Rainforests

• What is the rainfall per year?

  2000mm
• What is the temperature range?


  20 degrees to 35 degrees
• What is the atmosphere like?


  Hot and humid
• What is the soil like?

  • Most of the soil is not very fertile.
  • A thin layer of fertile soil is found at the surface where the dead leaves decompose.
  • It is red in colour because it is rich in iron.
  • Due to heavy rainfall the nutrients are quickly washed out of the soil.
• How are the trees adapted to the tropical rainforest?

  The tree trucks are tall and thin to allow trees to reach for the sunlight

  The bark is smooth to allow water to run off into the roots

  The trees have buttress roots which are roots that have a large surface area that help support large trees
• How are plants adapted?

  They have drip tips which are leaves with pointy tips. This allows water to run of the leaves quickly without damaging or breaking them.
• How is a sloth adapted?

  They use camouflage and move very slowly so their hard for predators to spot
• How is the spider monkey adapted?

  They have long and strong limbs to help it climb the trees
• Global demand for meat has increased


  Many cattle farms have opened in the Amazon Basin for beef farming
• Arable farming


  Responsible for the loss of tropical rainforest as many farmers are clearing land to grow cash crops, such as soya beans
• Logging

  Tropical rainforests are cut down so that valuable trees like mahogany can be accessed and sold for timber to make furniture. Other trees are cut down for making paper products.
• Mining

  The Amazon Basin is rich in natural resources such as iron ore, copper, tin, aluminium, manganese and gold. This has led to the development of mines which results in the clearance of tropical rainforest. The Carajas mine in Brazil is the world's largest iron ore mine.
• Roads

  The construction of access roads for farmers, loggers and miners results in large parts of the tropical rainforest being destroyed.
• Hydroelectric power (HEP)


  The creation of HEP stations in the Amazon Basin has resulted in large areas of forest being flooded to create the reservoirs and dams. The flooding of the Balbina dam in Brazil resulted in the loss of 920 square miles of tropical rainforest.
• Population growth


  Has resulted in the loss of tropical rainforest as land is cleared to build houses and infrastructure.
• Sustainable management: Logging and replanting


   selective logging of mature trees ensures that the rainforest canopy is preserved. This method allows the forest to recover because the younger trees gain more space and sunlight to grow. Planned and controlled logging ensures that for every tree logged another is planted.
• Sustainable management: Education


  Promoting the value and benefits of biodiversity associated with tropical rainforests.
• Sustainable management: Ecotourism


  this encourages sustainable tourism that creates jobs for local people whilst ensuring that the money generated is used to protect and conserve the tropical rainforest for future generations to enjoy.
• what is soil erosion?

   When it rains, the nutrients in the soil are washed away. The nutrient cycle stops because there are no plants or trees shedding leaves to replace the nutrients in the soil. The soil is no longer able to support plant life because it is not fertile.