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Two Kinds of Rainforests

We hear so much about the rainforests these days, especially the Amazon rainforest. It is the largest that remains and the best known but there are more rainforests than the Amazon's. They exist in both hemispheres and on all continents except Antarctica. ome ha!e been more damaged or reduced than others " though all are at risk. It can be confusing for a child #and for an adult$% to be told that gorillas #Gorilla gorilla%, orang"utans #Pongo pygmaeus%, or golden"lion tamarins #Leontopithecus rosalia% are all from the rainforest but none from the Amazon rainforest. #They are from rainforests in Africa, &orneo and outh America, respecti!ely.% 'erhaps it will help to begin now an occasional series on rainforests in the hope of bringing some clarification.

There are two kinds of rainforests on our planet( tropical and temperate. &oth are !ital and beautiful and what remains of both is threatened with total extinction.

Tropical rainforests are those we hear most about in the press. They occur near the )*uator, in the tropical regions, roughly between the +atitudes ,-./ and ,-. . These rainforests are in 0entral and outh America, southern 1exico, the 'acific Islands, western Africa, 1adagascar, and southeast Asia. They recei!e between 2,34 and 5544 mm of rain each year. They are dense with life, ha!ing thousands of different species, many not yet described. #&y way of comparison, there are about 644 species of birds in /orth America, while there are more than 2444 in 7ust the &oli!ian region of the Amazon rainforest.% Tropical rainforests produce about 849 of the earth's oxygen, and some ,39 of medicines used in the de!eloped world come from rainforest plants. Tropical rainforests are warm, with a!erage temperatures between ,4. and -8.0. &elow is a tropical rainforest.

Temperate rainforests usually occur near oceans, and are in the temperate zones, roughly between the +atitudes ,5. and 55. north and south of the )*uator. These rainforests are found in the northwestern region of /orth America, the southern tip of outh America, western )urope " where 7ust a few small patches remain " Asia and Australia. They recei!e an a!erage of 2844 mm of rain per year. The giant redwood trees are from temperate rainforests. ome of these ha!e an age estimated to be greater than ,444 years. The temperate rainforests are colder, with an a!erage temperature from 8. to 2,.0. &elow is a temperate rainforest.

&oth types of rainforests ha!e mists and fogs, and sometimes they are !ery thick. &oth types of rainforests, as with all forests, ha!e been and are still hea!ily logged. They are also burnt and cleared to gain grazing and farming land.

:ere is a chart to make it clearer(

An Activity to Learn the Two Kinds of Rainforest

Colour a Map of the Two Rainforests

The striped areas are rainforests. )xplain the )*uator and the tropical regions to the children. ;i!e each child two different colours, one for tropical rainforests and one for temperate rainforests. Ask the children to try to colour the striped regions accordingly.

<,44= Anne 1orddel