Rainforest Benefits By Hatty Martin + Rebeccah Webber

Contents 1.Environmental 2.Economic 3.Social

Environmental 1.Climate Regulation 2.Biodiversity 3.Soil Quality

Economic 1.Wealth of the rainforests 2.Medicines 3.Foodstuffs 4.Building Materials

Social Indigenous people 1.Sustainable lifestyles 2.Knowledge

Climate Regulation The huge amount of energy used by evapotranspiration in the forest is released higher in the atmosphere when water vapour condenses into clouds. Tropical rainfall provides three quarters of the energy that drives the atmospheric wind circulation through the release of this energy (called latent heat). The clouds that form over tropical forests reflect incoming sunlight (solar radiation), shading the land and helping to reduce surface heating, although there is still some uncertainty about this process. New research in boreal forests suggests that these forests also play a role in cooling the climate by releasing chemicals such as terpenes that act as cloud condensation particle In summary, the benefits to human wellbeing of the climate regulation processes of evaporative cooling and carbon sequestration in tropical forests outweigh the global warming effect of deforestation. But more research into forest-atmosphere interactions is needed.

Biodiversity The biodiversity of the tropical rainforest is so immense that less than 1 percent of its millions of species have been studied by scientists for their active constituents and their possible uses. When an acre of topical rainforest is lost, the impact on the number of plant and animal species lost and their possible uses is staggering. Scientists estimate that we are losing more than 137 species of plants and animals every single day because of rainforest deforestation. Surprisingly, scientists have a better understanding of how many stars there are in the galaxy than they have of how many species there are on Earth. Estimates vary from 2 million to 100 million species, with a best estimate of somewhere near 10 million; only 1.4 million of these species have actually been named. Today, rainforests occupy only 2 percent of the entire Earth's surface and 6 percent of the world's land surface, yet these remaining lush rainforests support over half of our planet's wild plants and trees and one-half of the world's wildlife. Hundreds and thousands of these rainforest species are being extinguished before they have even been identified, much less catalogued and studied.

Soil Quality Despite the growth of vegetation in a tropical rainforest, soil quality is often quite poor. Rapid bacterial decay prevents the build up of humus.. Most trees have roots near the surface as there are not many nutrients below the ground; most of the trees minerals come from the top layer of decomposing leaves (mainly) and animals. Tropical soils may be quite fertile. If the trees are cleared, the rain can get at the exposed soil, washing it away. Eventually streams will form, then rivers. Flooding becomes imminent.

Wealth of the rainforests Currently, 121 prescription drugs currently sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. And while 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less than 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. Rainforest plants are rich in secondary metabolites, particularly alkaloids. Biochemists believe alkaloids protect plants from disease and insect attacks. Many alkaloids from higher plants have proven to be of medicinal value and benefit. More than half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical rainforests. One-fifth of the world's fresh water is in the Amazon Basin. One hectare (2.47 acres) may contain over 750 types of trees and 1500 species of higher plants.

Medicine The majority of natural medicines available on the market today come from tropical rainforests. Between 70 and 80 percent of the world's population depends on plant medicines. Hundreds of prescription drugs are made in some part from plants found only in the rainforest. The rainforest is also the original source of curare. The people of the Amazon use this to poison their arrows. It is now also used in muscle relaxants. Muscle relaxants are very important when people need surgery, as they help surgeons to perform their jobs as effectively as possible. The important thing to remember is that the things we do not yet know about rainforest plants could be very important. Breakthrough medicines could be lying undiscovered in the rainforest. If we destroy the rainforest, we destroy the possibility of discovering such breakthroughs.

Foodstuffs Coffee and bananas are well-know foodstuffs which originated in the rainforest, but there are many more. Forests yield many different types of fruits and cereals and nuts and half the worlds main crops were originally discovered in the tropical forests. Amongst the more widely used are tea, coffee, sugar, bananas, oranges and lemons, pineapples, avocados, rice and peanuts. It is surprising how many foodstuff which we take for granted originated in the rainforest. The domestic chicken for example, was bred from red jungle fowl of Indian forests. Many spices such as cloves, vanilla and cinnamon which are used to make cakes and biscuits also come from the rainforest. More than 1,650 know as tropical forest plants have potential as vegetable crops. Coffee and bananas are well-know foodstuffs which originated in the rainforest, but there are many more. Forests yield many different types of fruits and cereals and nuts and half the worlds main crops were originally discovered in the tropical forests. Amongst the more widely used are tea, coffee, sugar, bananas, oranges and lemons, pineapples, avocados, rice and peanuts. It is surprising how many foodstuff which we take for granted originated in the rainforest. The domestic chicken for example, was bred from red jungle fowl of Indian forests. Many spices such as cloves, vanilla and cinnamon which are used to make cakes and biscuits also come from the rainforest. More than 1,650 know as tropical forest plants have potential as vegetable crops.

Building Materials Trees are logged both legally and illegally to supply the timber trade. The industry is worth billions of pounds as the insatiable demand for wood in Japan, Europe and USA grows. The rainforest people use a wide range of building materials when making houses, dens, equipment, these materials are: the logs of trees, branches, leaves, plants, anything the rainforest people could get their hands on! Once again, the forests suffer at the hands of the energy companies. Drilling rights are bought, trees felled and wells erected in the pursuit of 'liquid gold'. For all the reasons that mining destroys the forests, oil and gas exploration are the same.

Sustainable lifestyles Although some indigenous people live like we do, many still live as their ancestors did thousands of years ago. In many cases indigenous people rely on the rainforest for food, clothing and medicine Most tribal children don’t go to school, instead they learn about the forest from their parents and other people in their community. They are taught how to survive in the forest. They learn how to hunt for fish, and which plants are useful as medicines and food. Some of these children know more about the forest than scientists do. Indigenous people rely on the rainforest for food, medicines, shelter and clothing. They live a sustainable existence, meaning they use the land without doing harm to the plants and animals.

Knowledge They possess knowledge of the natural environment that enables them to make their living in remote areas without modern infrastructure. One of the most exciting areas of research in tropical forests is ethnobotany which is the study of how people use native plants to treat illness and disease. Forest people have an incredible knowledge of medicinal plants with remedies for everything from snake bites to tumors.