Rainforests

• In the tropical rainforest, there is high rainfall from December to May (200-300 ml). Then the temperature stays around 27 degrees all year whilst rainfall drops to 50-150 mm for the rest of the year
• Direct threats

  involves deliberate deforestation
• Indirect threats

  Threats from pollution, global warming or disease which have an unintended result of rainforest loss
• Climate stress

  • Indirect threat
  • deforestation is making droughts more common and more severe
  • more drought leads to more carbon dioxide released, increases global warming and increased risk of forest fires
  • fires dry out leaf litter so organisms die which threatens the nutrient cycle
• Global warming

  • Indirect threat
  • Rising population and rising consumption add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere
  • deforestation of trees means less evaporation and transpiration so less clouds and less rain
  • Too rapid for species to adapt
  • could result in species becoming extinct
• Direct threats

  • Poverty
  • debt
  • economic development
  • demand for resources
  • commercial agriculture
  • commercial hardwood logging
  • palm oil
• Stress

  Where the productivity and processes of an ecosystem are put under pressure. Long term or severe stress may lead to ecosystem damage
• REDD

  • REDUCING EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION AND FOREST DEGRADATION
  • Rich countries pay less developed countries to keep their forest
  • Government and TNC's pay for it
  • HOWEVER may make some poor residents worse off
• CITES

  • CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES
  • Involves detecting, maintaining, deterring, dismantling
  • Aims to maintain nutrient and food webs
  • HOWEVER it is hard to coordinate and protects animals not trees