Tropical Rainforests are the world’s largest sources of biodiversity and CO2 absorption. Protect our tropical rainforests from deforestation by Protecting an Acre.

" I believe that everyone should do their part to make the world a better place. That's why I became a Rainforest Guardian. "

Rainforests

Tropical rainforests cover a mere 6% of the Earth's land surface yet harbour over 50% of the Earth's terrestrial biodiversity. Tropical rainforests are a place of enchantment and represent the splendour and potential of life on our unique planetary home.

Besides being a place of incredible beauty and wonder, tropical rainforests are also important to us. Of the 3000 plants identified by the National Cancer Institute as a source of cancer fighting chemicals, 2100 are from the world's tropical rainforests. Less than 1% of the estimated 125,000 flowering plant species of tropical rainforests have been examined for their medicinal properties. This is but one example of the richness that exists within rainforests.

However, about 50 million acres (approximately the size of Great Britain) of tropical rainforests are destroyed each year. Much of this deforestation occurs through slash and burn agriculture by subsistence farmers who lack knowledge of sustainable alternatives. The effects of global warming through slash and burn are enormous. It is responsible for 20% of the total global emissions of CO2 into our atmosphere each year. To halt further effects of global warming we must implement climate change mitigation through reforestation programs and insist on the full protection of remaining tropical rainforests. Tropical deforestation also leads directly to the extinction of several thousands of animal and plant species every year and causes changes to global water cycles.

Tropical rainforests are the richest ecosystem on our planet and are an essential element to the planet’s life support machine. In 3 acres of tropical rainforest one can find up to 300 species of trees as opposed to up to 10 in a temperate forest. Panama has over 3000 species of trees in the rainforests of the Panama Canal alone.

Nearly 80% of the Earth’s animal species are from tropical rainforests. It is estimated that each tree in the rainforest could harbor over 400 unique species of insects found nowhere else on earth, such is the immense diversity of tropical rainforests.

Tropical rainforests store approximately 46% of the worlds living carbon and 11% of all soil carbon. The loss of tropical rainforests is more than just the loss of trees, it is the removal of a critical element necessary for our survival.

Eighty percent of the nutrients in tropical rainforests are in the vegetation and not in the soil. This means that the soils are nutrient-poor and become eroded and unproductive within a few years after rainforests are cleared.

The uneven distribution of wealth and land is one major factor in the destruction of tropical rainforests. Over one billion people worldwide depend directly on tropical rainforests. Many of them exist in absolute poverty. This is causing further destruction of rainforests through the inefficient and unsustainable use of their resources through lack of knowledge.

Unfortunately the pressure on tropical rainforests is not decreasing but increasing and it is estimated that within a few decades no large expanse of tropical rainforests will exist.

You can help by protecting an acre of rainforests today.