| According
to the dictionary a rainforest is:
1. a tropical woodland with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches
(254 centimeters) and marked by lofty broad-leaved evergreen trees forming
a continuous canopy -- called also tropical rain forest
2. TEMPERATE RAIN FOREST
But the rainforest is much, much more than
this. The rainforest is more than any of the smartest scientists know. It
is home to hundreds of thousands of beautiful plants and animals, many of which
are undiscovered.
Many of these plants hold cures to well known
diseases and health problems. Fruits of the Mammosa plant are boiled and
the steam is inhaled to treat sinus infections. Diosgenin is a plant which
contains ingredients used to make birth control pills. Ouabain is
effective in treating heart conditions. Other
plants found in the rainforest can be used to make medicines that treat skin infections, common
illnesses like the flu, and more serious illnesses like cancer. Over 2,000
plants have been identified with anti-cancer properties and scientists
speculate that there are many more.
The rainforest is home to thousands of the
worlds most bizarre looking, interesting, fast, slow, odd, and colorful
animals. It includes species like the Aye - Aye,
which has very odd and distinct features that puzzle even scientists over
how to classify it! The rainforest's lush canopy is home to the worlds most
colorful and brilliant birds.
Unfortunately, the plants that are
undiscovered now, may always remain undiscovered due to the rapid rate of
rainforest loss. The rainforest is being destroyed at an incredible rate
of over 200,000 acres a day. Start now. By the time you get to the end of
this sentence, over 2 acres of rainforest have been lost. Whether it be
because of slash and burn techniques, whether it be from logging, by now,
probably 5 acres of rainforest are gone. Every hour, six species
gone forever. Their benefits to us may remain unknown, the benefits that
they had have been lost.
You've gotten to the bottom of this page, and probably over
70 acres
of rainforest have already been destroyed, as you read. What a helpless
feeling to know that all of this is happening and you can't do anything to
stop it. But there ARE things you can do. Use the links
on the left to learn how you can indirectly help conserve the rainforest, and, for
free, help save an acre! Click the "Save the Rainforest" link to
save 16.5 square feet of land for free. It may not seem like a lot, but
with thousands of people like you and me clicking each day, volume builds
up. If we all work together, we can make a difference. It's the least you can do! |