rainforest

• Rainforest


  • Nutrients are on the surface, not in the soil
  • Biomass decomposes quickly
  • Little nutrients remain in the soil once the ecosystem is destroyed
• The rainforest ecosystem is destroyed

  The nutrient cycle is disrupted and the soil is unable to support new growth
• Reasons for rainforest vulnerability

  • Biodiversity loss
  • Loss of local respiratory (rain)
  • Impact on indigenous tribes
• Adaptation of rainforest trees

  • Buttress roots to stabilise the tree and stop it from falling over
• Sustainable management of rainforests

  • International: International timber agreement, debt reduction, NGO conservation
  • National: Government protection, reducing impact from developers
  • Local: Selective logging, agroforestry, replanting trees
• Tropical rainforest


  • Located close to the equator in South-East Asia and South America
  • Warm, moist climate with high precipitation
  • Extremely species-rich ecosystem
• Factors preventing rainforest development

  • Cultural: Clan-based thinking, fatalism
  • Economic: Lack of alternative livelihoods, poverty
  • Institutional: Corruption, lack of enforcement