Rain Forests Overview & Information

Overview

Rain forests are characterized by their high rainfalls and can be both tropical and temperate. They are home to two-thirds of the living plants and animal species on earth, most of which reside in the canopy layer of the forest. Rain forest plants are also a source of natural medicines.

Deforestation is the largest threat to rainforests. Forests are cut for the value of the timber, and the land is then converted to cattle ranching and farming. About half of the tropical rainforests on earth have been lost to deforestation. Deforestation also accounts for up to 25 per cent of global emissions of green house gases.

In countries like Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Brazil, rain forests have been cleared to make way for soybean and palm oil plantations driven by the soaring price of soybean and palm oil on the world market. The demand for these vegetable oils is due in part to the increasing use of biofuels in Europe and North America, but also because of the increased affluence of the population in developing countries like China and India.

Wikipedia, Rainforest

Supporting Viewpoints

Various environmental organizations have campaigned to stop the deforestation of the world’s rainforests through public education, lobbying for legislation, improving the productivity of existing plantations, and the promotion of other economic uses for rainforests including tourism. Logging activity is driven by the high consumer demand in the developed countries for exotic tropical hardwood trees such as Brazilian mahogany, teak, cherry and walnut. While the logging of these trees adds to the rate of deforestation, the logging roads encourage colonization and further deforestation for ranching and agriculture.

In the Amazon, cutting and burning of rainforests to clear the land for large scale cattle ranching and soybean plantations is the leading cause of deforestation in this area. The soils in the Amazon rainforest are not particularly suited for aggressive plantations and are soon leached by rainfalls of the minerals needed for growing crops such as soybeans.

The Rainforest Alliance is one organization that is “working to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Companies, cooperatives and landowners that participate in the programs meet rigorous standards that conserve biodiversity and provide sustainable livelihoods.”

Supporting Websites
Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Action Network
Mongabay.com
Environmental Defense
Rainforest Portal

Opposing Viewpoints

The logging companies operating in the rainforests hit back at critics stating that they are helping the economies of the countries they operate in. Typical of these companies is Rimbunan Hijau, a major company operating in Papua New Guinea that is “helping to transform the country’s economy as they rebuild value-added downstream timber processing capabilities to compliment their timber harvesting activities”. Among the many benefits that they claim are “contributions to government revenues through log duties, royalties and other business tax payments; significant employment opportunities; and stimulating economic growth and social improvements to local communities”. They carry out logging operation with “due consideration for the protection of the environment through the application of sustainable forest management practices, ensuring sustainable wood production and the future of the industry, and continued delivery of benefits to the people in the rural areas”.

International agribusiness companies such as Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), and Bunge operate soybean and palm oil plantations in Brazil and Indonesia. Like the logging companies they promote the positives that result from their operations in these countries…advancing economic and social development, providing employment, and working with farmers and other partners to promote environmentally responsible agriculture.

Opposing Websites
Rimbunan Hijau PNG
Cargill
Bunge
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)