Frequently Asked Rainforest Questions

What is a rainforest?

• Rainforests are old-growth forests located near the equator in tropical regions and a few temperate regions that receive comparable rainfall.
• They are central to the ecological integrity of the planet and the equilibrium of its climate.

Why are rainforests important?

• They are home to indigenous and peasant communities who have the knowledge of complex forest ecosystems and of sustainable ways to manage them.
• They cover some 7% of the earth’s surface, yet contain between 50% and 90% of all living species of plants and animals.
• They are critical in protecting the world’s climate. Deforestation releases "greenhouse gases" that may cause global warming. It is estimated that forestry activities around the world contribute between 10% to 25% of net annual CO2 emissions.
• They act as the world’s lungs by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and "sequestering" it in living trees and plants.

Who depends on the rainforest?

• More species than any other type of ecosystem. Rainforests contain between 50% and 90% of all living species of plants and animals
• Indigenous communities
• Rubber tappers
• Forest- and river-dwelling people
• In their dependence on biodiversity and a stable climate, people throughout the world

What are the major threats to rainforest around the world?

• Construction of roads and dams
• Deforestation and unsound logging practices.
• Mining of gold and other substances.
• Oil exploration and production
• Land clearing for cattle ranching and farming

What are some of the strategies to protect rainforests?

What are extractive reserves?

• Extractive Reserves are large areas set aside in Brazil for the harvesting of latex, nuts, fruits, oils, and other products as a way of creating sustainable economic benefits from the rainforest without cutting it down. Tour an extractive reserve.
• They are administered by the Brazilian National Center for Sustainable Development and Traditional Peoples (CNPT).
• Existing reserves have proved successful in halting deforestation and resolving disputes over land title.
• Reserves currently make up about 9 million acres of the Brazilian Amazon (.8%) The National Council of Rubber Tappers of Brazil has set 10% of the Amazon as its target for Extractive Reserves..
• The 9 principal extractive reserves in Brazil are listed below.

How important is the Amazon forest?

• The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world, containing some 40% of the remaining tropical forest of the planet. The forest is in Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.
• The forest contains a fifth or sixth of all the fresh water in the word.
• The Amazon forest within Brazil is 30% of the world’s remaining rainforests and is home to about a third of all the plant and animal species on the planet.

At what rate are we losing tropical forests?

• Scientists estimate that 80-90 percent of tropical rainforest will be destroyed by the year 2020 if deforestation continues at its current rate.
• The Brazilian Amazon is being lost at the rate of 13,000 acres a day, about 8 football fields a minute, over the last decade.
• By the year 2000, it is expected that only 10 of the 33 tropical countries will still be able to export timber.
• Data indicate that burning of rainforest land in the Brazilian Amazon increased 28% between 1996 and 1997. Increased burning is compromising the ability of up to half of the Amazon to remain evergreen during the tropical dry season, making it highly flammable.
• Loss of tropical forests is consequently the leading cause of species extinction globally.

What other tropical forests is Environmental Defense currently working to protect?

• Environmental Defense is working to protect the majority of tropical forests remaining on earth - in the Amazon, Indonesia, and Central Africa.

What can you do?