Rainforest no more
Rainforests are the world's powerhouses, the most vital habitats on the planet.
Rainforest no more
Rainforests are the world's powerhouses, the most vital habitats on the planet.
Characterised by high rainfall, they only cover 6% of the Earth across the tropical regions,
but they contain more than half of its plant and animal species.
Fast-growing trees form a dense canopy that prevents much sunlight reaching the forest floor and discourages undergrowth.
The canopy is where it's at, and it hums with an incredible diversity of life.
Brasil
Brazil has almost four times the tropical rainforest cover of any country in the world.
Sadly, year after year it loses more and more of the forest to cattle ranching,
soybean farming, logging, and mining.
Lands managed by indigenous communities, however, remain some of the healthiest
and most biodiverse in the country.
By helping Indigenous communities protect their homelands we also ensure that
the rainforest will be there for future generations.
Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet.
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.
But forests around the world are under threat from deforestation, jeopardizing these benefits.
Deforestation comes in many forms, including fires, clear-cutting for agriculture,
ranching and development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate change.
This impacts people’s livelihoods and threatens a wide range of plant and animal species.
We’re losing 18.7 million acres of forests annually, equivalent to 27 soccer fields every minute.
Forests play a critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as a carbon sink—
soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere
and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns.
Deforestation undermines this important carbon sink function.
It is estimated that 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation.
Out of the 6 million square miles
Something to think about!
Out of the 6 million square miles (15 million square kilometers) of tropical rainforest that once existed worldwide,
only 2.4 million square miles (6 million square km) remain.
Only 50 percent, or 75 million square acres (30 million hectares), of temperate rainforests still exists,
according to The Nature Conservancy.
Ranching, mining, logging and agriculture are the main reasons for forest loss.
Between 2000 and 2012, more than 720,000 square miles (2 million square km) of forests around the world were cut down —
an area about the size of all the states east of the Mississippi River.
Source: Live Science
