What Makes the Tropical Rainforest Special?
• The rainforests are home to half of the Earth’s plant and animal species. • They are winter homes to many birds that breed in temperate latitudes. • Tropical rainforests are some of the most beautiful wildernesses on our planet. • They are home to tribal cultures that have survived successfully in the forests for many thousands of years. • The forests are a potential source of medicinal plants that may benefit everyone on Earth. • The ecosystem of the rainforest is based on the most complex interdependence of plants and animals. This is both the forest’s strength and its weakness: highly specialized organisms are particularly vulnerable to disturbance, because they cannot adapt fast enough to survive the change. • Tropical rainforests help maintain global rain and weather patterns. Much of the water that evaporates from the trees returns in the form of rainfall. Removal of the forest can change the natural rainfall patterns.
