The biggest watering system
Rainforests help in retaining water like a natural giant sponge. The Amazon Rainforest alone holds more than half of the Earth’s rainwater. Trees in the rainforests absorb water down from the forest floor and release it back into the atmosphere in the form of fog and clouds. Without rainforests, droughts would be common.
Biodiversity and human diversity
When oil and logging companies clear large tracts of forest, they harm the animals, plants, and people in it and break the balance that all these elements have with one another. Globally, tropical rainforests contain over 40 million species of plants and animals and at least two-thirds of the world’s total plant species. And there are millions of other species of plants waiting to be discovered in the rainforests. Several indigenous people have lived in peace with the rainforests for many years. When their habitat is cleared or its balance is broken, they are at risk of contracting diseases that the indigenous people cannot control, threatening their lives. They are often forced to move from their homes to unfamiliar areas, a process which puts them in danger as well.
Nutrients and medications
Surprisingly, the soil in the rainforests is not very nutritious. The nutrients are stored in more numbers of trees and plants than in the soil. The roots of the trees in the rainforests hold the soil together, while the canopy protects the soil from excessive rains. When a tree falls to the ground, it decomposes and the nutrients in it are regenerated. It may surprise you to know that more than 30% of our modern medicines come from tropical plants. We have only learned to use 1% of these amazing plants, so consider the possibilities if we could try the other 99% of them!