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Deforestation - Why
Worry?
The Amazon rainforest holds millions
of species of flora and fauna, some found nowhere else on earth.
It is a treasure chest that hasn't even been fully opened, as
the Amazon still remains partially unexplored. There are many
more plants and animals that anywhere else on earth. And we are
destroying them without even understanding what they are. Many
cures to illnesses have been derived from rainforest plants but
if we lose the species we'll never know that it held a cure for
cancer.
In addition, another problem is that people don't understand
what they are doing. The Amazon, though it is host to millions
of lifeforms, is not full of fertile soil. The organic material
that builds up from all the plants and animals such as dead leaves,
skin, and various other materials is what allows plants and animals
to thrive. Without the forest, this is quickly washed away by
rain and the once fertile soil is fertile no more.
The rainforest takes in CO2 and releases oxygen. Without it,
we would probably have more global warming to deal with as well
as a lack of oxygen. A few trees here and there cannot compare
to what we would lose if we lost the Amazon as a producer of
oxygen, let alone the many products it also is used for.
Already, we are causing changes in the Amazon as flooding patterns
are changing due to the immense destruction of rainforest. This
flooding creates fertile soil and is crucial to the farmers long
the river. If we continue in this madness, we will only hurt
ourselves. We must try as hard as we can to stop it.
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