Deforestation Its Devastating Effects on South American...

Introduction Tropical rainforests are the Earth?s oldest, richest, most productive, and most complex living ecosystems. They are located throughout many of the world?s continents including South America, Africa, and Asia and are defined by a few specific factors. Their location must be within the regions of the tropics and they must receive between 4-8 meters of rain per year (compared to about 1-2 meters in the United States). These forests also have no ?seasonality?, which means that they lack a definite dry or cold season of slowed growth. Rainforests are the most valuable environmental entity on this earth as they provide the world with the majority of its species of animals and plants, food resources, and†¦show more content†¦Some of the primary forest locations on the continent under pressure from deforestation include: ï ¿ ½ Atlantic Rainforest (Brazil) ? Within this vibrant ecosystem are numerous rare plants, of which 70% are found no where else on Earth, and 20 primate species that are unique to this region as well. Wild relatives of the pineapple, cassava, sweet potato, and papaya are located here. ï ¿ ½ Bolivar State (SE Venezuela) ? This region is filled with innumerable species of plants and animals. It also houses the Pemon and other indigenous forest tribes. Tropical Rainforests of South America Medicines Only one percent of the known plant and animal species have been examined for medicine potential, but 70% of the 3000 plant species identified as having anti-cancer qualities are found in South American rainforests and others worldwide. These various species aid the science world in a number of different ways: ï ¿ ½ Provide modern science with cures and pain relievers - Quinine, which helps cure malaria, is obtained from the bark of the cinchona tree found in South America. - The poisonous bark of curare lianas helps to treat muscular sclerosis, Parkinson?s disease, and is also an anesthetic. ï ¿ ½ Chemical structures of organisms canShow MoreRelatedThe Issues Surrounding The Amazon Rainforest1206 Words   |  5 Pagessome of the important facts surrounding the Amazon rainforest. In 2017, the Amazon rainforest covers 2.1 million square miles of South America. It is a vast ecosystem home to 10% of the world’s known species (The Denver Academy). They go on to say that the trees are so dense, when it rains, it takes 10 minutes for the water to break through the forest roof. The destruction of this habitat could lead to extinction of these species, and have devastating impacts all over the world from the loss of theRead MoreThe Lung of Our Earth904 Words   |  4 Pagesare lost every second. In fact, they now cover only a mere 6% of the earths land surface compared with 14% when humankind first settled. Experts estimate that the last remaining rain forests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Obviously, deforestation has been becoming an alarming phenome non for the whole world. Writing about this issue, Laura Lopen, John Maier and Dick Thompson express some quite strong opinions. In â€Å"Playing with Fire†, the authors indicate that the rain forests of the AmazonRead MoreThe Amazon Rainforest Is The Largest Rainforest Of The World1656 Words   |  7 PagesAmazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world, covering one billion acres. 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