雷竞技下载安卓

ByRhett A. ButlerLast updated Aug 14, 2020

A Place Out of Time: Tropical Rainforests and the Perils They Face- information on tropical forests, deforestation, and biodiversity

RAINFOREST FACTS

  • Tropical forests presently cover about 1.84 billion hectares or about 12 percent of Earth's land surface (3.6% of Earth's surface).
  • The world's largest rainforest is the Amazon rainforest
  • Brazil has the largest extent of rainforest cover, including nearly two-thirds of the Amazon.
  • Rainforests also exist outside the tropics, including temperate North America, South America, Australia, and Russia.
  • An estimated 50 percent of terrestrial biodiversity is found in rainforests
  • Rainforests are thought to store at least 250 billion tons of carbon
  • Deforestation and degradation of tropical forests account for roughly 10 percent of global greenhouse emissions from human activities

Sections:

雷竞技下载教程

雷竞技体育下载热带雨林是前st ecosystems characterized by high levels of rainfall, an enclosed canopy and high species diversity. While tropical rainforests are the best-known type of rainforest and the focus of this section of the web site, rainforests are actually found widely around the world, including temperate regions in Canada, the United States, and the former Soviet Union.

Tropical rainforests typically occur in the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, latitudes that have warm temperatures and relatively constant year-round sunlight. Tropical rainforests merge into other types of forest depending on the altitude, latitude, and various soil, flooding, and climate conditions. These forest types form a mosaic of vegetation types which contribute to the incredible diversity of the tropics.

The bulk of the world's tropical rainforest occurs in the Amazon Basin in South America. The Congo Basin and Southeast Asia, respectively, have thesecond and third largest areasof tropical rainforest. Rainforests also exist on some the Caribbean islands, in Central America, in India, on scattered islands in the South Pacific, inMadagascar, in West and East Africa outside the Congo Basin, in Central America and Mexico, and in parts of South America outside the Amazon. Brazil has the largest extent of rainforest of any country on Earth.

Rainforests provide important ecological services, including storing hundreds of billions of tons of carbon, buffering against flood and drought, stabilizing soils, influencing rainfall patterns, and providing a home to wildlife and Indigenous people. Rainforests are also the source of many useful products upon which local communities depend.

虽然热带雨林雷竞技体育下载对人类至关重要nity, they are rapidly being destroyed by human activities. The biggest cause of deforestation is conversion of forest land for agriculture. In the past subsistence agriculture was the primary driver of rainforest conversion, but today industrial agriculture — especially monoculture and livestock production — is the dominant driver of rainforest loss worldwide. Logging is the biggest cause of forest degradation and usually proceeds deforestation for agriculture.

Organization of this site

The rainforest section of Mongabay is divided into ten "chapters" (the original text for the site was a book, but has since been adapted for the web), with add-on content in the form of special focal sections (e.g. The Amazon, the Congo,lol赔率雷电竞 ,New Guinea,Sulawesi,Forests in Brazil, etc), appendices, and other resources.

There is also a version of the site geared toward younger readers atkids.mongabay.com.

Tropical rainforest in Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler

ABOUT THE RAINFOREST (SUMMARY)

Chapter 1:

RAINFOREST DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTERISTICS

Each rainforest is unique, but there are certain features common to all tropical rainforests.

  • Location: rainforests lie in the tropics.
  • Rainfall: rainforests receive at least 80 inches (200 cm) of rain per year.
  • Canopy: rainforests have a canopy, which is the layer of branches and leaves formed by closely spaced rainforest trees some 30 meters (100 feet) off the ground. A large proportion of the plants and animals in the rainforest live in the canopy.
  • 生物多样性:热带雨林extr雷竞技体育下载aordinarily highs level of biological diversity or “biodiversity”. Scientists estimate that about half of Earth's terrestrial species live in rainforests.
  • Ecosystem services: rainforests provide a critical ecosystem services at local, regional, and global scales, including producing oxygen (tropical forests are responsible for 25-30 percent of the world's oxygen turnover) and storing carbon (tropical forests store an estimated229-247 billion tons of carbon) through photosynthesis;influencing precipitation patterns and weather;moderating flood and drought cycles; and促进养分循环; among others.

The global distribution of tropical rainforests can be broken up into four biogeographical realms based roughly on four forested continental regions: the Afrotropical, the Australiasian, the Indomalayan/Asian, and the Neotropical. Just over half the world's rainforests lie in the Neotropical realm, roughly a quarter are in Africa, and a fifth in Asia.

Map showing the world's rainforests, defined as primary forests in the tropics. Click to enlarge.

These realms can be further divided into major tropical forest regions based on biodiversity hotspots, including:

  1. Amazon: Includes parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
  2. Congo: Includes parts of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo
  3. Australiasia: Includes parts of Australia, Indonesian half of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea
  4. Sundaland: Includes parts of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore
  5. Indo-Burma: Includes parts of Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  6. Mesoamerica: Includes parts of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama
  7. Wallacea: Sulawesi and the Maluku islands in Indonesia
  8. West Africa: Includes parts of Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo
  9. Atlantic forest: Includes parts of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
  10. Choco: Includes parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama

Dozens of countries have tropical forests. The countries with the largest areas of tropical forest are:

  • Brazil
  • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
  • Indonesia
  • Peru
  • Colombia
  • Other countries that have large areas of rainforest include Bolivia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ecuador, Gabon, Guyana, India, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Congo, Suriname, and Venezuela.

    Cover and loss by rainforest region

    Primary forest extent Tree cover extent
    Rainforest region 2001 2010 2020 2001 2010 2020
    Amazon 556.7 543.5 526.2 673.4 658.6 628.9
    Congo 173.7 172.2 167.6 301.2 300.3 287.7
    Australiasia 61.8 65.4 64.4 76.3 91.3 89.1
    Sundaland 39.9 57.3 51.0 67.7 121.6 103.1
    Indo-Burma 15.3 42.6 40.1 37.8 153.0 139.1
    Mesoamerica 43.7 17.4 16.0 160.3 54.3 49.8
    Wallacea 18.1 15.2 14.6 56.2 26.1 24.5
    West Africa 9.8 10.9 10.2 15.6 48.5 41.8
    Atlantic forest 11.1 9.7 9.3 49.3 96.3 89.0
    Choco 10.0 8.5 8.4 99.8 15.9 15.6
    PAN-TROPICS 1,029.6 1,006.5 969.1 2,028.3 1959年。4 1,839.1

    Primary forest loss Tree cover change
    2002-09 2010-19 2002-09 2010-19
    Rainforest region M公顷(%) M公顷(%) M公顷(%) M公顷(%)
    Amazon -13.18 (-2.4%) -17.28 (-3.2%) -14.7 (-2.2%) -29.8 (-4.5%)
    Congo -1.46 (-0.8%) -4.68 (-2.7%) -0.8 (-0.3%) -12.7 (-4.2%)
    Australiasia -0.29 (-0.5%) -0.86 (-1.3%) 0.2 (0.2%) -1.4 (-1.5%)
    Sundaland -2.22 (-5.5%) -3.67 (-6.4%) -1.5 (-2.3%) -9.5 (-7.8%)
    Indo-Burma -1.62 (-10.5%) -2.14 (-5.0%) -0.6 (-1.6%) -6.4 (-4.2%)
    Mesoamerica -1.10 (-2.5%) -2.51 (-14.4%) -7.3 (-4.6%) -13.9 (-25.6%)
    Wallacea -0.66 (-3.6%) -1.36 (-8.9%) -1.9 (-3.3%) -4.6 (-17.5%)
    West Africa -0.30 (-3.1%) -0.50 (-4.6%) -0.1 (-0.8%) -1.2 (-2.4%)
    Atlantic forest -0.24 (-2.1%) -0.62 (-6.4%) -0.7 (-1.5%) -6.8 (-7.0%)
    Choco -0.33 (-3.3%) -0.35 (-4.1%) -3.5 (-3.5%) -7.3 (-46.0%)
    PAN-TROPICS -23.11 (-2.2%) -37.34 (-3.7%) -68.9 (-3.4%) -120.3 (-6.1%)

    Bar chart showing the world's largest rainforests as defined by the area of primary forest cover according to Hansen / WRI 2020.
    Bar chart showing the world's largest rainforests as defined by the area of primary forest cover according to Hansen / WRI 2020.
    Tropical primary forest cover and tree cover by country in 2020

    Tropical forest cover and loss by country

    Units: million hectares Primary forest extent Tree cover extent
    2001
    Country 2001 2010 2020 2001 2010 2020
    Brazil 343.2 331.9 318.7 516.4 498.1 468.2
    DR Congo 104.6 103.4 99.8 198.8 198.5 188.0
    Indonesia 93.8 90.2 84.4 159.8 157.7 141.7
    Colombia 54.8 54.2 53.3 81.6 81.7 79.3
    Peru 69.1 68.5 67.2 77.9 78.6 76.5
    Bolivia 40.8 39.9 38.1 64.4 62.7 58.9
    Venezuela 38.6 38.5 38.1 56.4 57.3 56.1
    Angola 2.5 2.4 2.3 49.7 48.3 46.8
    Central African Republic 7.4 7.3 7.2 46.9 47.1 46.6
    Papua New Guinea 32.6 32.4 31.9 42.9 42.9 41.9
    Mexico 9.2 9.0 8.6 43.3 42.5 40.3
    China 1.7 1.7 1.7 42.8 41.1 38.5
    Myanmar 14.0 13.8 13.5 42.8 40.9 38.2
    India 10.2 10.1 9.9 35.1 31.4 30.2
    Cameroon 19.1 19.0 18.5 30.6 29.7 28.7
    Republic of Congo 21.2 21.1 20.8 26.4 26.6 26.0
    Argentina 4.4 4.2 4.0 30.9 27.6 24.9
    Gabon 22.7 22.6 22.4 24.7 24.7 24.4
    Malaysia 15.9 15.0 13.3 29.1 28.6 23.8
    Mozambique 0.1 0.1 0.1 26.6 25.0 23.1
    Tanzania 0.7 0.7 0.7 21.8 20.6 19.3
    Guyana 17.3 17.3 17.2 19.0 19.1 18.9
    Ecuador 10.6 10.6 10.5 18.3 18.5 18.1
    Thailand 5.9 5.9 5.8 19.8 19.0 17.7
    Philippines 4.6 4.5 4.4 18.3 18.1 17.4
    巴拉圭 3.5 3.0 2.5 23.9 20.2 16.6
    Zambia 0.3 0.3 0.3 18.5 17.4 16.6
    Laos 8.3 8.1 7.5 19.1 17.9 15.4
    Suriname 12.8 12.7 12.6 13.9 14.0 13.9
    Rest of the tropics 59.6 58.0 53.9 210.1 203.5 183.3
    Grand Total 1,029.6 1,006.5 969.1 2,009.7 1959年。4 1,839.1

    Primary forest loss Tree cover change
    2002-09 2010-2019 2002-09 2010-2019
    Country M公顷(%) M公顷(%) M公顷(%) M公顷(%)
    Brazil -11.37 (-3.3%) -13.15 (-4.0%) -18.25 (-3.5%) -29.93 (-6.0%)
    DR Congo -1.16 (-1.1%) -3.67 (-3.5%) -0.37 (-0.2%) -10.50 (-5.3%)
    Indonesia -3.63 (-3.9%) -5.85 (-6.5%) -2.09 (-1.3%) -15.98 (-10.1%)
    Colombia -0.54 (-1.0%) -0.96 (-1.8%) 0.17 (0.2%) -2.43 (-3.0%)
    Peru -0.60 (-0.9%) -1.37 (-2.0%) 0.68 (0.9%) -2.10 (-2.7%)
    Bolivia -0.90 (2.2%) -1.84 (-4.6%) -1.67 (-2.6%) -3.75 (-6.0%)
    Venezuela -0.15 (-0.4%) -0.33 (-0.9%) 0.86 (1.5%) -1.14 (-2.0%)
    Angola -0.03 (-1.2%) -0.09 (-3.8%) -1.37 (-2.8%) -1.51 (-3.1%)
    Central African Republic -0.05 (-0.6%) -0.11 (-1.5%) 0.15 (0.3%) -0.49 (-1.0%)
    Papua New Guinea -0.19 (-0.6%) -0.55 (-1.7%) 0.04 (0.1%) -1.05 (-2.4%)
    Mexico -0.20 (-2.1%) -0.40 (-4.4%) -0.81 (-1.9%) -2.22 (-5.2%)
    China -0.03 (-1.9%) -0.04 (-2.4%) -1.67 (-3.9%) -2.66 (-6.5%)
    Myanmar -0.19 (-1.4%) -0.38 (-2.8%) -1.90 (-4.4%) -2.70 (-6.6%)
    India -0.13 (-1.2%) -0.20 (-2.0%) -3.67 (-10.5%) -1.18 (-3.8%)
    Cameroon -0.11 (-0.6%) -0.50 (-2.6%) -0.96 (-3.1%) -1.02 (-3.4%)
    Republic of Congo -0.07 (-0.3%) -0.25 (-1.2%) 0.28 (1.0%) -0.60 (-2.2%)
    Argentina -0.19 (-4.4%) -0.21 (-5.0%) -3.31 (-10.7%) -2.69 (-9.8%)
    Gabon -0.08 (-0.3%) -0.16 (-0.7%) 0.02 (0.1%) -0.29 (-1.2%)
    Malaysia -0.98 (-6.2%) -1.65 (-11.0%) -0.47 (-1.6%) -4.84 (-16.9%)
    Mozambique 0.00 (-1.6%) -0.01 (-7.5%) -1.60 (-6.0%) -1.95 (-7.8%)
    Tanzania -0.01 (-0.9%) -0.02 (-2.8%) -1.21 (-5.5%) -1.31 (-6.3%)
    Guyana -0.03 (-0.2%) -0.09 (-0.5%) 0.07 (0.3%) -0.14 (-0.8%)
    Ecuador -0.05 (-0.5%) -0.12 (-1.2%) 0.20 (1.1%) -0.43 (-2.3%)
    Thailand -0.07 (-1.2%) -0.05 (-0.9%) -0.75 (-3.8%) -1.31 (-6.9%)
    Philippines -0.05 (-1.1%) -0.09 (-2.1%) -0.18 (-1.0%) -0.80 (-4.4%)
    巴拉圭 -0.46 (-13.3%) -0.53 (-17.7%) -3.69 (-15.4%) -3.60 (-17.8%)
    Zambia 0.00 (-1.0%) -0.02 (-6.5%) -1.07 (-5.8%) -0.77 (-4.4%)
    Laos -0.23 (-2.7%) -0.55 (-6.8%) -1.15 (-6.0%) -2.58 (-14.4%)
    Suriname -0.02 (-0.2%) -0.10 (-0.8%) 0.05 (0.4%) -0.14 (-1.0%)
    Rest of the tropics -1.59 (-2.7%) -4.04 (-7.0%) -6.59 (-3.1%) -20.17 (-9.9%)
    Grand Total -23.11 (-2.2%) -37.34 (-3.7%) -50.27 (-2.5%) -120.27 (-6.1%)

    Chapter 2:

    RAINFOREST STRUCTURE

    Rainforests are characterized by a unique vegetative structure consisting of several vertical layers including the overstory, canopy, understory, shrub layer, and ground level. The canopy refers to the dense ceiling of leaves and tree branches formed by closely spaced forest trees. The upper canopy is 100-130 feet above the forest floor, penetrated by scattered emergent trees, 130 feet or higher, that make up the level known as the overstory. Below the canopy ceiling are multiple leaf and branch levels known collectively as the understory. The lowest part of the understory, 5-20 feet (1.5-6 meters) above the floor, is known as the shrub layer, made up of shrubby plants and tree saplings.

    Chapter 3:

    RAINFOREST BIODIVERSITY

    Tropical rainforests support the greatest diversity of living organisms on Earth. Although they cover less than 2 percent of Earth’s surface, rainforests house more than 50 percent of the plants and animals on the planet.

    There are several reasonswhy rainforests are so diverse. Some important factors are:
    • Climate: because rainforests are located in tropical regions, they receive a lot of sunlight. The sunlight is converted to energy by plants through the process of photosynthesis. Since there is a lot of sunlight, there is a lot of energy in the rainforest. This energy is stored in plant vegetation, which is eaten by animals. The abundance of energy supports an abundance of plant and animal species.
    • Canopy: the canopy structure of the rainforest provides an abundance of places for plants to grow and animals to live. The canopy offers sources of food, shelter, and hiding places, providing for interaction between different species. For example, there are plants in the canopy called bromeliads that store water in their leaves. Frogs and other animals use these pockets of water for hunting and laying their eggs.
    • Competition: while there is lots of energy in the rainforest system, life is not easy for most species that inhabit the biome. In fact, the rainforest is an intensively competitive place, with species developing incredible strategies and innovations to survive, encouraging specialization.
    • While species everywhere are known for utilizing symbiotic relationships with other species to survive, the biological phenomenon is particularly abundant in rainforests.

      Chapter 4:

      THE RAINFOREST CANOPY

      In the rainforest most plant and animal life is not found on the forest floor, but in the leafy world known as the canopy. The canopy, which may be over 100 feet (30 m) above the ground, is made up of the overlapping branches and leaves of rainforest trees. Scientists estimate that more than half of life in the rainforest is found in the trees, making this the richest habitat for plant and animal life.

      The conditions of the canopy are markedly different from the conditions of the forest floor. During the day, the canopy is drier and hotter than other parts of the forest, and the plants and animals that live there have adapted accordingly. For example, because the amount of leaves in the canopy can make it difficult to see more than a few feet, many canopy animals rely on loud calls or lyrical songs for communication. Gaps between trees mean that some canopy animals fly, glide, or jump to move about in the treetops. Meanwhile plants have evolved water-retention mechanisms like waxy leaves.

      Scientists have long been interested in studying the canopy, but the height of trees made research difficult until recently. Today the canopy is commonly accessed using climbing gear, rope bridges, ladders, and towers. Researchers are even using model airplanes and quadcopters outfitted with special sensors — conservation drones — to study the canopy.



      Chapter 5:

      The rainforest floor

      The rainforest floor is often dark and humid due to constant shade from the leaves of canopy trees. The canopy not only blocks out sunlight, but dampens wind and rain, and limits shrub growth.

      Despite its constant shade, the ground floor of the rainforest is the site for important interactions and complex relationships. The forest floor is one of the principal sites of decomposition, a process paramount for the continuance of the forest as a whole. It provides support for trees responsible for the formation of the canopy and is also home to some of the rainforest's best-known species, including gorillas, tigers, tapirs, and elephants, among others.

      Rainforest in Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia in 2017. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
      Chapter 6:

      lol电竞雷竞技平台

      Tropical rainforests support some of the largest rivers in the world, like the Amazon, Mekong, Negro, Orinoco, and Congo. These mega-rivers are fed by countless smaller tributaries, streams, and creeks. For example, the Amazon alone has some 1,100 tributaries, 17 of which are over 1,000 miles long. Although large tropical rivers are fairly uniform in appearance and water composition, their tributaries vary greatly.

      Rainforest waters are home to a wealth of wildlife that is nearly as diverse as the biota on land. For example, more than 5,600 species of fish have been identified in the Amazon Basin alone.

      But like rainforests, tropical ecosystems are also threatened. Dams, deforestation, channelization and dredging, pollution, mining, and overfishing are chief dangers.

      Chapter 7:

      rayben雷竞技

      Tropical rainforests have long been home to tribal peoples who rely on their surroundings for food, shelter, and medicines. Today very few forest people live in traditional ways; most have been displaced by outside settlers, have been forced to give up their lifestyles by governments, or have chosen to adopt outside customs.

      Of the remaining forest people, the Amazon supports the largest number of Indigenous people living in traditional ways, although these people, too, have been impacted by the modern world. Nonetheless, Indigenous peoples' knowledge of medicinal plants remains unmatched and they have a great understanding of the ecology of the Amazon rainforest.

      In Africa there are native forest dwellers sometimes known as pygmies. The tallest of these people, also called the Mbuti, rarely exceed 5 feet in height. Their small size enables them to move about the forest more efficiently than taller people.

      There are few forest peoples in Asia living in fully traditional ways. The last nomadic people in Borneo are thought to have settled in the late 2000's. New Guinea and the Andaman Islands are generally viewed as the last frontiers for forest people in Asia and the Pacific.

      Chapter 8:

      ray52雷电竞

      Every year an area of rainforest the size of New Jersey is cut down and destroyed, mostly the result of human activities.We are cutting down rainforests for many reasons, including:

      • wood for both timber and making fires;
      • agriculture for both small and large farms;
      • land for poor farmers who don’t have anywhere else to live;
      • grazing land for cattle (the single biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon);
      • plantations, including wood-pulp for making paper, oil palm for making palm oil, and rubber;
      • road construction; and
      • extraction of minerals and energy.
      • In recent decades there has been an important shift in deforestation trends. Today export-driven industries are driving a bigger share of deforestation than ever before, marking a shift from previous decades, when most tropical deforestation was the product of poor farmers trying to put food on the table for their families. There are important implications from this change. While companies have a greater capacity to chop down forests than small farmers, they are more sensitive to pressure from environmentalists. Thus in recent years, it has become easier—and more ethical—for green groups to go after corporations than after poor farmers.

        Rainforests are also threatened by climate change, which is contributing to droughts in parts of the Amazon and Southeast Asia. Drought causes die-offs of trees and dries out leaf litter, increasing the risk of forest fires, which are often set by land developers, ranchers, plantation owners, and loggers.

        Tropical primary forest cover and tree cover by country in 2020
        Chapter 9:

        rayapp下载

        While rainforests may seem like a distant concern, they are critically important for our well-being. Rainforests are often called the lungs of the planet for their role in absorbing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and producing oxygen, upon which all animals depend for survival. Rainforests also stabilize climate, house incredible amounts of plants and wildlife, and produce nourishing rainfall all around the planet.

        Rainforests:

        • Help stabilize the world’s climate: Rainforests help stabilize the world’s climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Scientists have shown that excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from human activities is contributing to climate change. Therefore, living rainforests have an important role in mitigating climate change, but when rainforests are chopped down and burned, the carbon stored in their wood and leaves is released into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
        • Provide a home to many plants and animals: Rainforests are home to a large number of the world’s plant and animals species, including many endangered species. As forests are cut down, many species are doomed to extinction.
        • Help maintain the water cycle: The role of rainforests in the water cycle is to add water to the atmosphere through the process of transpiration (in which plants release water from their leaves during photosynthesis). This moisture contributes to the formation of rain clouds, which release the water back onto the rainforest. In the Amazon, 50-80 percent of moisture remains in the ecosystem’s water cycle. When forests are cut down, less moisture goes into the atmosphere and rainfall declines, sometimes leading to drought. Rainforests also have a role in global weather patterns. For example researchers have shown thatforests in South America affect rainfall in the United States, while forests in Southeast Asia influence rain patterns in southeastern Europe and China. Distant rainforests are therefore important to farmers everywhere.
        • Protect against flood, drought, and erosion: Rainforests have been compared to natural sponges, moderating flood and drought cycles by slowing run-off and contributing moisture to the local atmosphere. Rainforests are also important in reducing soil erosion by anchoring the ground with their roots. When trees are cut down there is no longer anything to protect the ground, and soils are quickly washed away with rain. On steep hillsides, loss of forest can trigger landslides.
        • 是药物和食物的来源和支持forest-dependent people: People have long used forests as a source of food, wood, medicine, and recreation. When forests are lost, they can no longer provide these resources. Instead people must find other places to get these goods and services. They also must find ways to pay for the things they once got for free from the forest.
        Chapter 10:

        Rainforest conservation

        Rainforests are disappearing very quickly. The good news is there are a lot of people who want to save rainforests. The bad news is that saving rainforests will be a challenge as it means humanity will need to shift away from business-as-usual practices by developing new policies and economic measures to creative incentives for preserving forests as healthy and productive ecosystems.

        Over the past decade there has been considerable progress on several conservation fronts. Policymakers and companies are increasingly valuing rainforests for the services they afford, setting aside large blocks of forests in protected areas and setting up new financial mechanisms that compensate communities, state and local governments, and countries for conserving forests. Meanwhile, forest-dependent people are gaining more management control over the forests they have long stewarded. Large international companies are finally establishing policies that exclude materials sourced via deforestation. People are abandoning rural areas, leading to forest recovery in some planes.

        But the battle is far from over. Growing population and consumption means that rainforests will continue to face intense pressures. At the same time, climate change threatens to dramatically alter temperatures and precipitation patterns, potentially pushing some forests toward critical tipping points.

        Thus the future of the world's rainforests in very much in our hands. The actions we take in the next 20 years will determine whether rainforests, as we currently know them, are around to sustain and nourish future generations of people and wildlife.

        The Latest News on Rainforests

        Hydropower in the Pan Amazon: An overview of the private energy sector in Ecuador and China’s role(Sep 6 2023)
        - Mongabay has begun publishing a new edition of the book, “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon,” in short installments and in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese.
        - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
        - Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
        - Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023.

        Indonesian voters want a clean energy plan, but candidates haven’t delivered(Sep 6 2023)
        - Candidates running in Indonesia’s presidential election next year must make clear their plans for transition the country away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy, policy experts say.
        - A survey shows young Indonesians, who make up the majority of potential voters, view environmental issues in general, and a just energy transition in particular, as crucial issues for a new president to tackle.
        - However, none of the three hopefuls who have declared their candidacies to date have addressed these issues, with the survey reflecting a sense of pessimism among respondents.
        - Indonesia, a top greenhouse gas emitter, has said it aims to hit net-zero emissions by 2060 and retire its existing fleet of coal-fired power plants, but continues to build more coal plants to serve its growing metal-processing sector.

        Hydropower in the Pan Amazon: A look at the private energy sector in Peru(Sep 5 2023)
        - Mongabay has begun publishing a new edition of the book, “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon,” in short installments and in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese.
        - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
        - Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
        - Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023.

        Indonesia awards biggest Indigenous forest claim yet to Bornean Dayaks(Sep 5 2023)
        - The Indonesian government has officially recognized the biggest swath yet of forests that fall under the ancestral domain of an Indigenous group, awarding rights to nearly 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) in Borneo.
        - It took the government 11 years to grant this recognition to the 15 Indigenous Dayak communities that had applied for it, according to the nation’s main Indigenous alliance, AMAN.
        - There are many more customary forests yet to be recognized in the region, with activists calling on the government to speed up the recognition process.

        Palm oil giants Indonesia, Malaysia start talks with EU over deforestation rule(Sep 1 2023)
        - Negotiations have begun between the world’s top two palm oil producers and the EU to address sticking points in a deforestation law that would make it harder for the commodity to enter European markets.
        - Indonesia and Malaysia account for 85% of global palm oil exports, and would be heavily impacted by the EU Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR), which prohibits imports into the EU of commodities sourced by clearing forests.
        - At the first joint meeting of an EU-Indonesia-Malaysia task force, delegates discussed risk designations for producer countries as well as the role of certification schemes like the RSPO to help meet EUDR requirements.
        - Indonesian officials say their main issue with the EUDR is that it discriminates against small farmers, who manage 41% of the total plantation area in the country and would have difficulty complying with the new regulation’s requirements.

        Hydropower in the Pan Amazon: Bolivia seeks an energy export model(Aug 30 2023)
        - Mongabay has begun publishing a new edition of the book, “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon,” in short installments and in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese.
        - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
        - Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
        - Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023.

        What would it cost to protect the Congo Rainforest?(Aug 29 2023)
        - The Congo Basin holds the world’s second-largest rainforest — the majority of which is in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — playing a vital role in carbon storage and ecological services that millions of people and species rely upon.
        - However, the DRC is a nation with the second-highest rate of tropical deforestation behind Brazil. Meanwhile, Gabon says it has acted to protect its forests but hasn’t reaped the promised rewards.
        - International commitments to protect the Congo Rainforest are historically meager compared with what experts say is actually needed, and many of these commitments go unfulfilled.
        - On this episode of Mongabay Explores the Congo Basin, we speak with experts about what’s needed to overcome hurdles to financing forest protection to benefit conservation, climate and communities: Paolo Cerutti, senior scientist and DRC unit head at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR-ICRAF); Chadrack Kafuti at Ghent University; Wahida Patwa Patwa-Shah, senior regional technical specialist, UNDP Climate Hub; and Lee White, minister of water, forests, the sea and environment in Gabon.

        How the Amazon’s ‘greatest devastator’ sold cattle to a Carrefour supplier(Aug 29 2023)
        - Arrested by Brazilian Federal Police, cattle rancher Bruno Heller and relatives have already received over $5 million in environmental fines. He is also suspected of land grabbing.
        - Heller transported cattle from a family farm fined for environmental violations to two other properties free from environmental implications — this maneuver is an indication of the so-called “cattle laundering.”
        - A Frialto Group meatpacking plant confirmed that it slaughtered 249 animals for the Heller family. The facility supplies Carrefour, but the French retail company states that the meat from animals raised by Heller did not reach its supermarkets.

        Brazilian Indigenous artists take the forest to the world(Aug 29 2023)
        - In recent years, several exhibitions held abroad have featured Indigenous people from Brazil and Latin America, giving unprecedented visibility to artists historically erased by gallery owners and museums.
        - Some examples include Siamo Foresta in Milan; The Yanomami Struggle in New York, and BEĨ: Benches of Brazilian Indigenous Peoples in Japan.
        - According to curators, the works transcend a mere aesthetic vision, being deeply connected to each people’s cosmologies, in addition to taking political and socioenvironmental issues into museums and galleries.

        It had to be a snake: New species from Peru named after Harrison Ford(Aug 29 2023)
        - Scientists have described a new-to-science snake species from Peru’s Otishi National Park and named it after the actor Harrison Ford for his conservation advocacy.
        - The pale yellowish-brown snake with black blotches was found in high-elevation wetlands and identified using genetic techniques.
        - The team faced risks from illegal drug activity in the remote park area where the snake was found, cutting their survey short.
        ——卫星数据和图像显示几个领域forest loss throughout the park, which appear to have been caused by natural landslides. Still, some bear the hallmarks of human-caused clearing likely linked to coca cultivation and drug trafficking.

        Hydropower in the Pan Amazon: Río Trombetas and Calha Norte(Aug 29 2023)
        - Mongabay has begun publishing a new edition of the book, “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon,” in short installments and in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese.
        - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
        - Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
        - Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023.

        REDD+ projects falling far short of claimed carbon cuts, study finds(Aug 25 2023)
        - New research reveals that forest carbon credits are not offsetting the vast majority of emissions that providers claim.
        - A team of scientists looked at 26 REDD+ deforestation-prevention project sites on three continents, leading to questions about how the developers calculate the impact of their projects.
        - The researchers found that about 94% of the credits from these projects don’t represent real reductions in carbon emissions.
        - Verra, the world’s largest carbon credit certifier, said the methods the team used to arrive at that conclusion were flawed, but also added it was in the process of overhauling its own REDD+ standards.

        Hydropower in the Pan Amazon: The Tapajós Basin and the prevalence of Indigenous rights(Aug 25 2023)
        - Mongabay has begun publishing a new edition of the book, “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon,” in short installments and in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese.
        - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
        - Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
        - Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023.

        Hydropower in the Pan Amazon: Belo Monte and the Río Xingu(Aug 24 2023)
        - Mongabay has begun publishing a new edition of the book, “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon,” in short installments and in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese.
        - Author Timothy J. Killeen is an academic and expert who, since the 1980s, has studied the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia, where he lived for more than 35 years.
        - Chronicling the efforts of nine Amazonian countries to curb deforestation, this edition provides an overview of the topics most relevant to the conservation of the region’s biodiversity, ecosystem services and Indigenous cultures, as well as a description of the conventional and sustainable development models that are vying for space within the regional economy.
        - Click the “A Perfect Storm in the Amazon” link atop this page to see chapters 1-13 as they are published during 2023.

        Do virus-detecting ants hold the key to preventing zoonotic diseases?(Aug 23 2023)
        - Researchers are using army ants in Congo Basin rainforests to better understand the presence and emergence of zoonoses, diseases transmitted from animals to humans.
        - According to the World Health Organization, the number of zoonotic epidemics recorded in Africa between 2012 and 2022 rose by 63% compared to the previous decade.
        - Researchers collected 200 army ants from 29 colonies in Gabon’s rainforest for analysis. They found nearly 50,000 different viral sequences, half of them belonging to viruses currently unknown to science.
        - They hope that by regularly collecting ants for analysis from selected sites, they will be able to identify potentially-dangerous viruses as well as which animal species harbour them, and use this information to guide public health strategy to control zoonotic diseases.