Rainforest Education
A learning resource for students of nature of all ages!
Rainforest Threats
Humans have put extreme demands on rainforests the world over. Rainforests have been harvested for wood for fuel and construction. "Slash and burn" methods have cleared vast areas of forest for farming and cattle grazing. Roads put through rainforest habitat not only interfere with wildlife but bring further development with continued clearing. These pressures are understandable, but whenever possible must be slowed or stopped to save these magnificent and essential forests.
In Guatemala the tragic consequences of deforestation are seen everywhere. The indigenous Mayans who live in small villages have cleared the steepest mountainsides to plant their corn and beans, and the only fuel available for cooking is wood. In the photo below the mountain in the background is cleared for cornfields all the way to the top. I was shocked when I first went to Guatemala to hear that farmers sometimes are killed when they fall out of their cornfields!
In the photo of the hillside below, you can see that it is now cleared for farming - and at risk for mudslides.
The solutions are complex - projects involving biogas for cooking are helping. Reforestation and managing the forests is extremely important. Family planning to slow population growth is extremely important.
You can help stop the destruction of the rainforests!
Scene from a hilltop in Mindanao, the Philippines, of what used to be rainforest. This vast island has few areas of rainforest left.
How you can help:
The following fantastic organizations are working to help save our environment the world over. Check out their websites to learn more and to see what YOU can do! Earthwatch allows YOU to work with scientists who are saving the earth!