Rainforest Destruction:
Understanding the Cross Cutting Issues InvolvedKey Facts
Often described as the Earth’s lungs, only in reverse, the tropical rainforests take in vast quantities of carbon dioxide, and through the process of photosynthesis, are able to convert it into clean, breathable air. In fact, the tropical rainforests are the single greatest terrestrial source of air that we breathe.
While tropical rainforests cover only 2% of the Earth’s land surface, they are home to two-thirds of all the living species on the planet.
Nearly half the medicinal compounds we use every day come from plants endemic to the tropical rainforest. If a cure for cancer or AIDS is to be found, it’ll almost certainly come from the tropical rainforests.
Circling the Earth’s equator like a belt, the tropical rainforests maintain a near constant temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit and receive anywhere from 160 to 400 inches of rain per year. These favorable weather conditions allow all life forms to flourish year- round. Furthermore, by virtue of their location, the tropical rainforests were spared the extreme loss of life that characterized other regions of the globe during the ice ages. These two factors help explain why the tropical rainforests are home to between 50 and 70 million different life forms.
http://www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_007.htm
The Rainforest in One Minute:
