Human Impact

Human Impact on the Tropical Rainforest

Humans have had much impact on the tropical rainforests.  According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, over 18 acres of tropical rainforests are lost each year (roughly the size of the counrty Panama).  Deforestation has been going on in tropical rainforests around the word for over the past 50 years. People are tearing down the trees and destroying the ecosystem for many different reasons. A few reasons are: to make room for cattle farming, logging, mining, and for the oil beneath the ground. Because rain forests are so biodiverse, and full of lots of huge trees they are a big target for the logging industry. They can cut down the trees and export the resources around the world for profit. The oil industry has also greatly affected the amount of deforestation in the rainforests. They search for oil deposits beneath the ground, and build pipelines underground for transportation of the oil. This is incredibly damaging to the forest. Over 20% of the oxygen on earth is produced by the tropical rainforests around the world, so cutting them down is not only damaging that ecosystem but it is also taking away some of the air we breathe.