Rainforests for kids What are the different layers of a Rainforest Called? There are four main parts of a Rainforest. They are: Emergent Layer - very sunny because it is the very top. Only the tallest trees reach this level. Who lives here? Canopy Layer - much of the rain is stopped by the thick foliage. Understory Layer - many vines, dense vegetation, not much light. Forest Floor - dark, damp, full of many dead leaves, twigs and dead plants. Click here to find out more
Animals You Can Find in the Tropical Rainforest Tropical Rain Forest As you can see from the map to the right, the tropical rainforests are, indeed, located in the tropics, a band around the equator from 23.5 N (the Tropic of Cancer) to 23.5 S (the Tropic of Capricorn) (red lines on map, right). Because the Earth tilts 23.5 degrees on its axis as it travels around the sun, at some point in the year (the solstices, June 22nd in the north, December 22nd in the south) the sun will be directly overhead on one of these lines. At the equinoxes the sun is directly over the equator. Within this band, solar radiation is most intense, and thus the surface of the planet warms the most. The warmth leads to a lot of evaporation, and as warm, moist air rises, it cools, the water condenses, and the water falls back to the earth as rain. Thus, the warmest areas of the planet also tend to be the wettest, and this sets the stage for the tropical rain forest. Not all of the land in the tropics is tropical rainforest.
Rainforests Facts Facts about Rainforests Do you know how many tropical rainforest plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties? Or how many continents around the world contain rainforests? And just how quickly are the world's rainforests disappearing? Find out the answers to these questions and more as you check out these interesting rainforest facts! And when you think that you know all there is to know about the rainforest, test your knowledge with our rainforest quiz. Facts about the Global Coverage of Rainforests Covering less than 2 percent of the Earth's total surface area, the world's rainforests are home to 50 percent of the Earth's plants and animals. Facts about the Rainforest as Part of our Global Environment and Well-being Rainforests act as the world's thermostat by regulating temperatures and weather patterns. Facts about the Abundant Life and Important Resources that Rainforests Share with Us Facts about the Threats to Rainforests, Indigenous People and Species
BBC Nature - Rainforest videos, news and facts Calculating Deforestation in the Amazon Calculating Deforestation Figures for the Amazon These figures are calculated from estimates provided by the Brazilian National Institute of Space Research (INPE) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The figures only refer to the Brazilian Amazon, which accounts for roughly 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest. According to a study released in September 2009 by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), at least 20 percent land deforested in the Brazilian Amazon is regrowing forest. Please note: Amazon deforestation data is updated several times a year here. Recent news on deforestation in the Amazon All figures derived from official National Institute of Space Research (INPE) data. Accumulated forest loss in the Amazon. Brazil could substantially boost its agricultural output while increasing protection of its native ecosystems, finds a new analysis published by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), an international think tank. more news
Interesting Facts Rainforest Biomes The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth. An average of 50 to 260 inches (125 to 660 cm.) of rain falls yearly. Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface. A tropical rain forest has more kinds of trees than any other area in the world. About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants. All tropical rain forests resemble one another in some ways. Despite these differences, each of the three largest rainforests--the American, the African, and the Asian--has a different group of animal and plant species. Layers of the Rainforest There are four very distinct layers of trees in a tropical rain forest. Emergent trees are spaced wide apart, and are 100 to 240 feet tall with umbrella-shaped canopies that grow above the forest. Plant Life Besides these four layers, a shrub/sapling layer receives about 3 % of the light that filters in through the canopies. Animal Life
Population Decline of Indigenous People Indigenous peoples inhabit a large portion of the Amazon rainforest and their traditional and cultural beliefs have existed for centuries, providing storage for an immense amount of knowledge about the tropical Amazon. In contrast, the non-indigenous population of the Amazon is exploding. From the 1960’s until the late 1990’s, this number grew from 2 million to around 20 million. [1] As the development of infrastructure projects continues within the Amazon rainforest, migration of non-traditional peoples will increase and come into conflict with traditional forest-dwellers, particularly those not protected by reserves. Within Brazil, the indigenous population is estimated to be 310,000. While not as large as Brazil’s, the indigenous communities of other countries containing tropical rainforests (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, the Guyanas, Venezuela, and Suriname) all consist of populations with deep and detailed knowledge of the rainforest. Written by Dr. References: 1.) 7.) 8.)
Climate Rainforest Animals Amazon deforestation jumps in Brazil, but remains historically low Deforestation jumped 16 percent in the Brazilian Amazon to 5,831 square kilometers for the year ended July 31, 2015, but still remained well below historical levels, according to data released Thursday Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE). The rise, which was announced just ahead of the opening of U.N. climate talks in Paris, had been widely anticipated based on data from short-term satellite-based monitoring systems. Climbing deforestation has been attributed to several factors, including Brazil’s flagging economy and currency, which makes forest conversion for agriculture more attractive; the government’s steep cuts in funding for programs to reduce deforestation; a renewed push for large-scale infrastructure projects in the Amazon; and relaxation of the country’s Forest Code, which governs how much forest must be preserved on private lands. The latest INPE data are preliminary. Note: this post used text from a prior Mongabay post on the subject.