The Amazon Forest- generally called as rain forest, Amazonia, Amazon jungle. It is surrounded in six million square kilometers of land. The Rain forest is a nickname that describes the humidity that you find in tropical and equatorial forests, but it doesn't rain all the time.
It is the biggest forest in the world and about 20% oxygen of the world is produced by Amazon forest only. According to estimation around one third of the bird’s species, ten million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical rainforests. Also around 90% of the plants of Amazonia are still unstudied and about 70% of plants found to have anticancer properties are found only in the Amazon forest. Amazon River has 1100 tributaries, 17 of which are more than 1600km long.
It is the biggest fund of nature and is very rich in medicinal plants. All types of medicinal plants are there in Amazon forest. One-fifth of the world's fresh water is in the Amazon Basin. The basin is roughly of the size of forty-eight contiguous United States, covers some 40% of the South American continent and includes parts of eight South American countries
But today the forest is in danger, as Deforestation is going on large scale. One and one-half acres of rainforest are lost every second with tragic consequences for both developing and industrial countries. Due to the growing need for food, there is an increasing demand for arable land. As a result, forests are cleared for agriculture. It is vanishing at an alarming rate. Homeless people and illegal migrants have also dwelled in the forest, further damaging it. Earlier it was covering 14% of earth's surface, now only 6% has remained. Experts estimate they could disappear within 40 years.
Some of the Reasons of deforestation:
- Soil erosion
- Increase of water and air pollution
- Increase of population
- Increased threat from global warming
- The release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
- Building of dams, roads, commercializing farming, cattle grazing, etc
Deforestation can be controlled to some extent if we the people will take care of few things:
- Avoid products that require trees to be cut down just for one product.
- Don’t use firewood in your fireplace, unless you use deadwood gathered in the forest (not cut).
- Keep our homes and cars as carbon neutral as possible.
- Join environmental groups and get involved. And make it an important part of your life.
