Tropical Rainforest Essay
Tropical rainforests are currently a habitat that is currently experiencing serious losses. Some major reasons why the rainforest are having serious losses are because of agricultural expansion, urbanization, and the extraction of wood.
Currently, the biggest cause is agricultural expansion which turned the forest into pastures and cropland to meet the growing needs for food. A study shows that more than 80 percent of the new farmland created in the tropics between 1980 and 2000 came from forests. When they cut and burn down the forest to make it farmland, it creates carbon which increases global warming. The rainforest only cover about 7 percent of the Earth, but has about half of the species on the planet. Many of the species that live
in the rainforest are specialized to certain habitats inside of the forest. Because of the species specialization, it makes them more likely to become extinct. Because of the agricultural expansion which lead to deforestation, many species have gone extinct or will go extinct soon. It is estimated that about 50 percent of the rainforest have been eliminated and about 15 percent of the rainforest species have become extinct already. Currently, the extraction of wood from the rainforest is growing exponentially. One and a half acres of forest are cut down every second. The extraction of wood and the deforestation has made areas for urbanization. People are starting to live in areas that were at one time the rainforest. The loss of forests contributes about 15 percent of the yearly greenhouse gas emissions. Some estimate that the shifting of agriculture will result in no more rainforest within the next 100 years.
Currently, the biggest cause is agricultural expansion which turned the forest into pastures and cropland to meet the growing needs for food. A study shows that more than 80 percent of the new farmland created in the tropics between 1980 and 2000 came from forests. When they cut and burn down the forest to make it farmland, it creates carbon which increases global warming. The rainforest only cover about 7 percent of the Earth, but has about half of the species on the planet. Many of the species that live
in the rainforest are specialized to certain habitats inside of the forest. Because of the species specialization, it makes them more likely to become extinct. Because of the agricultural expansion which lead to deforestation, many species have gone extinct or will go extinct soon. It is estimated that about 50 percent of the rainforest have been eliminated and about 15 percent of the rainforest species have become extinct already. Currently, the extraction of wood from the rainforest is growing exponentially. One and a half acres of forest are cut down every second. The extraction of wood and the deforestation has made areas for urbanization. People are starting to live in areas that were at one time the rainforest. The loss of forests contributes about 15 percent of the yearly greenhouse gas emissions. Some estimate that the shifting of agriculture will result in no more rainforest within the next 100 years.