Essay On Importance Of Rainforests

The importance of rainforests to mankind and the man-made 
threats faced by rainforests. 


Rainforests are thick and luxuriant evergreen forests, which are continuously growing new leaves to replace older ones. They are found in areas with high rainfall and high temperatures throughout the year.

Tropical rainforests act as water catchment areas. When rain falls in rainforests, the trees stop it from reaching the ground directly. As water drips from the trees, it seeps into the ground and it is stored as groundwater. Impurities in rainwater are also being trapped by the soil before the water flows into reservoirs. The water eventually provides a clean water supply. For example in Singapore, there are four reservoirs in the Central Catchment

They absorb about 2.4 billion tones of carbon dioxide in one year, including almost one-third of the carbon dioxide emissions given off when fossil fuels are burnt. Furthermore, the dense vegetation of rainforests keeps the earth cool. Therefore, rainforests help the earth to ‘breathe’. Rainforests are also a habitat to indigenous people. The rainforests provide them with daily necessities like food, clothing and medicine. They obtain food by hunting, gathering or agriculture. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about 60 million indigenous people are wholly dependent on the forest. Some groups of indigenous people living in rainforests include the Yanomami in Amazon rainforest and the Penan in the rainforest in Sarawak. Thus, rainforests are a habitat for indigenous people. Rainforests are also sources of timber. They provide wood for fuel in countries where people depend on fire to cook and also used to build or make things such as doors, window frames and furniture. They are valued for their strength, durability, texture and beauty. Rainforests supply about one-fifth of the world’s industrial timber. Japan is one of the world’s biggest consumers of timber from rainforests because a