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Causes and impacts of rainforests
Importance of tropical rainforests environmental sciences essay
The effects of deforestation in the tropical rainforest
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Tropical rainforests are an extremely unique and diverse ecosystem that are located around the earth’s equator. They once covered roughly 7% of the world, but due to human encroachment that has dwindled to just 2%. It is a highly moisture rich environment that typically receives anywhere between 60 and 400 inches of rainfall annually and average humidity ranges from 70 to 90%. A high average year round temperature, coupled with the moisture rich environment, creates an ecosystem that allows for a level of biodiversity seen nowhere else on the planet. This also results in a specific type of layering design that allows the system to survive and recycle its nutrients. The top layers are called the canopy and the emergent layer and they for The dense levels of vegetation absorb tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and help slow down the rate of climate change that the planet is experiencing. This process also produces high levels of oxygen that help to support life around the world. Coupled with the high levels of rainfall that benefit the water cycle, the rainforests are an integral part of the many systems that exist. These forests contain a wide variety of plants that a source of different chemicals that are used to create medicines. The degradation of these areas could potentially lead to the loss of medicines that could cure some of the deadliest diseases and illnesses that Governments in these countries need to stop thinking of forests as a renewable resource. The rate at which they are harvesting these areas drives them beyond the boundaries of sustainability. The efforts required by reforestation may not initially be cost effective, but it will result in not only the survivability of the environment, but of the country’s economy. Widespread awareness of these ideas will help fight against the natural human tendency towards instant gratification and short-term goals. Different methods of logging can be utilized to allow the rainforests to survive and regrow naturally and at a sustainable
Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen and provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter (drug war facts, Page 1).
Deforestation in Costa Rica is done for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is for economical gain. Costa Rica is a third world country so money for the government is tight. “Wood is very easy to extract and tends to have a very high value”(PersonalColby). And because most of Costa Rica is a dense rainforest, the use of the wood for money is being used. The deforestation of Costa Rica affects the rest of the world because with the removal of the forests also comes the destruction of the ways we regain oxygen after exhaling carbon dioxide. “The resource of wood is know as a renewable and nonrenewable resource” (fao). This is because the tree is a plant and another one can grow, but not at the speed in which humans right now use the wood. “It takes within 65 years for a small region of a rainforest to regenerate”(rainforestmaker).
almost a quarter of the medicine we us today. The soil in rainforest is not the richest but on the
Bacteria and fungi are the most common decomposers in a rainforest and can be found in many different ecosystems. The three common producers in the Amazon rain forest are orchids, bengal bamboo, and the banana tree. Bacteria and fungi recycle dead material back into the soil so it can be reused. If the bacteria and fungi in an environment didn’t recycle all the dead material then Earth would be full of remains of dead plants and animals. Orchids, one of the three producers, can be found in the Amazon rainforest. Orchids can be found in many different colors and mostly grow on...
No matter where a person lives, even if it is not near a rain forest, the complete destruction of rain forests will affect living conditions. For years rain forests have provided countries around the word with valuable resources, minerals, lumber, and energy. In Brazil alone the rain forests contains 45% of Brazil’s hydroelectric power. The minerals found in the rain forests of Brazil are estimated to value 1.6 trillion dollars, while the lumber that the rain forests can provide total 1.7 trillion dollars (“In the Forest” 1). Nutrients from decomposing organisms can be found throughout rain forests, including in soil and in trees. To continue destroying forests also destroys the important materials that they are providing to humans.
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type which occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north and south of the equator. The forests are dominated by tall, closely spread trees, with a predominately continuous canopy. This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall during the year. Elements of the biophysical environment of the biome and their interaction with each other Ecosystems develop in response to the interactions between biotic and abiotic components. Certain conditions in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere must occur for the formation of tropical rainforests.
Tropical rainforests which is located between tropic of Capricorn and tropic of Cancer covered 12% of land surface few thousand years ago. However, today they o...
The rain forests are incredible places. They only cover 6 % of the world’s surface however they have more than ½ the world’s plant and animals species. A rain forest can be described as tall and thick jungles. There is a reason behind the forest being called a “Rain forest” and it is because the high rainfall it gets per year. On average, 50 to 260 inches of rain falls yearly. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 34 ºC or drops below 20 ºC. The average humidity in a rainforest is between 77 to 88%. Rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year.
Environmental issues affect every life on this planet from the smallest parasite to the human race. There are many resources that humans and animal needs to survive; some of the most obvious resources come from the forests. Forests make up a large percentage of the globe. The forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that species breath, determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. The wood from the forests are used everyday form many useful resources. Moreover, thinning the forests increases the amount of available light, nutrients and water for the remaining trees. Deforestation (forest thinning) is one of the most critical issues of environmental problems that are occurring today.
In South America lies the largest and most wondrous rainforest in the world, the Amazon Rainforest. This 1.4 billion acre forest represents over half of the planets remaining rainforests, and comprises the largest and most bio-diverse tract of rainforest in the world. Ten percent of all known species on the planet are found in this rain forest, most of which have yet to be discovered. For the past century, the Amazon has been gradually decreasing in size due to agricultural expansion, ranching, infrastructure projects, energy exploration and illegal logging. At its current state, the Amazon is losing land equal to the size of the state of Delaware every year. The destruction of this forest releases 340 million tons of carbon per year according to the World Wildlife Foundation, or WWF, which in turn cause climate changes everywhere around the world. Undiscovered species can hold the key to curing a plethora of diseases, but if those species become extinct those keys are lost forever. If nothing is done to prevent this, the world’s treasure trove of bio-diversity will cease to exist, creating irreversible damage to not only the South American people but also the rest of the world.
In recent years, a lot of attention has been drawn to the undeniable fact that we are rapidly depleting our natural resources, and destroying the environment around us. More and more people are coming to the realization that we must work to preserve our Earth's natural beauty and resources for future generations. One of the biggest issues that our world, as a whole, faces, is the destruction and deforestation of our rainforests. These very same rainforests that we are chopping, and burning down, are home to the most wildly diverse populations of plant and animal species, many of which cannot be found anywhere else on Earth! Three centuries ago, 14% of our planet was covered in rainforests.
Rainforests once covered 14% of the worlds land surface, however now it only covers a mere 6%. It is estimated that all rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Trees are becoming more needed and used everyday. We need them cut down for many reasons such as paper and timber, while also needing them ‘untouched’ for other reasons like oxygen, we have to ask ourselves, which is more important? At the current rate, most of the rainforests are being cut down for resources like paper and timber, but less importance is being placed on main resources like oxygen.
Tropical rainforests have many species of plants and animals. They are very interesting and many scientists today study it. Rainforests are an important part of our environment and it is important for us to protect it. That’s why we have to stop global warming.
The forests around the world a supply a plethora of community amenities and commercial goods , nevertheless forested terrain progressively is becoming transformed to accommodate other uses, including cropland, pasture, mining, and urban areas, which can produce superior private financial returns. The wide array of benefits the forest provides that vanish directly tied to deforestation have resulted in several policies drafted with the sole intention to reduce the frequency of deforestation. This paper has two primary objectives. First, this paper will review and summarize both the preceding and current research on deforestation. Second, it will emphasize the significance of future research and development, as well as other solutions needed
The Redesigned Forest. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing Co. Limited, 1990. Newman, Arnold. Tropical Rainforest. New York: Checkmark Books, 2002.