Reading through the facts on the provided link, I was surprised about how much of it I did not know. It says that "Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation'". Every single day? That is astonishing. It seems unreal to me and hard to imagine, and totally awful! It makes me wonder why some of the facts aren't more commonly known, or if maybe they are an I'm just totally oblivious for some reason. I would think that if people knew even just a few of these facts regarding the rainforest, they may think twice about what is happening. But then again, I think there are many who don't care, or just don't want to know so then they cannot be blamed for not caring.
Here are a few of the facts that I found most interesting (I took these straight from the site provided):
-There were an estimated ten million Indians living in the Amazonian Rainforest five centuries ago. Today there are less than 200,000.
-Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. While 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists.
-At least 3000 fruits are found in the rainforests; of these only 200 are now in use in the Western World. The Indians of the rainforest use over 2,000.
-Experts agree that by leaving the rainforests intact and harvesting it's many nuts, fruits, oil-producing plants, and medicinal plants, the rainforest has more economic value than if they were cut down to make grazing land for cattle or for timber.
-The latest statistics show that rainforest land converted to cattle operations yields the land owner $60 per acre and if timber is harvested, the land is worth $400 per acre. However, if these renewable and sustainable resources are harvested, the land will yield the land owner $2,400 per acre.
Yeah it is surprising how a lot of people tend to think that ignorance is bliss. It obviously isn't because all of those facts are so sad and everyone should know and care about this. On a side note, I was surprised there was that much fruit in the rain forest.
ReplyDeleteYeah I was also surprised that many species were destroyed each year. It seems like a very high number and a good reason to stop destroying the rainforest. Also, I find it interesting that the land would be more profitable to keep than it would to cut down by 600%. That percentage is crazy and seems like a bad idea for the corporations who are cutting down the rainforest fro cattle grazing.
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