The Important Role of the Trees in the Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest is one of the largest and most diverse forests on the planet. The rainforest actually has three parts to it; there is the basin, the forest and the river. The basin is around 1.2 billion acres large. The river is about 4,000 miles long and six miles wide and the forest takes up about 5.5 million square kilometers. Many years ago “Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years” (“Rainforest Fact” 2012).

The trees are being torn down to make room for who knows what. All these trees that are being torn down are causing a huge problem for our ways even if we are not aware of it. Every single one of those trees in the forest plays a very important role in peoples' every day lives. Trees are what create the oxygen that we need to breathe. It is said that the trees in the rainforest alone make about 20-30% of the Earth's oxygen.

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That is a pretty large part of our air. If the destruction continues at the rate that it is going, there will be a lot less trees in the world, and the fewer trees there are, the less oxygen there is for us to breathe.

This could cause a huge problem for not only us, but for other living, breathing creatures that are out there in the rain forest. The trees in the rainforest not only provide oxygen for us, but for all the animals that live in the forest.

Not only do they give the animals oxygen, they also provide them with food and shelter. These animals are completely reliant on the forest. The destruction is tearing down all the trees and plants. Without them, the animals have no food and no home. They are homeless. Either the animals will try to find a home in what little space is left, which is hard because of all the competition, or they will end up dying.

The plants and animals are absolutely helpless and are now extremely vulnerable to not only predators. If things keep, up they won't be around anymore and the Earth's populations of plants and animals will decline drastically because there are around 250,000 species of plants and about 50% the animal species in the rain forest make up its population of living things. With every tree that is cut down, each species' population declines and therefore becomes closer to becoming endangered and eventually extinct.

Could you even imagine a future where kids have no idea what a tiger or a monkey looks like? It's hard to think that one day all of it could be true. We can not let things get that far. It's not easy to understand just how bad the situation really is, unless you are able to witness it first hand. Now, there are a lot of woods around the subdivision where I live. These woods are filled with all kinds of trees and a lot of different species of animals, including birds, bugs, and amphibians. Even the road that leads up to the entrance of the subdivision has woods on both sides. It's so funny to just be driving along and all of a sudden a flock of turkeys scampering across the road in front of your car and hearing them calling to each other.

It is great to be able to see wildlife being, well wildlife. However, even those turkeys couldn't predict what would happen to their home. A year ago, huge trucks pulled up and parked at the edge of the woods near one of the pastures that is on the side of the road. After the trucks sat there for about a week, a wood chipper was brought in and the next day workers were on the scene cutting down the trees in a marked off section of the forest and started putting the bark into the chipper. Every time I passed that area, there were less and less trees. It honestly broke my heart because I thought of all the animals that had to move on and try to find a new home. Also, the grass that surrounded the base of the forest was gone.

All that green was replaced with clay. The workers were there for about a month before they packed everything up and left. Due to this destruction, there were no animals to be found, except for some bugs, a few birds, and frogs. It was so hard to have to drive past that every day. Finally after a couple months had passed, some of the animals returned. Today, that torn down area is coming back to life, but it is still bare. It's not just the forest life that we have to worry about disappearing from our world. The destruction of the rainforest also affects creatures that live in the water.

The Amazon River actually runs into the Atlantic Ocean. Where these two bodies of water meet up called an estuary. This estuary provides homes for many different animals and plants of all kinds. There are shrimp, fish, birds, reptiles, beavers, different types of grass, and many more. This estuary is not only a home to many different species; it is also a nursery for sharks. Some species of sharks will come into estuaries to lay eggs or give birth to their young. The baby sharks will develop and grow up in the safety of the estuary until they are ready to travel out to sea.

A good example of this is the tiger shark, which is one of the main species that go into the estuaries to give birth to their young, which are called pups. These pups are completely reliant on the waters of the estuary to keep them safe until they are ready to venture out. They use it for shelter, food, and yes, even to breathe; it is their life source. These pups will use the trees that are either in the water or hanging into the water from the banks for shelter and as a hiding place. This keeps them safe from any potential predators, such as crocodiles that will make a meal out of them. With humans ripping the trees out, those baby sharks will have no place to run and hide.

Every single day, all these different creatures have to struggle just to get by. The worst part about all this is that its not just plants and animals that are suffering, there are humans that are, too. There are different tribes that live in the rainforest these tribes are just called indigenous tribes. Since they live in the rain forest, their homes and way life is being completely destroyed. It is said that, “In Brazil alone, European colonists have destroyed more than 90 indigenous tribes since the 1900's” (“Rainforest Facts” 2012).

Not only would we be losing our own race, but also different types of natural medicine. These tribes have been able to create all kinds of medicines from just the resources in the forests alone. Without all the resources from the forest, these humans will not be able to create their medicines and therefore not be able to survive as well. This would be a devastating loss for all of man kind because we could learn a lot about new ways to make medicine that is more natural and possibly less expensive. There are even rumors going around saying that these tribes are one of the main causes for the destruction of the rainforest, but it is obvious that that's not true. Major corporations, the government, and some businesses are the real causes for the destruction. See, they think that destroying something so pure and helpless will increase production and help America and other countries to become more efficient and better overall.

“The immediate causes are logging, shifted cultivators, cash crops and cattle ranching, fuel wood, large dams, mining and industry, colonization schemes, and tourism” (“The Causes” 1998). Out of each one of these causes, logging has caused the most harm and damage. It is said that about one and a half acres of the rain forest is torn down every second. At this rate, in about 40 or so years, the rainforest will be almost gone. All of the types of destruction affect not only us humans, but also everything that lives in the rain forests. The proof is not only on the internet and the newspapers, but also on the television.

When different shows go to commercial, there will sometimes be a WWF commercial. This commercial will show a tiger family, a mother and her two cubs, walking around a bare area with a few trees. It is extremely sad to have to see them wondering around with no place to go or hide. At the end of the commercial, a title screen comes up and shows the tiger family in the corner. A phone number is given, and there is information for the viewers to go and make a contribution to help protect the tigers and the rest of the forest from human destruction.

All we can do is hope that there are many people out there that are willing to donate or help out. Otherwise who knows what will happen to the life in those forests. There are some documentaries that actually talk about and show the destruction and all its effects. The three main channels that will actually talk about the destruction are National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet. On Animal Planet, there is a show called Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. It gives cool, interesting documentaries on different animals. For example, yesterday it was on giant pandas. One episode was about the deforestation of the rain forests. It talks about tigers and how the destruction of the rain forest is destroying their homes, their chances of surviving, and why it is the part of the reason that the tiger population is declining.

It is so hard to sit there and watch such a magnificent animal suffer from what humans have done. Watching this happen really makes you want to get up and do something to help out the tigers and the rest of the forests. Fortunately, there is something that we can do to help. To help protect these precious resources and living creatures, we must chime in and be their voice. There are lots of things that we as people can do to help out the rainforest. For example, there are petitions to be signed that will help cease the destruction on the rain forests. Also, one of the most common things that people do and can do is to plant trees around where they live. There are many communities that go out to help increase the amount of trees that are on the Earth.

Zoos are also helping out the rain forest by learning more about all the animals. Some also try to help save the species from being endangered by creating breeding programs. Some people even plant nurseries to help out with saving the populations of the rain forest's plants. The fact that there are so many wonderful people out there that wants to help is so amazing. It gives not only us, but the plants, animals, and the forests hope for the bright future ahead of all of this destruction. Out of all the different global issues, the destruction of the world's forest is the absolute most important issue out there. The rain forests are an important part of the lives of plants, animals, and humans.

The destruction of the forests is not only taking away the homes of plants and animals and some humans, but also the air that we need to breathe. Without these beautiful wonders, the life we know may not exist for much longer with the decline of trees and the oxygen. Most people don't realize what is going on around them. Being able to have a first hand experience really opens your eyes to a problem that most people think is no big deal when it really is a gigantic issue. Trying to undo everything that has been done is almost impossible without the help of everyone out there. All this destruction must be stopped and there are ways that people can help to save the forests. Everything in our power needs to be done to do so. Without these animals what will our world be like? No one knows and let's hope we never have to find out.