Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares? It was noted earlier that ecosystems provide many services to us, for free. Although some dislike the thought of trying to put an economic value on biodiversity (some things are just priceless), there have been attempts to do so in order for people to understand the magnitude of the issue: how important the environment is to humanity and what costs and benefits there can be in doing (or not doing) something. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) is an organization — backed by the UN and various European governments — attempting to compile, build and make a compelling economics case for the conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. In a recent report, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for National and International Policy Makers 2009, TEEB provided the following example of sectors dependent on genetic resources: In addition, it is estimated that implementing REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) could help
Tropical Rainforest Where are tropical rainforests found? Tropical rainforests are located around the equator where temperatures stay near 80 degrees year round. Rainforests receive 160 to 400 inches (400-1000 cm) of rain each year. The largest rainforests are in Brazil (South America), Zaire (Africa) and Indonesia (South East Asia). Other tropical rainforest places are in Hawaii and the islands of the Pacific & Caribbean. What is the tropical rainforest? The Tropical Rainforest is a forest occurring in tropical areas of heavy rainfall. What is the structure of vegetation in the rainforest? The image above shows a typical cross section in the rainforest. Emergents are the tallest trees and are usually over 50 metres tall. The sea of leaves blocking out the sun from the lower layers is called the canopy. The under canopy mainly contains bare tree trunks and lianas. The shrub layer has the densest plant growth. The forest floor is usually dark and damp. How did the tropical rainforest get like this? Local: Global: