Why Are We So Concerned about Rainforest Disappearing

Rainforest is one of the Earth's most treasured natural wonders and constitute the oldest living ecosystem on Earth. Tropical rainforests are a unique natural heritage which has evolved over 130 million years, resulting in a very rich flora and fauna. To summarize, rainforests:

provide critical ecosystem housing millions of species of plants, animals and microorganisms;

play a vital role in carbon sequestration and climate stabilization;

protect against flood, drought, and erosion;

help alleviate land degradation and desertification;

provide endless supply of plant, medicines and food;

support people and their livelihood

provide a means of ecotourism

Rainforests flourish around the Monsoon Trough, between Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, centered around the Equator, characterized by high annual rainfall, of 1.7–2.0 m (68-78 inches, or an average rain of 1/8" per day), with an average temp. of about
25° C whole year round.
(Pic: The Monsoon Trough, where the Tropical Rainforests are situated)

Tropical rainforest is one of the Earth's most treasured natural wonders and constitute the oldest living ecosystem on Earth. They once occupied 14% of the earth's land surface, but have been reduced to a humble 6% currently. Experts fear that the forests will be lost by 2050 at the rate the forests lands are cleared for commercial motives. Every second, there is 1.5 acres of forest land loss. Current deforestation rate equates to an annual loss of 50 000 species.

Tropical Rainforests are crowned the Jewels of the Earth

Tropical rainforest play a vital role in carbon sequestration and climate stabilization:
They account for less than 6% of the Earth's land area. But they store up to half of the carbon locked inside the Earth's terrestrial vegetation, behaving as a critical sponge for greenhouse gases, playing an outsized role in climate change. Globally, tropical trees in undisturbed forest absorb about 18% or 4.8 billion tonnes of the carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels. This includes a previously unknown carbon sink in Africa, mopping up 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

Tropical Rainforests harbor the greatest gene pool in the world, having evolved over millions of years to turn into the incredibly complex environments they are today. The gene is a basic building block of living things and every species is evolved by various combinations of these blocks. The rainforest has nurtured this "pool" over this length of time to become home for 170,000 of the world's 250,000 known plant species.

40% - 75% of all species on Earth are indigenous to the rainforests, more than the oceans that cover nearly three-quarters of the earth. Millions of species of plants, insects, and microorganisms are currently still undiscovered and unnamed. They also provide a home for many of the world's most fascinating animals. The tropical rainforests have about 5 - 20 times more species of trees than in the temperate zone of North America or Europe. There may be 40 -100 different species in 1 hectare of a tropical rain forest.

About 80% of world's diet originates in tropical rainforests. These includes fruits like avocados, coconuts, figs, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, guavas, pineapples, mangos and tomatoes; vegetables including corn, potatoes, rice, winter squash and yams; spices like black pepper, cayenne, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar cane, turmeric, coffee and vanilla and nuts including Brazil, pine, and cashew nuts. Out of the 3000 fruits found in the rainforests; only 200 are now in use in the Western World. The potential of supply is tremendous and endless.

Orangutan of the Kalimantan Tropical Rainforests, Malaysia

Jaguar: Indigenous to the Amazon rainforests

Food myriads from tropical rainforests:
fruits, nuts, vegetables, and spices

Rainforests are also called the Earth's Lungs as they have been thought to supply about 28% of the worlds oxygen, although it is now known that rainforests contribute little net oxygen additions to the atmosphere. Like all mature forests they are approximately carbon neutral. (Recent evidence suggests that the majority of rainforests are in fact net carbon emitters.) They also help in the cooling of atmosphere, acting as an air conditioner of the atmosphere.

They are viewed as the world's largest pharmacy house. Some 120 prescription drugs sold worldwide today are derived directly from rainforest plants. And according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, more than two-thirds of all medicines found to have cancer-fighting properties come from rainforest. 70% of the 3000 such plants identified are found in the rainforest. The biodiversity of the tropical rainforest is so immense that less than 1 percent of its millions of species have been studied by scientists for their active constituents and their possible uses.

Natural Compounds against HIV Virus
In 1986, botanists from Sarawak and the National Cancer Institute of the US discovered that one of the components of the bintangor tree, was effective against the HIV virus responsible for AIDS. Subsequently, a joint partnership was established for the development and commercialization of this drug. Currently, clinical trials are conducted. (Pic: Bintangor tree)

Chocolate from the cocoa tree contains polyphenols for heart disease prevention

Clavillia has many active compounds like proteins, triterpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, and steroids.

Annatto Oil contains carotenoids. Also used to treat heartburn.

We thus realize that rainforests have contributed such an extensive and endless wealth of resources for the survival and well-being of mankind. Forests are home to 350 million people, and over 90% of those living on less than $1 per day depend to some extent on forests for their livelihoods. These resources have included basic food supplies, clothing, shelter, fuel, spices, industrial raw materials, and medicine.

Equally important is the major role they play in maintaining a sustainable ecosystem (in flood alleviation, soil and water conservations), and a stable climatic system for our future.

So now we know why we should be so concerned about rainforests disappearing. Maintaining resilient forest ecosystems could contribute not only to reduced emissions, but also to adaptation to future climate change. The loss of these forests will make it impossible to contain the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels at a 445 - 490 ppm, and the avoidance of catastrophic climate impacts out of our capabilities. Thus forests will need to form a central part of any global climate change deal.

References and related news:

Tropical Rainforests: Rainforestcoalition.org
Key Role of Forests May Be Lost: News BBC April 18 2009
Tropical Rain Forest: Blueplanetbiomes.org
Amazon Carbon Sinks Effect 'Slows': News.bbc.co.uk
Tropical Rainforest: Indianetzone
Tropical Rainforests - Harbors of Diversity: Environment.about.com
Deforestation - Amazon Rainforest - Brazil Pledges to Cut Amazon Deforestation
Rainforests Conservation Can Help US Businesses Reduce Costs: Mongabay April 20 2009
Climate Change - Financing Global Forest - Eliasch Review

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