Picture at El Yunque RainForest

Learning About the Endangered
Tropical Rain Forest

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WHY SHOULD WE??

For in the end we will conserve only what we love,
We will love only what we understand and,
We will understand only what we are taught.
-B.Dioum

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What is a Rainforest??

It is a very complex environment that has evolved over millions of years. It is characterized by tall trees, lush vegetation and a great diversity of plants and animals. Even though only about nine percent of the planet is covered by Tropical Rain Forests, about thirty five percent of the Earth's life and fifty percent of its animal life is found in the Rain Forest.

These Tropical Forests are important for the successful continuation of life on Earth, because:

• They provide homes to an incredible diversity of plants
  and animals
• Many food plants, domestic animals, and medicines originate
  in these forests
• Some everyday used products like rubber, nuts, fruits, etc.
  come from these forests
• They help stabilize the world's climate
• They protect the land by regulating rainfall
• They create and maintain the natural balance of gases, nutrients,
  soils and water
• The plants in these forests eliminate the carbon dioxide and
  produce the oxygen, that is essential to almost all animals
• They are home for many millions of tribal people

Even considering their importance for the successful preservation of life on Planet Earth, the RainForests around the world are being destroyed at a rate that is extremely greater than their capacity to recover.

EL YUNQUE

PUERTO RICO'S RAIN FOREST

The Caribbean National Forest, known as El Yunque, is part of the United States of America National Forest System. It is the only Tropical Rain Forest in this system.

This Rain Forest is located in the Sierra de Luquillo area, to the north eastern part of the island of Puerto Rico. El Yunque was named after an Indian spirit Yuquiye.
This forest is the home for many rare wildlife, one of which is the Puerto Rican parrot, that is actually an endangered specie.
As the Forest is a wildlife refuge, hunting is strictly prohibited.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO PRESERVE
THE RAIN FOREST

The complete ecosystem composed by the plants, animals, and the environment in these
Rain Forests has taken 45 million years to exist.
Nevertheless, although they have thrived for existance throughout these millions of years,
they are now disappearing from the face of the Earth.
The Rain Forests are being over exploited by humans, without any consideration of the
damage caused to themselves and to the rest of the world.

IN ORDER TO CREATE AWARENESS AND THE WILLINGNESS
TO HELP WE MUST:

• Promote the use of paper products that are not derived from Rain Forest trees
• DO NOT buy wood made from rainforest timber such as mahogany
• Try to make people understand the importance of avoiding purchasing tropical woods
• DO NOT consume beef products from countries that clear their Rainforests to raise cattle
• Boycott corporations or companies who contribute to the destruction of Rain Forest, anywhere in the world
• Write to International organizations expressing your concern, urging them to act in order to stop the burning of Rainforests, anywhere in the world
• Participate in fund raising activities to contribute with the organizations that support the fight to save the Tropical Rainforest

Music From: VERDE LUZ - El TOPO

PLEASE, let them, the Rain Forests, breath,
so that we can breath too.
Thank you for Recycling