Rainforests are the oldest living ecosystem which comprise of high level of biodiversity. They are dense forests which covers 6% of the Earth’s surface. They are found in regions between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn which includes Asia, Africa, Australia and Central and South America. Amazon Rainforest in South America is the largest rainforest in the world which covers over a billion acres.

Tropical rainforest have warm and humid climate, tall trees and large amount of rainfall per year. They receive at least 200 cm of rain per year. This is the reason they are called “rainforest”. The climate is warm as the sun is very strong.

The species in the rainforest live in the canopy. Canopy is the layer of overlapping branches and leaves formed by closely spaced trees. The canopy is 30 meter above the ground. Due to the constant shade from the canopy, rainforest floor is often dark and humid.

Rainforest is the richest habitat and consist of more than 30 million of the world’s animals, insects and plants. This includes beautiful and exotic flowers. Rainforest bountiful gifts include fruits, vegetables, spices and nuts. The fruits include figs, lemons, avocados, bananas, pineapples, guavas, mangoes; vegetables include potatoes, yams, corns; spices contain black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, ginger, cayenne and nuts include cashew nuts. The animals include frogs, snakes, monkeys, birds, lizards and cats.

Rainforests are being shattered at an alarming rate. They once covered 14% of earth’s surface. This is directly affecting human livelihoods. The reason behind this is deforestation. People are cutting down rainforests for land to grow crops and livestock pastures and lumber for paper. The other causes of clearing the rainforest is mining, lagging, fires, creation of dams and drilling. If it continues at the current rate, the rainforest would be wiped out within 40 years. This would lead to the extinction of numerous species. This would also affect the climate and water systems. This calls for immediate global conservation approach to prevent the worst effect.