Why are rainforests important?

Rainforests are a perfect habitation for flora and fauna

It is said that the development and formation of tropical rainforests spent a period of over 50 to 100 million years. Ecologists believe that these rainforests are a complex form of ecosystem that are found on the earth. They are also the oldest on planet earth hosting a populace of over 25 million species of animals and plants. This population represents 50% of the entire wildlife that is found on the globe and it is a representation of over 60% of the population of flora on the globe.

Since most of the tropical rainforests grow in sturdy and warm environments, it has an array of varieties of various plants. A hectare of land on the lowland areas could contain a populace of over 1000 trees with a variety of over 300 species. In the United Kingdom, the forests thereof are said to have a variety of an average of 8 species for every hectare. This is close to 60 times of the number of species that are found in a given hectare of a rainforest. The plants are said to be shade to the animals thereof and these animals depend on the plants so that they can survive. It is said that there are a host of other rainforests that are still undiscovered.

They help regulate the climate

According to the research that was done in the recent past, the rainforests are said to be storage of water just like sponge would do. It is said that the Amazonian rainforests singly hold over 50% of the rainwater on the earth. Rainforests draw up water from the floor of the forests and they let it go back to the air in the form of clouds and mists in a swirling manner. If the rainforests did not recycle significant amounts of water, it would be next to impossible to feed rivers in the world over, and irrigation systems and lakes. Drought would be a prevalent occurrence across the globe which would mean increased widespread of diseases and famine.

Moreover, trees are involved in the cleansing of the environment. The carbon dioxide produced by animals is absorbed by the trees and they in turn release oxygen that we rely on for our survival. The burning of rainforests makes the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to be relatively high hence leading to global warming. Deforestation is said to the number two cause of change in climate contributing to over 25% of carbon dioxide emissions globally.

Rainforests help reduce soil erosion

It is a surprise that the soil found in the rainforests does not have high nutrients. This is due to the high number of nutrients that are stored up in the big trees that are located in the rainforests. The roots of the trees hold the soil together while the canopy formed by the trees prevents the absorption of nutrients in the soil. A tree that has been cut and dead on the forest floor decays and the nutrients are stored up in the soil. The nutrients are then recycled. The roots of the trees that hold up the soil together protect it from eroding away.