Peace Out, Rainforest

The rainforest is known for its beauty and mysterious landscape. It could hold the cure to cancer, provides 20% of our oxygen, holds one fifth of the world’s fresh water, and is home to 50% of the worlds plants and animals, and yet we are destroying it at a rate of 1.5 acres a second (Rainforest).  Something the earth holds dear, could soon be gone forever.

The rainforest only covers 2% of Earth’s surface, but is an essential resource and home to half of the plant and animal species including Tigers, Lemurs, sloths and many other precious species that we know and cherish.  It is very densely populated; according to nature.com, “A typical four-square-mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies”(Rainforest 12).  Almost 4 miles of rainforest gets cut down daily, and many innocent animals lose their homes as we lose our resources.

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  As you probably know, the rainforest has one of the most diverse climates and many of its exotic animals are endangered or in threat of becoming endangered.  According to rain-tree.com, “Nearly half of the world's species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation” (Rainforest Facts par 4).  If we do not stop deforestation soon, we might loose some of earth’s most amazing animals. 

Imagine growing up in a world without these animals.  My 5-year old sister loves tigers.  She runs around the house, pretending she is in a rainforest and roars like a tiger hunting its prey.  It is the most adorable thing you will ever see.  If we cannot put an end to the destruction of the rainforest, these kinds of experiences may disappear forever.

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In addition to what we have already discovered in the rainforest, there is still much to be explored in these diverse jungle. According to Rainforest facts, “25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less than 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists”(Rainforest facts).  We could lose a fourth of the current medicines that we depend on and 99/100 potential sources that have yet to be discovered.  We might be destroying a cure for cancer or a vaccine for HIV. The damage being done to the rainforest could mirror the damage we will do to our own society as a consequence.

As if destroying homes and wiping out medicinal sources wasn’t bad enough, we are also wiping out an essential oxygen, fresh water and food source.  A fifth of our drinking water is found in the rainforest (Rainforest 12).  Water is essential for survival, and we cannot afford to limit its availability.  The rainforest also produces 20% of the world’s oxygen.  Like water, oxygen is pretty essential for survival. After all, we all need to breath! Simply the understanding of the loss of water and oxygen we are sacrificing by destroying earth’s rainforest, should be enough to end deforestation forever.

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"Rainforest" Rainforest Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.

"Rainforests Facts." Rainforests Facts. The Nature Conservancy, 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.