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Human Interaction
General Interaction With Rainforests
- Human interaction with rainforests can differ, whether it is to protect them, or to destroy them.
- Rainforests are destroyed mainly for either agriculture, a supply wood, minerals, or to clear land for housing or palm oil plantations.
- At least 2% of the world’s rainforests are destroyed yearly.
- A number of plants in rainforests are used in medicine, and if rainforests are wiped out, then so will some medicine types. However, if humans research and explore rainforests without destroying them, we may find more plants with medicinal properties.
- Groups or committees help save rainforests throughout the world from destruction. Non profit organisations such as the Rainforest Alliance help support the rainforests sponsoring certain companies with their products, and some of the money from purchasing of the products go to them in order to help conserve the rainforests.
Communities Within Rainforests
- Indigenous people once lived in rainforests, however today most have moved out into the suburbs or cities.
- Although most communities moved out or were driven away, some still live in the rainforests, to help protect their homes.
- Some rainforest communities never had any contact to the outside world until recent years, an example of this is the people who lived in the Amazon, the Yanomami and Kayapo people. They have had only approximately 60 years of outside world contact.
Changes In the Environment and Strategies to Control Climate Change
- Climate Change is what is happening when greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere. It can affect all kinds of global environments, including rainforests.
- Climate change is not the only problem that can affect rainforests, deforestation is another serious factor to prevent. It is mainly driven by expanding agriculture, which is easier than preventing climate change.
- Smart farming is a program that the Rainforest Alliance are promoting, which helps with the conservation of trees, which can reduce the effects of climate change.