Essay, Research Paper: Tropical Rain Forests

Tropical Rain Forests
There are many different ecosystems on this planet.
They include tundras, prairies, deserts, grasslands,
forests, alpine environments, ect. One of the most important
and extraordinary ecosystems is the tropical rain forests. A
tropical rain forest is a woodland that usually is in the
tropical zone. It receives heavy annual rainfall, usually at
least 100 inches. It is marked by broad-leaved evergreen
trees forming a continuous canopy. The rain forest is home
to a vastly diverse plant and animal population. Saving the
tropical rain forests is a major concern for the United
States as well as the global community.
There are many types of animals that make the rain
forest their home. Some of them include monkeys, snakes,
birds and millions of insects. There are an estimated fifty
million different species of invertebrates living in the
rain forest. There are new species being discovered all the
time in the rain forest. Just in the last six years 15 new
mammals were discovered in the Philippines. Since 1990 seven
new primates, the order of mammals that includes humans,
have been discovered in Brazil's rain forest. The
discoveries go far beyond animals. Many new species of
plants and fungi are being revealed. These could be used to
make new medicines. Scientists estimate that half of the
worlds species have not even been identified yet. But
everyday an estimated thirty five rain forest species are
becoming extinct. This is significant because these extinct
species can never be used as a medicine. It also disrupts
the ecosystem which could cause harm on other plant or
animal species.
The tropical rain forests are shrinking at an alarming
rate. This year's dry spell in Brazil is resulting in more
fires then ever. According to satellite data burnings are up
twenty eight percent from last year. While people are
setting fires to clear the land, a technique known as slash
and burn, the El Nino weather effect is aggravating those
fires. El Nino has dramatically lowered the humidity in the
Amazon turning loose foliage into kindling. In effort to
control deforestation Brazil's inspectors are fining those
who burn or log illegally. But for every person who is fined
there are hundreds who are never caught. There are only
about three hundred inspectors monitoring the vast Amazon.
In Indonesia the forests are covered by an unhealthy haze
brought on by the uncontrolled fires. According to the World
Wildlife Fund for Nature, deforestation is most rapid in
Asia where nearly eighty eight percent of the forests have
been destroyed. In Pakistan and Thailand four to five
percent of the forest is lost every year. In fifteen years
it could be completely lost, creating semi-desert
conditions.
When forest are cleared without proper planning and
management people living in and around them are deprived of
sources of food, medicine, building material, and water. In
developing countries deforestation particularly affects
women, because they are usually the ones responsible for
providing their families with food and fuel. Women living in
the foothills of the Himalayas often spend a whole day
collecting wood to cook dinner, where as their mothers
collected the same amount in an hour. Deforestation does not
only affect the people who live nearby. If forests continue
to disappear supplies of game, fruit, and nuts dry up. Drug
companies rely heavily on rain forests. Researchers are
currently studying chemicals taken from Australia's black
bean tree to see if they can be used to help treat AIDS.
Extracts from the almost extinct Pacific yew are proving
effective against cancer. So, as the forests vanish so does
the potential of finding a life saving drug.
The destruction of tropical rain forests greatly
affects the global warming situation. The rain forest acts
as a global air conditioner. It cools the planet and
rejuvenates oxygen levels in the atmosphere. Trees use up
carbon dioxide or CO2 in photosynthesis to make their own
food. The growing level of CO2 is a major contributor to
global warming or the greenhouse effect. Since the
Industrial Revolution human activities such as deforestation
and the burning of fossil fuels have caused a dramatic
increase in the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. In the past
one hundred fifty years the level of CO2 in the atmosphere
has risen 27 percent. It is expected to double in the next
hundred years. Consequences of the green house effect will
be severe. Change in sea-level will be the most dramatic
change. Increased variability in weather patterns will
occur. Storms and hurricanes may become more frequent and
severe. Rainfall patterns would likely changes, causing
countries experiencing severe droughts and floods to see an
increase in disasters. Many scientists believe this will
cause an increase in wildfires. The effects are frightening.
New laws and treaties have been signed in order to slow the
process of global warming. Most of them have little effect
however. One such treaty that the Clinton Administration may
sign this month in Kyoto, Japan is quite questionable. It
calls for reduced levels of greenhouse gas emissions and a
timetable for reaching them. It would likely cost five
hundred thousand US jobs every year for a decade, higher
energy costs, and an economic slowdown, however countries
such as China, India, Korea, and Mexico are exempt. Because
these countries are exempt this treaty would do little for
the environment.
The tropical rain forests are vital to the stability of
the earth's environment and the well being of the human
race. The future of the earth's rain forests depends on
management, planning, and careful regulation of tree
cutting. Saving the tropical rain forests is a major concern
for the United States as well as the global community


Works Cited

Philip Hurst. Rainforest Politics. Zed Books

Roy Gallant. Earth's Vanishing Forests. Atheneum

Billy Goodman. The Rainforest (Closer Look At). Copper Beech
Books

Paula Hogan. Vanishing Rain Forests (Environment Alert).
Gareth Stevens

CNN. "Forests Shrinking At Alarming Rate". Oct. 8, 1997

CNN. "In the Amazon, deforestation is on the rise". Nov.
24, 1997

National Geographic Website.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com

Gregg Easterbrook. "Greenhouse Common Sense". US News and
World Report. Nov. 24, 1997

Timothy M. Ito Margaret Loftus. "Cutting and Dealing". US
News and World Report. Mar 10, 1997

Laura Tangley. "New Mammals in Town". " US News and World
Report. Jun. 9, 1997
Smithsonian Website. http://www.si.edu

World Wildlife Fund Website. http://www.wwf.org