`Tropical Rainforest
Conservation Efforts
Establishment of Protected Areas
The World Bank, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) and the German Development Bank (KfW), is attempting to slow the rate
of deforestation
It does this by increasing the number of hectares in protected areas in the Amazon
basin, balancing conservation goals and the demand for natural resources.
Debt for National Swaps
The United States and Brazil signed an agreement converting $21m (£13.5m) of
Brazilian debt into a fund to protect tropical ecosystems.
Sustainable Exploitation
Agro-forestry - growing trees and crops at the same time. Lets farmers take advantage
of shelter from the canopy of trees. Prevents soil erosion and the crops benefit from
the nutrients from the dead organic matter.
Selective logging - trees are only felled when they reach a particular height. This allows
young trees a guaranteed life span and the forest will regain full maturity after around
30-50 years.
Importance
High biodiversity
Species Interelationships
Biomimentics
Resources
Food, Medicines, Building Materials
Carbon Seaquestration
Trees take in carbon and prevent the heating up of the atmosphere, if there are a
smaller amount of trees temperatures will rise at a faster rate
Hydrological Cycle
The role of rainforests in the water cycle is to add water to the atmosphere through the
process of transpiration (in which plants release water from their leaves during
photosynthesis).
This moisture contributes to the formation of rain clouds, which release the water
back onto the rainforest.
Soil Erosion Control
Roots of the trees will bind soil to prevent soil erosion, the tree leaves will also
intercept water reducing impact of rainsplash erosion
Threats
Fuelwood Collection
estimated that 40 percent of the world (2.6 billion people) rely on fuelwood or charcoal
as their primary source of energy
People use this fuel source for things such as heating and cooking
Fuelwood consumption has increased 250% since 1960
Timber for construction and furniture
Logging is one of the leading causes of deforestation.
Local people had often rely on harvesting wood from rainforests for firewood and
building materials. However due to the influx of people this method is no longer
sustainable
By buying certain wood products, people in United States and Europe are directly
contributing to the destruction of rainforests
Agricultural Expansion
Generally forest clearers use slash-and-burn techniques to clear land
Fertilizer may be washed into local streams, affecting fish and aquatic life
Mineral Extraction
Mining is generally very destructive to the environment. It is one of the main causes of
deforestation.
In order to mine, trees and vegetation are cleared and burned. Huge bulldozers and
excavators to extract the metals and minerals from the soil.
Reservoirs
large areas of forest are flooded due to the flatness of the basin) and killing off local
wildlife.
the dams have the effect of destroying aquatic habitats and affecting fish
populations, displacing indigenous peoples, and adding carbon to the atmosphere.
Global Climate Change
tropical forests and their species have less resilience to climate change due to
fragmentation from human activities
ecological communities will need to migrate due to climate change, this will be more
difficult because of habitat alteration and fragmentation.
Exploitation of Individual Species
Due to deforestation orangutan numbers have fallen as sparse areas of rainforest have
led to fragmentation of the species resulting in a smaller gene pool and less breeding
opportunities
Features
Warm/Hot
The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F (34 °C) or drops below
68 °F (20 °C); average humidity is between 77 and 88%;
High Light Levels
Inter-species Relationships
Low Seasonality
Low seasonaility as rainforests often are located on the equator
High Rainfall
rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year.
