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Iguna in tree - J Snodgrass
In all of nature, plants and animals depend on each other for survival. This is called interdependence. For example, some birds can only eat one type of insect, while some insects can only survive in one type of tree. If this tree is destroyed, the insects will have no home. If the insects then die, the birds that rely on them for food will starve and then die themselves. Because of this interdependence, if one type of plant or animal becomes extinct, several others could become extinct as well.
Do people depend on the rainforests?
Rainforests are essential to everyone on the planet – not just the people who live in or near them, as rainforests help to control the world’s climate. Trees are nearly 50% carbon. As they grow, they act like sponges, soaking up carbon dioxide from the air. This helps prevent global warming. Areas such as forests, which can store lots of carbon, are called carbon sinks.
View of TRF - J Snodgrass
As large areas of rainforest are burnt and cleared, the burning releases the carbon that was stored in the trees and this causes the weather to be much hotter. This is called the green house effect. But rainforests are under threat of destruction from a variety of sources.
Read on to find out more from our case study of the Amazon Tropical Rainforest and the conflict that exists between its natural existence and human intervention.
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Tropical Rainforests