Rain Forrsest Essay, Research Paper
Rain forests may be grouped into two major types: tropical and temperate.
Tropical rain forest is evergreen trees that form a closed canopy, below
which is found a zone of vines and epiphytes where plants grow on trees, a
relatively open forest floor, and a very large number of species of both
plant and animal life. The largest trees have buttressed trunks above the
continuous canopy, while smaller trees form a layer of more shade-delicate
species beneath the upper canopy. The maximum height of the upper canopy of
tropical rain forests is usually around 100 to 165 ft, with some individual
trees rising as high as 200 ft above the forest floor. Conifers such as
redwood and Sitka spruce tend to predominate in North America, while their
counterparts in the southern hemisphere include various species of
eucalyptus, Araucaria and Nothofagus. Th rain forest is home to many species
of rare animals and plants. In the past and present history it has also been
the home of over one hundred and twenty over the counte
r prescriptions. All of this information has brought up the question that is
on many minds, Should economic organizations, buisnesses and individual
governments be allowed to continue the use and at times the abuse of the
brazilian rain forest? Is economic advancement more important than the
preservation of the rainforest. This is why we are the government has called
on us. To find the facts and give it how it should be.
Medicinal uses of the rain forests are a huge part of everyone’s lives.
The rain Forrest has over 120 over the counter prescriptions and has made
over
12 billion dollars in sales. They say that the tropical rainforests cover
seven percent of the earth and hold just about half of the world’s an
Also there is data that there may be about ten percent of useful Amazon
plants now, and scientist’s think that also there may be a cure for the AIDS
virus. These are some of the medicines that come from the rainforest. Like
the drug called Quinine, which comes from the bark of quinine tree, which
fights malaria. Not only do the plants have cures, but the animals there too
have some medicine in them. Like the Brazilian pit viper, which can help
solve blood pressure. The drug is called Capoten; the venom from the pit
viper is the main ingredient in the drug. Right now in the Brazilian
rainforest there are currently 121 different drugs being produced and being
sold all over the world. The United States cancer society has discovered that
three thousand plants that are found in the rainforest are currently active
against cancer cells. Twenty five percent of ingredie
nts in today’s cancer fighting drugs come from organisms only found in the
rainforest. Some of these help you recover leukemia; they are Vincrstine, and
Periwinkle.
More than 100 endangered species are dying each day and they estimate 40,000
will be dying each year in the year 2000. One of these species is the Jaguar
who is being hunted for their beautiful fur. Another reason for this is
because they are slowly becoming more rare by the year. Hunter’s obsessions
for the rarest animal are becoming worse. One more reason is because of our
population, we are taking up more room in the world and we are driving over
looked animals out of their homes, and with out their homes it makes it
extremely difficult to get used to a new one. We need all of the animals in
the world because they all have a part in it to help everything and everyone.
Bibliography
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