Why is it Important to Save the Rain Forest?

Stephanie Hicks 2008 More than half of the world's animals live in the rain forest. Many of the earth's insects are found in the tropical forests, as well. Of these inhabitants, a number are endangered animals. With each passing year, and many hundreds of thousands of acres of the forests are destroyed, more and more habitat is cut away, sending the creatures to the brink of extinction. Some startling statistics are that over an acre of rain forest is destroyed each second. That is truly incomprehensible. Within 40 years, they could be gone. Vanished from this planet. Yet, at one point in our history, rain forests covered about 14% of the earth. We need to stop the rain forest destruction! Rainforests in Brazil, Indonesia and South East Asia, in particular, are impacted by logging and clearing work. Some work is done to build roads. Other times, the clearing is for farming or cattle ranching. Homes are being built in the cleared areas. Even gold and silver mining is being conducted, as well. Oil exploration and refinment work is also being done in these areas. Rain forest destruction is happening at an alarming rate, for indefensible reasons. Removal of the trees destroys the upper canopy of the forest, taking away the homes of many birds in the rain forest. With each desecrated acre of forest land, the earth suffers potential overall climate changes, as forests are key to carbon dioxide intake from the air. Global warming impacts could accelerate with the continued rain forest destruction rate.