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Listen to the rainforest sounds. . . watch the videos. . . sign up to the call to stop deforestation . . . check out the lesson, assembly and activities . . .
Fact sheet:
Why rainforests matter www.rainforestSOS.org
Other plants and animals Our climate and weather – our food
Tropical rainforests may be home to up to half Tropical rainforests regulate their local climate
of the world’s known species of plants and by maintaining regular rainfall, and preventing
animals and many more unknown plants and floods and droughts.
animals. The vast range of plants (flora) and
animals (fauna) is important. The interlocking forest tree roots hold the soil
together preventing soil erosion and land slides,
Around 80% of the developed world’s foods, helping the soil and trees to absorb water, so it
including potatoes, rice and yams; fruits; nuts, can be released slowly into streams and rivers,
spices and of course, coffee and chocolate, maintaining the water flow and preventing
originated in the tropical rainforest. In addition flooding. The trees also soak up rainfall
valuable medicines come from some of the brought by tropical storms and release it at
plants and many more plants are thought to regular intervals through transpiration (a plant’s
have useful properties that will help mankind. Central American Harpy eagle way of cooling down). This maintains humidity
(water in the air) and adds to local rainfall.
Indigenous and local peoples
Indigenous peoples account for 6% of the total The hot and wet but stable conditions
world population (6 billion) and around a sixth combined with year round sun create the
of them depend on the forests for their habitats for all the plants and animals in tropical
livelihoods. The Amazon River Basin is home to rainforests. And the cloud formation and rainfall
over 300 different tribes, of which around 70 effect from the rainforests reach far beyond the
have had no contact with the outside world. forest, providing many countries with fresh
water for drinking and growing food crops.
These tribes have unique cultures, ways of
relating to the environment and have retained Carbon removal (sequestration) and storage
unique social and cultural practices. As Tropical rainforests store vast amounts of
custodians of the forest, their understanding carbon. The trees make food by absorbing and
about the environment in which they live, the Amazonian squirrel monkey converting carbon dioxide into simple sugars
natural resources on which they depend, and locking away the carbon in their tree trunks.
most importantly, how to protect them, is Tropical rainforests store more carbon than any
invaluable. other vegetation type on land.
Listen to the rainforest sounds. . . watch the videos. . . sign up to the call to stop deforestation . . . check out the lesson, assembly and activities . . .