Rainforests: Our Survival Depends on Them

One may describe a rainforest as a beautiful, tall, and very dense jungle. They get their name because they get a high amount of rainfall each year. There are two different kinds of rainforests. Tropical rainforests are the rainforests that are located closer to the equator. They get more than 60 inches of rainfall in a year, some get much more than that. Tropical rainforests cover 6% of Earth's surface. The tropical rainforest temperatures are warm all year long. They hold over 50% of the world's species, and 80% of the world's insect species. Temperate rainforests are located farther north, near coastal areas. The rainforests are, by far, the most productive and complex of all the ecosystems on Earth. They are one of the main elements of the overall global weather system. They are being destroyed at alarming rates.

Rainforests have four levels of growth. The top most layer is called the emergent layer. This layer is where the tallest of trees tower over all. Some trees are as tall as 200 feet above the forest floor. Trees at this level have broad leaves and are the hardwood evergreens. In this top layer, the sun shines brightly, and you can find birds, butterflies, small monkeys, bats, snakes, and insects.

Below the emergent layer, is the canopy layer. This is the primary layer of the rainforest. It forms a roof over the remaining layers. The trees in this layer have smooth, oval leaves that tend to come to a point at the end. Food is abundant in this layer, and as a result, many animals can be found here. You can find many birds, frogs, sloths, monkeys, snakes, lizards, and insects.

The next layer down is called the under-story layer. Because of the density of leaves in the layer above, this layer does not receive a lot of sunlight. The plants in this layer rarely grow over twelve feet tall, but you will find birds, butterflies, frogs, and snakes in this layer.

The fourth layer is called the shrub layer. This layer lies beneath the under-story layer and just above the floor of the rainforest. In this layer, you will find ferns and many small shrubs.

All of the layers are above the floor of the rainforest. On the floor itself, it is vet dark because the sunlight is blocked by the tall trees. Only about 2% of the sunlight actually reaches the floor. On the floor of the rainforest, you will find a layer of leaves, twigs, and dead plants. These things rot quickly and provide nutrients for the plants. Amidst the debris and layers of leaves, there are invertebrates and microorganisms to help hasten the rotting process. Mosses and ferns will grow on the floor of the rainforests because it is warm, moist, and shady. The soil itself is sandy and only has a thin layer of vegetation that is rotting. This area is also the home to larger animals of the rainforests. It is likely to see elephants and even tigers in the rainforests of Asia, leopards and gorillas in the rainforests of Africa, and tapirs and jaguars in the rainforests of South America.

The rainforests are the home to more of the plant and animal species that the rest of the world, all put together. Approximately 2000 trees are cut down every minute in the rainforests. Only one tree is replanted for every ten that is cut down, and it takes close to 60 years for the trees to grow large enough to be used as timber. These species are disappearing, at the rate of up to 50 species per day due to deforestation. That is an astounding 2 species that this planet loses every hour. Over half of the Earth's animal species live in the tropical rainforests. In the peninsular region of Malaysia, it is estimated that half of all mammals and one quarter of all birds will become extinct by the year 2020. All of the lemurs in the world make their home in Madagascar, and are presently in danger of becoming extinct because almost 90% of the rainforests there have been completely destroyed.

Many foods that we consume on a regular basis come from rainforests; bananas, citrus fruits, okra, cashews and peanuts, coffee and tea, coconut oils, sugar, vanilla flavoring, grains and fish are just some of the foods that we get from the rainforests. With the current rate of depletion, how long will it be before those are foods of the past? In addition, we use fibers from the rainforests to make rugs, mattresses, ropes, and string. How well would we sleep at night with being able to lie in our beds? How would our homes feel without any rugs in them? What about some of the other products we use regularly? Tropical rainforests produce oils, gums, and resins that are used in many day to day products. They are used in insecticides, rubber products, paint, varnish, make-up, soap, shampoo, perfume, disinfectants, and even cleaning agents. I cannot imagine that there are many people in this world who would like to see these products disappear. That pretty mahogany dresser that sits in your bedroom, the wood for it may very well have come from a tropical rainforest. Along with mahogany, tropical rainforests are full of other very beautiful woods such as teak, rosewood, sandalwood, and balsa. These are woods that we see every day.

Most of our common houseplants come from the tropical rainforests as well. There are an estimated 225,000 species of plants in the world, of those, 155,000 grow in the rainforests. In the Amazon rainforest, up to 1500 different species of plants can be found within 10,000 square miles. Most of the nutrients of the rainforest are stored in the plant life rather than in the soil. Some plants that are found in the rainforests cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Madagascar, which covers only 2% of Africa has 10,000 species of plants, 80% of these plants cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The largest flower on Earth grows in the tropical rainforests. This flower, known as the Raffesia grows up to three feet in diameter. Upon tropical trees, more than 9000 species of orchids grow.

We have found many medical uses for elements in the rainforests as well. The bark of the cinchona tree was found to produce quinine which is used to combat malaria. A vine extract that was once used to poison arrow and dart tips; curare has been used as a muscle relaxant during surgeries. Secretions from an Amazon frog called Phyllomedusa bicolor, have been used to combat strokes, seizures, depression, and even Alzheimer's. Over 200 of the tropical rainforests plants have been found to have anti-cancer agents. Scientists have only tested one out of every ten tropical rainforests plants, and only intensely screened one out of every one-hundred. With all of the different species of plants that the tropical rainforests hold, scientists may yet find the cure for cancer. In fact, approximately 25% of all medicines that are used by Americans come from the tropical rainforests. If the rainforests continue to be destroyed, scientists may not have the chance to find the cure for cancer or any other diseases.

Tropical rainforests help us to sustain life on this planet too. They act as a natural air purifier for our planet. They store much of the carbon dioxide in the air and release clean oxygen back into the air. Oxygen that we need to live and breathe. One-fifth of the fresh water that drains into our oceans comes from the Amazon River. Just as we need oxygen to live, we must also have fresh water to drink.

With all that the rainforests hold and all the different ways they benefit us, one cannot help but wonder why we continue on with deforestation. Already, 80% of the ancient rainforests have been depleted and only 20% are still standing. Almost half of the tropical rainforests are gone. Between the years 1960-1980, one-third of the rainforests in Asia were destroyed, and close to 90% of the rainforest in West Africa is gone too. In Australia, 75% of the rainforests have been depleted. In Central America, 65% of the rainforests have been destroyed and the land cleared to create pasture for cattle to graze, this land degrades quickly because the nutrients are no longer there. The land is then abandoned. The majority of the rainforests in India and Nepal have been cleared for agricultural uses. Many different species of plants and animal disappear before they can be studied and recorded. For each tropical tree that becomes extinct, it is believed that 20 species of insects will die off too.

Currently, only 4% of the rainforests are protected. With all of the many benefits the rainforests hold, shouldn't there be much more protected than that? Without the rainforests, life as we all know it on our planet would cease to exist. By continually killing off the rainforests, we are not only killing off other species of plants and animals, we are also slowly killing ourselves.