Why are rain forests important to us? by Jacob T., Zach S., and Andy J.   Medicines Many helpful medicines come from the tropical rainforests and more remain to be discovered. Drug companies and scientists are trying to learn about traditional healing plants from native inhabitants of the rain forest. Quinine, a drug used to treat malaria, comes from the bark of a rain forest tree. Seventy percent of the medicines used to fight cancer are found in the rain forest. A lot of everyday medicines, like aspirin, come from the rain forest. Many scientists can learn about medicines in the rain forest, bet they are afraid it will disappear before they can learn about it. scientists have found about 1.4 million of plant and animal species in the rain forest. They believe that 5 to 30 million actually exist. If rain forests continue to be destroyed we may lose many important medicines that are yet to be discovered. Products We use a lot of products from the rain forests. Beautiful woods, teak, rosewood, and mahogany come from rain forest trees. Many rain forests produce hardwood that is good for building furniture. Half the people in the world use bamboo. It is used for building houses, baskets, musical instruments, making paper, and furniture. Furniture frames, chair backs and baskets are made from rattan.   We eat many foods from the rain forests. Bananas were first found in Asia. Brazil nuts and cashews come from South and Central America. The beans used to make chocolate come from the cacao tree. Chewing gum is made from the milky sod which is from the chicle tree. Many of our spices originated in the rain forests. There may be many plants in the rain forest that we have not yet discovered that are edible.   Climate Some scientists believe that the destruction of our rain forests is leading to global warming. Gases and carbon dioxide trap the suns rays to warm the earth. This is called the greenhouse effect. Without the greenhouse effect nothing could survive. The trees in our rain forest help our environment by using carbon dioxide in photosynthesis, their food making process. Many rain forest trees will be destroyed and our levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will increase if deforestation continues at the present rate. Carbon dioxide is also released in the air when oil, coal, wood, and natural gas are burned. Some scientists predict that the temperature will increase by 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Some scientists also believe that global warming will melt polar ice caps and sea levels would rise.   When the rain forest is cleared for farms and pastures the land becomes much lighter in color. Instead of being absorbed by the dark rain forest, the heat is reflected off the land. The mirror effect raises temperatures which affects the way the air circulates in the atmosphere. Thousands of miles away, weather patterns can change because of this.   Trees and plants in the rain forest help to prevent drought and soil erosion. They do this by soaking up most of the rain water with their roots. The water then evaporates from the leaves and forms clouds. The water in the clouds causes precipitation and falls back to the earth as rain. Some falls into the rivers and streams and other rain is used by the plants including those in the rain forest. The water is recycled over and over again. This is called the water cycle. If large amounts of plants and trees are cleared away there are not roots to hold the soil and rain washes it away. This is called soil erosion. Less trees can cause rain water to drain away quickly causing less water for evaporation which can cause droughts.   Biodiversity The rain forest is home to nearly two thirds of earth species. When the rain forests are destroyed the animals lose their homes. If too much of the rain forest is destroyed certain species can become extinct. Harming one animal or plant in the rain forest can effect other animals and plants in the rain forest ecosystem. Due to loss of habitat scientists estimate that one species in the rain forest becomes extinct every fifteen minutes.   People of the Rain Forest More than a thousand different groups of people live in the rainforest. The livelihoods of many native people in the rain forest are being destroyed. Many have relied on the rain forest for thousands of years to get their food, medicines, shelter, and clothing. They know how to farm the forest without harming it. They hunt pigs, birds, deer, and catch fish. They are careful not to kill too many animals when they hunt. When they grow crops and fruit trees they clear a small patch then they move on and leave that area to grow back into forest. Large companies and people destroy large areas of the rain forests causing many people to leave. These people have a lot of knowledge about the rain forest. We are in danger of losing all of this knowledge.