 Largest number of natural medicines  40-75% of all species on Earth are indigenous  Supply 28% of the world’s oxygen  Cools the temperature of the entire Earth by 1 or 2 degrees and balances the world’s humidity and rain  Absorb the largest amount of carbon dioxide and produce oxygen  80% of the developed world's diet is found in the tropical rainforest

 The clearing and burning of forests  Involves taking over the land for pasture, urban use, logging purposes, wastelands, etc.  Most rainforests are cleared by chainsaws, bulldozers, and fires for its timber value and then are followed by farming and ranching operations, even by world giants like Mitsubishi Corporation, Georgia Pacific, Texaco and Unocal

 Rainforests once covered 14% of the Earth’s land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests will be consumed within the next 40 years  An area of rainforest the size of a football field is lost EVERY SECOND

 Nearly half of the world's species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next 25 years due to rainforest deforestation.  Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal, and insect species EVERY DAY due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year.

 As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources  The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified 3,000 plants that are active against cancer cells  70% of these plants are found in the rainforest  25% of the active ingredients in today's cancer- fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest

 There were an estimated ten million Indians living in the Amazonian Rainforest five centuries ago. Today there are less than 200,000  In Brazil alone, European colonists have destroyed more than 90 indigenous tribes since the 1900's. With them have gone centuries of accumulated knowledge of the medicinal value of rainforest species

 Experts agree that by leaving the rainforests intact and harvesting it's many nuts, fruits, oil-producing plants, and medicinal plants, the rainforest has more economic value than if they were cut down to make grazing land for cattle or for timber  The latest statistics show that rainforest land converted to cattle operations yields the land owner $60 per acre and if timber is harvested, the land is worth $400 per acre. However, if these renewable and sustainable resources are harvested, the land will yield the land owner $2,400 per acre

 The 3 R’s!!!  Reduce  Reuse  Recycle  Bring bottles and cans to the local recycling center  The more we recycle, the less demand there is for trees to be cut down

 Recycle everything you can: newspapers, cans, glass bottles and jars, aluminum foil, motor oil, scrap metal, etc.  Don't use electrical appliances for things you can easily do by hand, like opening cans  Store food in re-usable containers, instead of plastic wrap or aluminum foil  Don't leave water running needlessly  Re-use brown paper bags to line your trash can instead of plastic liners

Don't buy products made from ivory, coral, reptile skins, tortoise shells, or cat pelts – this helps protect the endangered species of the rainforest.

 Carry reusable cups, dishes, and flatware  Make sure your trash doesn't end up in the ocean-- don't litter beaches. Basically, you should never litter period  Don't pick flowers or keep wild creatures for pets-- leave plants and animals where you find them  Don't buy souvenirs made from wild or endangered animals

Continue to support groups such as Rainforest Action Network and governments agencies that are buying large tracts of rainforest to keep as reserve areas that can't be destroyed.

 How does this make you feel?  What else do you think can be done to save the rainforests?  What can we do to reduce the need for deforestation here in Albion?