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surface, now they cover less than 6%. It is estimated that 137 plant and animal species are lost every day! With the loss of their natural habitat, the Native Indians of the rainforests are also being destroyed; an estimated 90 tribes have been wiped out since the 1900’s.

ONE WAY TO STOP RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION is to promote sustainable and renewable sources of income for the local people. It is estimated that an acre of rainforest harvested and maintained for the natural plants, fruits and nuts found in it, is more profitable than burning it to graze cattle or cutting it down for timber.

RAINFORESTS ARE LARGE TROPICAL FORESTS where the temperature and rainfall is high and remains the same throughout the year. Rainforests contain unique environments and have four different layers, each with its own variety of plants and animals. The Emergent Layer has the tallest trees, and receives the most sunlight and rainfall. The Canopy Layer is the primary layer of the forest and has lots of different flowers, fruits and animals. The thick Canopy of trees filters out 80% of the light to the forest floor. The Understory is the next level down and receives only 2-5% of sunlight! The limited light supply forces plants and animals to find unique ways to survive. The Forest Floor is the lowest level and has almost no plants due to the 0-2% light received and near 100% humidity! RAINFORESTS CAN BE FOUND IN Africa, Asia, Australia, and Central and South America. The most famous and largest rainforest is the Amazon. The Amazon Rainforest	covers over one billion acres, and includes parts of Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. THE AMAZON RAINFOREST IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE “LUNGS OF THE PLANET” because it produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen by continuously recycling carbon dioxide. More than half of the world’s estimated species of plants and animals live here and one-fifth of the world’s fresh water is found in its basin. There are many different plants with medicinal benefits that can only be found in the rainforest. Over 70% of plants used for cancer treatments today come from the rainforest. Currently less than 1% of plants from the rainforests have been tested, but so many are found to have medicinal properties. Many more plants remain undiscovered and untested. RAINFORESTS ARE BEING DESTROYED AT AN ALARMING RATE. The forests are being cut down for farming, mining, wood and oil. Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth’s land	Much of the material used from rainforest destruction is for industrialized nations who have already depleted their own natural resources. America has already converted 90% of North America’s forest for firewood, furniture, railroads and paper. It's important that everyone helps save the rainforests and there are lots of ways you can help.
		•Get informed! Learn as much as you can about rainforests and their destruction. Educate others about the rainforests. •Look for a club in your area that has meetings and activities to help conserve the environment both at home and overseas. Use less paper. Most paper comes from trees, so try to use less. •Use recycled paper or even tree-free paper when possible. Tree-free paper is paper made from plants; the packaging will tell you if it's recycled or tree-free. •Use less gas and plastic. Both these products are made from oil, which is extracted from rainforests. Try to walk or ride your bike when possible; take the bus or carpool. •Start recycling. Check out our article on recycling your trash!