Elizabeth's Place

Rainforest Facts

1. The Amazonian rainforest covers over a billion acres; if Amazonia were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world.

2.  Rainforests are being destroyed at a rate of 2.47 acres per second. That translates to 78 million acres a year, or an area larger than the state of Florida.

3.  Rainforests cover about 6% of the world’s surface, but contain 50% of all the plant and animal life on earth.

4.  80% of the developed world’s diet originated in the tropical rainforest.

5.  The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified 3,000 plants that are active against cancer cells. 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest.

6.  In Brazil, 5.4 million acres of rainforest are destroyed each year. Destroying a rainforest is not cost-effective. In the Peruvian Amazon, for example, 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of land can produce $6,820 per year if intact forest is sustainably harvested for fruits, latex and timber. If clear-cut, that same hectare is worth about $1,000 and can’t be used again. If cattle-grazed, it’s worth about $148 per year. With rainforest destruction, an estimated 137 species of life forms are driven into extinction each day.

7.  In 2003 an area of Amazonian rainforest the size of Wales was destroyed.

8. Over 356,200 square kilometers of Amazonian rainforest have been deforested to date.

Rainforest

When you go to the Rain Forest what do you see?
I see an eagle looking at me.
A vulture, dive-bombing its prey.
And a pale-billed woodpecker finding its way.
The spotted jaguar is sneaking up on its enemy.
A beautiful blue morpho butterfly soars down towards me.
The capuchins are hanging around.
A bird-eating spider covers its ground.
When you go to the Rain Forest, respect what you see.
Love all the animals, and let the trees be free.
We Love the Rainforests!