The world's Tropical Rainforests are home to some fifty to seventy per cent of the planet's flora and fauna. Yet they cover only two per cent of its surface. These natural wonders, the sanctuaries of so many species of exotic animals and plants, are far more vital to our existence than we could ever imagine. Not only do we upset the balance of our planet's global ecosystem, but by destroying these forests we are also depriving hundreds of already endangered species of their homes and food sources. And last, but not least, there are also numerous plant species that could be of great medicinal value to us; but we'll never get the chance to discover them...
Every day, hundreds of acres of breathtaking landscape are burned or cut down. The global rate of destruction is rising fast, and the effects are nothing short of catastrophic. There must be hundreds of environmental causes out there, but nothing has shocked me or affected me more deeply than the mindless devastation of these magnificent forests. All for the sake of economic growth and enrichment. We can send men to the moon, we can clone a living being, and yet we're incapable of finding simple alternatives to timber export and cattle grazing. We try so hard to find medicines for insufferable human illnesses, while at the same time, we kill off thousands of plants and animals that, in the past, have harbored so many vital cures...
I know it seems so impossible to help, because everything the environmental organizations suggest seems so drastic (switch to only environmentally-friendly products, etc...). But there is a trouble-free way to ensure that you're directly supporting the cause: FINANCIALLY. All you employed people out there, all it takes is a small contribution and you could save a few acres of Rainforest. That alone could help save certain species from extinction, like the Jaguar that you see in the picture above. If we don't do something, the children of 2020 might not even know what a Rainforest looks like...
A special thanks to these sites for their wonderful pictures:
The Rainforest Action Network
The Rainforest Foundation
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