preview

Deforestation In Rainforests

Decent Essays

Rich black soil, towering tropical trees, the distant sound of a hollering monkey and the smell of damp leaves paint the picture of a tropical rainforest. The most famous and valuable tropical forests include the Amazon, Congo Basin, Indonesia and the forests of the Russian Far East and have been debated as endangered for decades. These rainforests mainly differ in soils, geology, precipitation patterns, the wildlife which resides there but all share the abundance of natural wealth including sturdy woods, medicines and spices and are sought out by many. However the long debated question still stands if deforestation is something of the past or an on going and current threat. Deforestation is defined as the intentional or natural clearance of forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land and adverse environment effects. () Today forests still cover roughly 30% of the worlds land area however this number is sure to dwindle down due to the loss of 46-58 thousand square miles annually, equivalent to approximately 48 footballs fields every minute.” (WWF) The decline in trees translates for loss of habitat and homes for the millions of exotic creatures which call rainforests for example the Amazon, home. The Amazon alone is home to more than two-thirds of the 1.4 million species known to man however this is not even close to the extent of the wealth the drizzly rainforest has to offer. (Rothbard, David and Craig Rucker) Species who’s habitats are threatened by deforestation are often unable to prosper in the small forested acres left behind. Therefore species become vulnerable to trophy hunters or poachers causing numbers to begin to dwindle, some eventually succumbing to extinction. Even a lighter non commercial local deforestation can result in extinctions due to many unique species living in small isolated parts of the rainforests across the globe. (WWF) According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) affected species includes: giant pandas, tigers, rhinos, orangutans, Asian elephant, many species of apes like the gorilla and the Amur leopard (WWF). Rainforests are not only threatened by the effects of commercial and large scale deforestation but also by the communities of people

Get Access