The Amazon in South America is the largest tropical rain forest in the world. A tropical rain forest is a thick forest in a warm region with heavy rainfall. People are destroying the Amazon. Each year, farmers and loggers (1) cut down rain forest trees to make room for farms, homes, and roads. Scientists have recently discovered that the Amazon is shrinking twice as quickly as they once thought.
Cause for Concern
The Amazon rain forest is one of the richest areas of the world in animal and plant diversity, or variety. Many of the foods, spices, and medicines people need come from the Amazon.
The Amazon rain forest also helps recycle Earth’s air. The trees give off oxygen for people to breathe. Trees also clean the air by taking in carbon dioxide. Too much carbon dioxide in the air is harmful to humans.
Fixing the Problem
Stopping people from destroying the rain forest is not an easy task. “Almost 2 million people make the forest their home,” scientist Jim Bowyer told Weekly Reader. “All these people need land for farming and wood for heat and cooking. They are looking for a way to survive. Solutions need to involve the very people who destroy the forest.”
Did You Know?
- Rain first trees stay green all year long.
- The tallest trees may grow up to 200 feet!
- When leaves and branches fall, they break down and release nutrients (2) into the soil.
2. nutrients: a nourishing substance
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Pingback: April 28, 2014 |
He read and answered the questions hopefully it went to you.
I think people should stop cutting down trees and let the forest grow. And we need it because we need clean air.
I think the same thing because we need the clean air to breath and we need to care for the trees that are there we need to protect the animals that live there we need to be the one that stop all of this.
I think that the invirment would grow and not look like its covered in trash if people would stop cutting trees and plants down because animals loose there homes and thats not fair to them.