Rain Forests at Risk T here is no other place in the world quite like a rain forest From the leaf litter on the ground to the tops of the trees towering above the forest is teeming with a fantastic display of plant and animal life On the floor of the forest among the ferns and buttress roots of the trees you will find thousands of species of insect centipede millipede and earthworm A few yards up strangler figs and lianas coil their way around the tree trunks creating aerial walkways for animals such as giant spiders tree frogs lizards and snakes High in the warm wet layer of the canopy a multitude of flowers fruits and seeds provide food for species including bats birds and monkeys Toucans live on the fruits of figs palms and passion plants Their continued existence is threatened by the destruction of the rain forests 4
The rain forests of the world are being threatened because they are cut down and burned by people who want to use the land for other purposes The rain forest is a truly incredible habitat supporting an enormous wealth of life But is this all about to be lost In the distance strange noises can be heard It is the sound of trucks and bulldozers making their way through the forest It is followed by a deadlier noise the sound of a chainsaw Soon the trees will start falling The plants that lived among them and the animals that lived on them will die Many will die out completely because they are found nowhere else on Earth The rain forests of the world are disappearing The rain forest has an enormous diversity of plants including many unique fern liana shrub and tree species 5
