1. General Information Human Interaction with the TRF Biome

2.  Deforestation increases C02 in the atmosphere  Wood is 50% carbon  1859-1990 deforestation released 122billion tonnes of carbon into atmosphere  Led to global warming  Without GW temp would be -18 degrees

3. Lungs of the earth  Trees clean the air by absorbing harmful dust and particles, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen  Less trees means air quality declines  Higher C02 lead to many changes  Extreme weather patterns, floods in australia last year, extreme heat now, mudslides in Brazil, droughts in sahel etc

4. Biodiversity  Rainforest – 50% of worlds biodiversity in 7% of landmass  137 species disappear every day  Losing cures to cancer and aids  1 in four prescription drugs are derived from plants by pharmaceutical ind.

5. Indigenous People  Displacement  Unique knowledge of Rainforest and plants is being lost  53,000 square miles of rainforest lost in 1980’s

6. Soil Erosion  Slash and Burn is used to clear forest – releases nutrients into soil  Increase productivity for short period  Being leached by heavy rain  In 3 years soil can be infertile  Requires artificial fertiliser but too expensive so more land is cleared  Regeneration of forest is slow and soil is eroded