The Tropical Rainforest: Why we should care.

There are many environmental issues confronting mankind as we proceed through the new millennia, not the least of which is the ever-growing problem of the destruction of our tropical rainforests. Why should we care about the loss of rainforests? You may ask, "What good are rainforests to me?" By looking for the answers to these questions one can see that the preservation of existing rainforests, and reforestation of clear-cut rainforest habitat, is one of the important tasks that lay ahead for mankind.

Definition

First, what is a rainforest? As the name implies, it is a forest produced under unusually wet conditions. A rainforest is, however, the most biologically diverse ecosystem on our planet. More species of plant and animals inhabit the tropical rainforests than anywhere else on Earth. Most of these species cannot exist anywhere else. Some of these species are so habitat specific, that their range may only be a few square kilometers. Once the habitat of those species is destroyed, they are lost.

Species

Rainforests are the home to many known medicinal plants and abundantly more that have not been tested for usefulness. It is not inconceivable that cures to many of the diseases that plague mankind could be found in the rainforest. What a shame it would be if the cure to cancer was lost because of deforestation operations.

Air

A rainforest is a huge oxygen-producing engine. The vegetation in a rainforest absorbs tons of carbon dioxide, and through photosynthesis, releases volumes of clean pure oxygen. In the clearing of forested lands, stumps and plant scraps are often burned. In the process tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere. This in turn depletes the protective layer of ozone encircling our planet. This contributes to the "greenhouse effect", which leads to global warming. By removing the trees we are taking away the oxygen generating leaves and by burning we are raising the concentration of carbon dioxide!

Climate

Because of their size, rainforest have the ability to affect the climate. They hold moisture, creating a humidifying effect in their areas. The value of the rainforests to the entire world is immense, and their continued loss is immeasurably harmful to our planet.

Erosion

Vegetation of rainforests act as an anchor, holding the earth in place against erosion from flooding. The huge trees in a rainforest can be thought of as the glue that holds their ecosystem together. With their extensive root system, rainforest trees "hold" this soil and protect it from erosion.

Fertile soil

The soils found in rainforests are poor; only the top few centimeters hold abundant nutrients needs by plants to grow. This high nutrition is provided by plants dropping their leaves. When the leaves and stems fall, they decay thereby releasing the stored nutrients within them for the soil to absorb and the plants reuse. When renewal of the top-soil by leaf fall is stopped and then rain and wind erode, we are usually left with a highly acidic, arid soil, which has little ability to supporting usable plant life.

Animals

The rainforest provides habitat for various species of animals. The canopy, trunk, root system, and even the fallen leaves provide a place for these creatures to live and thrive. What happens when rainforests are destroyed? First, all of the trees, underbrush and the animals not able to escape are killed. Many animals that escape migrate to an area already populated. Since the land will only support a limited number of any species, only a few will survive. At the best we will only have lost those individuals without a habitat. It is possibly, however, that the entire population will uses up all available resources and spirals into extinction.

Pollution

Since the massive root systems that were responsible for catching and holding the rains are no longer there, the water flows freely, sweeping away the fertile top soil and then eroding the lower clays. This leads to flooding and the washing of soil materials into the rivers. The polluted rivers can support fewer numbers and kinds of fish so they grow barren as well. The soil that is left behind is heavily eroded and nutrient poor. Since there is now a surplus of sunlight hitting the soil, the soil begins to dry and weed species that could not grow under the canopy begin to dominate. If seed of the original forest trees germinate, they will be overgrown with weedy vines and choked out before they reach mature size. It takes thousands of years for a forest to regenerate. Pest animal species may begin to inhabit the area.

Weather changes

The loss of canopy affects the local weather. Moisture condensing treetops contribute to the rainfall within and on the borders of rainforests. Winds that would normally be slowed or deflected are allowed to race freely over the soil. A pilot in a low-flying plane would notice a difference in the air currents and other climatic factors above a forest as compared with a bare field. The clouds above a rainforest would be influenced to develop and release rain differently so that desertification can advance where once there were forests. High in the stratosphere the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect will be altered. These are results of deforestation.

The value of tropical rainforests has been established, but a new question arises; what can we do to save them?

El Bosque Nuevo cares about the rainforests; for information on our efforts to save them, click here.

El Bosque Nuevo S.A., San Jose, Costa Rica, Phone: 011 506 8 824 2682, Fax: 011 506 2 234 9574, E-mail: info@elbosquenuevo.org
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