Free «Destruction of Rainforest» Essay Sample

Rainforest is the origin of all the water sources of the world; approximately 75 % of the world is covered by water. This explains the importance of water on the organisms of the earth. For example, an adult who weigh an average of 70 kg has approximately 40 liters of water in the body, which give an average of 57 percent of his total weight. Destruction of forest began decades ago as firewood was the main source of fuel; it has reached a time that the further practice of such would lead to extinction of organisms of the world. I totally disagree with destruction of rainforest.

Rainforest had once covered about14% of the total earth’s land surface, but now it is only 6%, and experts have estimated that the last rainforest could be consumed in even less than 40 years. Besides, one and one-half acres of the rainforest are being lost every second, which has tragic consequences for the developing and industrial countries. This is because multi-national logging companies, land owners and short-sighted government only see it as a source of timber. In addition, 137 plants, animal and insect species are being lost every day due to the rainforest destruction, which is equivalent to 50,000 species a year. 25% of western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredient; less than 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists.

Firstly, countries all over the world fight against deforestation, because through this they would be in a position to protect the future generations who will take care of the country. For instance, in Kenya, the known Nobel Prize winner, the late professor Wangari Maathai formed a Green Belt movement that is focused on planting of trees, environmental conservation and rights of women. She planted over a million trees all over the country. Due to this movement, Karura forest in Nairobi was restored, which is the main source of Nairobi River that supplies everyone with water. This explains the importance of forest in our world.

Secondly, rainforest is the main source of agriculture, because the water obtained from the streams, rivers, lakes and seas originate from the forest. In Egypt, the land is a desert, but they produce quality agricultural products such as vegetables, sugar crops, cereals and food legume. History trace it back that farming began in Egypt, yet it is a dry land. Crops grow well in this area because of river Nile, whose origin can be traced back to Kenya at a forest named Mau-forest in Rift-valley province. River Nzoia, the largest supply of water to Lake Victoria that river Nile originates from, has its origin in Mau forest as well; through river erosion, transportation and deposition the fertile soil rich in the mineral content is carried away to Egypt, hence forming a fertile soil for agriculture. If the rainforest is destroyed both the aquatic and the animal life will be in danger.

In addition, trees are important in the production of oxygen and reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, since they use the gas in the production of energy during photosynthesis. Oxygen that is released into the atmosphere is used by living beings for breathing and it constitutes to 23 % of the air. Trees help to stop flooding and erosion in flood plain areas, since the root of trees are firmly held into the ground, as a result they reduce the speed of water flowing down stream. At the river banks, it assists in stopping as well as lowering the velocity of soil particles along the river; the soil particles get cemented together to form sedimentary types of rocks that are used in construction all over the world.

Moreover, it is a habitant of many precious wild animals and plants, which are very rare to find anywhere apart from the rainforest. For instance, most of butterflies live in tropical forest. In addition, chimpanzees, intelligent mammals, also live mostly in forest. If the rainforest is destroyed there will an extinction of such animals.

Tropical rainforest plays an important role in tourism attraction because of its unique features. For example, in Congo the largest forest has trees that are of height up to70 meters; likewise in Kenya, Kakamega forest has a number of snakes that attract tourism in such areas. They have different type of trees that produce good herbal medicine; generally, the herbal medicine can be taken directly or refined into different drugs that can cure many diseases. In addition, it is the source of horticultural plants: in areas where a particular plant is not easily available, seeds from the rainforest can be used to produce a number of such plants and to distribute them all over the place.

I would like to highlight also the importance of rainforest in education. First and foremost, it has a number of political, social, and economical merits. It is the basis of geography, as we may generally define geography as a ‘home of man’; without the forest, for example, there would be a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which has a negative effect on the animal respiratory system; the trees are able to convert carbon dioxide during food manufacturing to produce oxygen. People all over the world, such as environmentalist, geographers, geologist, study different types of plants and rocks in the rainforest; this information is written in books and many research papers are to be passed to current and future generation.

Lastly, rainforest contributes a lot to the social world. For instance, in Kenya, the green color of the flag symbolizes the environment: the color suggests the importance of environment. Besides, it gives the true cultural and national identity. Our culture revolves around the environment we stay in. For example, in a small island on Lake Victoria, called Migingo, majority of men and women living in the area are fishermen.

In conclusion, I totally disagree with the destruction of rainforest. Basing on the above arguments, we realize that we should stand firm and campaign against destruction of rainforest, because this will protect both animals’ and plants’ extinction.