Tropical Rain Forest example essay topic

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 county r prescriptions. All of this information has brought up the question that is on many minds, Should economic organizations, buisnesse's 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 animals. Also there is data that there ma 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 Capote n; 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 Vincristine, 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.