiscovered finds. Consider the fact that only two percent of the Earth's surface is covered by rainforests and only six percent of the Earth's surface is land, the rainforests supports over half of the planet's wild plants and trees and one-half of the planet's wildlife. What I find extremely alarming is that scientists estimate that we are losing more than one hundred and thirty seven species of plants and animals every day with the destruction of these rainforests.
In order for you to have an understanding of how important it is to save the rainforests from destruction, here are some facts provided by The World Wildlife Fund.
Some estimations are that thirty to fifty million acres of rainforests are destroyed each year from cutting or burning. If broken down more closely that comes to about twenty to fifty acres every minute of every day. Staggering isn't it! What's worse is that if this trend in destruction continues at this rate, it's estimated that eighty percent or more of the tropical rainforests ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2020. This single event in our modern time is closely matched to the extinction of the dinosaur sixty five million years ago.
Why is this happening? There are many reasons for the destruction of the rainforest, mostly to support farming, ranching, mining, and logging.
With the population increasing in staggering numbers and the demand for more and more wood products the rainforest is quickly being depleted. How could we allow this to happen? Unfortunately, it all boils down to money and greed. It always does. If there is one issue we should all care about, I would say this is definitely one of them. If we, as a people living on this planet, should care about anything at all, it should be the destruction of such a life-giving eco system as our rainforests. God created this habitat for us, and I think we should try to take care of it, and not profit from it.
I have searched for ways that I can personally make a difference here. In searching the internet I have found countless sites that are non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving the rainforests. There are quite a lot of organizations out there. One that I have investigated the most is called Tropical Rainforests Coalition. They sponsor a program to adopt an acre of rainforest. For less than fifty dollars you can adopt an acre of rainforest and protect it from destruction. Other sites offer great ideas for you to consider that are easily adapted into your everyday life. If we all try to make a difference, however great or small, I think we can make a huge change in this most serious situation.
Article Source: ArticleZones.com
About the Author
I am a freelance writer. I write for adults and children. I write both fiction and non-fiction stories and articles. I am of Native American decent and hope to change the lifes of people, young and old, from my writings and experiences. I was shown the old ways when I was young and live my life accordingly, in my writings I hope to show people another way to live their lives. Visit me at http://carla.info451.com
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