Rainforests are the worlds richest biomes. These forests grow mainly near the Equator. Rich in wildlife; they are under threat from humans. Rainforests contain more species of plants and animals than any other habitat on Earth. The largest rainforests are the tropical forests of South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. As the tropical climate is always warm and wet, with no winter, plants can grow all year round. This results in a thick growth of trees, ferns, vines and other plants. These in turn support an extraordinarily rich variety of animals, particularly insects and birds.
Plants grow rapidly in a rainforest and to reach the sunlight, trees grow very tall. The rainforest has three distinct layers; the forest floor, the understorey and the canopy. The understorey consists of tree trunks covered with climbing plants. The forest is surprisingly free of clutter. Leaves, animals dropping and bodies of dead forest animals decompose quickly when they fell onto the ground.
Although they cover only six percent of the earths surface, tropical rainforests contain about three-quarters of all known species of animals and plants. There are plants flowering or producing fruits everywhere, and at any time of the year. These provide a constant food supply for birds, bats, insects, snakes, tree frogs, antelopes, monkeys and other animals.
The trees of the rainforest are prized as timber and large areas have been destroyed by logging. Vast areas of forest have also been cleared to make way for plantations of rubber, coffee, banana and sugar cane, or to provide pasture for cattle. Often this is done by cutting trees and burning scrub. Highways have been cut through the forest, mines dug and new settlements built. As rainforests are cleared, the soil becomes exposed and is quickly washed away by heavy rains. Once rich forest becomes lifeless wasteland. Some of the forest land is quickly replanted with crops. But the soil usually supports only a few harvests before farmers have to move to a new area. Clearing plants from high ground may cause flooding. Soil is washed into rivers, causing them to silt up. Without tree roots to bind the soil, rainwater quickly runs off the cleared land. In the hot sun of the dry season, exposed soils bake hard and crack, making them useless for agriculture.
There is a lot at stake if nothing is done to protect our forests. We will miss opportunities to go for holidays at a national park. Forests also protect water quality and ensure soil stability. Forests provide habitat for most of the plants and animals, and from this bio-diversity we get a wealth of food and medicines essential for our survival. Forests are also home to most of the indigenous people. However, when trees burn or rot, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which adds fuel to an already warming phenomenon that threatens mankind. The increase in temperature may trigger off forest fires and lead to global warming.
Can our forests be saved? Much depends on efforts of the government. Plants for the sustainable management of forests should be addressed and the public should be made aware of the importance of saving our forests. We need the rainforests. They act as the Earths lungs giving off oxygen into the atmosphere. They also contain plants which are used in medicine as drugs. There are many species of plants and animals still waiting to be discovered. International conservation organisations are trying to persuade governments to work together to protect the remaining rainforests.
