YOUR DECISIONS AND ACTIONS REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND CAN CHANGE THE WORLD IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED YOU COULD JOIN A RAIN FOREST PROTECTION CAMPAIGN OR ORGANISE AN EARTH DAY EVENT AT YOUR SCHOOL YOU COULD FIND OUT ABOUT AN ENDANGERED RAIN FOREST ANIMAL OR TRIBE YOU COULD CHOOSE TO SPONSOR A TREE OR NOT BUY PRODUCTS MADE FROM TROPICAL HARDWOOD CAMPAIGNERS SAY WE ALL NEED TO ACT AND DO OUR BIT TO BE GREAT GUARDIANS OF THE PLANET FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS AFTER ALL THERE’S ONLY ONE EARTH Mary Colson What Happens If the RAIN FORESTS Disappear
Deforestation threatens more than just the trees that are cut down It affects every part of the life cycle from tiny insects to humans Nature’s Paradise Imagine a place that teems with life It is full of trees waterfalls rivers animals plants noises smells sounds and movement Hot and humid wet and steamy this place is home to an estimated 50 million different species including bright scarlet macaws beautiful jaguars and brilliant (cid:79)(cid:92)(cid:84)(cid:84)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:78)(cid:73)(cid:80)(cid:89)(cid:75)(cid:90)(cid:3)(cid:91)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:91)(cid:3)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:197)(cid:72)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:91)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:80)(cid:89)(cid:3)(cid:94)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:78)(cid:90)(cid:3)(cid:24)(cid:25)(cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:23)(cid:23)(cid:3)(cid:91)(cid:80)(cid:84)(cid:76)(cid:90)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:3) minute This is the most biodiverse environment on the planet Welcome to the incredible rain forest Earth’s green belt For millions of years the rain forests of the Earth have provided clean air for us to breathe When we breathe out we release a poisonous gas called carbon dioxide Rain forest plants and trees absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen Located in the warm central belt of the Earth the rain forests survived the last ice age but now they are in danger and they are disappearing fast 4 The Amazon rain forest is the world’s largest tropical rain forest It covers 3 7 square miles 6 million sq km Around half of all the world’s known animals and plants live there N umber Crunc h i n g Why are rain forests so important
The jaguar is one of the species threatened with extinction if the rain forests disappear Under threat Scientists estimate that half of the world’s rain forests have been destroyed in the last 25 years as a result of human activities The rain forest is rich with valuable resources Farmers clear the rain forest to use the land for cattle ranches and crops Trees are cut down to provide timber for the construction industry Large companies and governments make fortunes selling oil All of this comes at an incredibly high price Fragile forest Natural processes on Earth are often interlinked When something happens such as the rain forests disappearing it can trigger a series of actions that can have devastating effects This book looks at the chain of links between the causes and effects of rain forest destruction Why are rain forests so special and what will happen if they disappear 5
