Diversity of rainforest habitats praised

The world's rainforest habitats are so diverse that no two areas are ever the same, it has been noted.

Writing for Indian Express, rainforest enthusiast Julie Bray said that rainforests have "a rich, colourful variety of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals".

She noted: "480 varieties of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest. These forests sustain around 50 per cent of all the species on Earth and offer a way of life to many people living in and around the forest."

However, she went on to point out that danger that the world's rainforests are in due to deforestation and clearing for industry.

The forests are being destroyed at a rate which is alarming, Ms Bray said, and noted that a few thousand years ago rainforests covered as much as 12 per cent of the Earth's surface.

Figures on Monga Bay suggest that now, less than five per cent of the world's surface is rainforest.

Written by Kimberley Homer.

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