The tropical rainforests are rapidly disappearing, being destroyed at a rate of 80,000 acres per day, and now only covering 5% of the Earth's land. This is problematic as it leads to species extinction and loss of important ecosystem services. However, there are solutions that can help save the rainforests, such as teaching others about their importance, restoring damaged ecosystems, encouraging sustainable lifestyles, establishing protected areas, supporting environmentally-friendly companies, increasing agricultural productivity on existing lands, developing ecotourism, and reducing/reusing/recycling resources.
1. How to Save the Tropical Rainforest Why the rainforest is dying and solutions to save it!!!
2. What’s going on with the rainforest?? Today, the tropical rainforests are vanishing from the face of the earth. They are continually being destroyed at a rate exceeding 80,000 acres. The world’s rainforests are now only about 2.5 million square miles which is equivalent to the size of Australia. This is just 5% of the earth’s land surface and much of it is impacted by “human activities and no longer retains its full original biodiversity” (How).
3. Why should I care?? The deforestation of tropical rainforests does not only effect its inhabitants but also effects the world. Deforestation causes “species extinction, the loss of important ecosystem services and renewable resources, and the reduction of carbon sinks” (How). However, as depressing as this may be there are things that can be done to stop, slow and even reverse the destruction!!!
4. Solutions!!!!! Five Basic Steps to Saving Rainforests"TREES" serves as an acronym for a concept that was originally devised for kids in elementary school. However, it serves well as set of principles for saving rainforests and, on a broader scale, ecosystems around the world. Teach others about the importance of the environment and how they can help save rainforests. Restore damaged ecosystems by planting trees on land where forests have been cut down. Encourage people to live in a way that doesn't hurt the environment. Establish parks to protect rainforests and wildlife. Support companies that operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment (How).
5. To lessen future forest loss, we must increase and sustain the productivity of farms, pastures, plantations, and scrub land in addition to restoring species and ecosystems to degraded habitats (How).
6. Ecotourism is perhaps the best hope for developing the economy of some rainforest countries. Planners should seek to minimize the environmental impact and maximize the benefits for local communities (How).
7. Reuse- reuse paper around the house, reuse newspapers for stuff around the house Reduce – send emails not letters, use the back and front of printing paper Recycle- For every ton of paper that is recycled, 17 trees live. You can recycle most paper, including white office paper, newspaper and mixed-color paper, through a local curbside recycling program. (Butler)
8. Works Cited "How to Recycle Paper | eHow.com." EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. <http://www.ehow.com/how_9159_recycle-paper.html>. Butler, Rhett A. “Title of this page (see top of browser window for specific page).” Mongabay.com / A Place Out of Time: Tropical Rainforests and the Perils They Face. 9 January 2006. .