Approximately 1 billion hectares in the world are covered by tropical forests, of which up to 50% are represented by humid forests. The vast majority of these forests and jungles are found throughout South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.
The function of these forests and jungles is very important for the ecosystem of these places and also for the global climate and, for this reason, at Ecologista Verde we talk about Why is tropical forest conservation important?.
It is important to conserve tropical forests because they stabilize the climate
Our Earth is a planet that maintains a global temperature between 0ºC and 40ºC. This temperature allows many things, for example, that water remains in a liquid state or that the proteins that are part of living beings do not coagulate, among many other things, but what happens so that this balance exists in global temperatures?
It is known that the temperature of the Earth at the distance from the Sun and if the gaseous layer that traps infrared radiation did not exist, it would barely reach -15ºC. The Sun's energy penetrates the planet at the level of the tropics, so that if it did not leave there, the life that lives in those places would cook and the rest of the planet would remain frozen and that is where they come into play. tropical forests. These forests produce a large amount of water vapor through its leaves through the phenomenon of evapotranspiration and, in this way, they represent an immense reflector that returns to space a large part of the energy that the Earth receives from the Sun. A tropic without forests would mean a much colder Earth and the disappearance of the rivers that carry moisture from the sea to the interior of the continents in temperate regions.
In addition, they help stabilize the global temperature of the planet, thanks to their function of carbon dioxide absorption atmospheric. An excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere contributes to global warming of the planet.
Finally, these forests also have great importance in the local climate, since by facilitating the production of rains, they help to stabilize temperatures local.
The importance of tropical forests in the global ecosystem
Rainforests and rainforests represent the natural "laboratories" where plants are produced. new species, being the vital reserve of the planet.
Due to their favorable conditions (rainforests and stable climates), life evolves at high speed in these forests, so the number of species, both animal and plant, is greater than in other regions. Many of these species are in danger of extinction. An example of these high biodiversity rainforests is the Amazon jungle.
Tropical forests help maintain the water cycle
The water cycle or hydrological cycle It is the cycle that describes the continuous movement of water within, above and below the earth's surface.
The rainforests and rainforests help maintain this cycle through process of perspiration or evapotranspiration (loss of water vapor through the leaves of the plants). This contributes to the condensation phenomenon of clouds that then release the water in the form of rain. Thus, in the Amazon rainforest, 50% -80% of the humidity can remain in the ecosystems.
We must conserve tropical forests because they reduce erosion
This is due to the roots of tropical forests and in general the vegetation serve as anchor to the ground. In the event that these trees are cut down, there is no support that can protect the soil in the area and it is more exposed to the action of wind, river water and rain and, therefore, to erosion. This is a natural process that happens very slowly, but if it occurs in an accelerated way as it would happen in the case of not conserving tropical forests well, then it would be very damaging to the climate in the area, biodiversity, human activities and even , for the global climate.
Check out this other Green Ecologist article to learn everything about what soil erosion is, its causes and consequences.
Negative impacts of cutting down tropical forests
The felling of trees in tropical forests and jungles, which is done for various reasons such as the construction of infrastructures, obtaining wood as raw material, felling for land use in agriculture or livestock or other more natural, such as fires, it has important consequences. A) Yes, if we don't conserve tropical forests these are some of the consequences that will occur, in fact some already happen:
- Nutrient depletion of forests: with significant negative effects on crops, flora and fauna, so we are all seriously harmed.
- Biodiversity loss: tropical forests are the most biodiverse areas on the planet.
- Global warming and more changes in the weather.
- Decrease in humidity: with the consequent drops in rainfall and drought. Mainly at the local level.
- Death of fish and damage to humans: As a result of erosion and water pollution, large numbers of fish will die, which not only endangers the survival of species, but is also a problem for the human who eats them.
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