8 Interesting Facts About Rainforests That Show Why These Green Giants Matter to All of Us

Rainforests are some of the most lively, loud and astonishing places on the planet. They are only a tiny sliver of the planet but they affect the air we breathe, the medicine we use and the weather patterns that shape the lives of millions of families far beyond their borders. Whether you’re a neighbor to the rainforest or thousands of miles away, studying this vital tropical ecosystem helps you understand the planet itself.

Extent and Magnitude of Rainforest

•Why Rainforests Are Important – Rainforests cover only about 6% of the surface of the world but they contain a huge proportion of all known species of plants and animals. A lot of work for a small footprint.”

•How Slowly Rain Reaches the Forest Floor—It can take one raindrop up to ten minutes to reach the forest floor from the tops of the treetops in a dense rainforest canopy, passing through several layers of leaves and branches.

•Why the Amazon is almost its own country – The Amazon rainforest is so big that if it were a country, it would be one of the biggest in the world by landmass, bigger than most other countries on the map.

Wildlife and Plant Life to Know

•Some Frogs Wrestle for Their Territory — The tiny strawberry poison dart frogs of Central America sometimes wrestle each other for as long as twenty minutes to defend their patch of forest.

•Why A Quarter Of Modern Medicine Comes From Here – About one-fourth of the ingredients in modern medicines come from plants in the rainforest. It makes rainforests a kind of natural pharmacy.

•How Some Trees Have Lasted for Two Millennia — Some trees in temperate rainforests, such as those in parts of Australia, have been around for 2,000 years or so, quietly outliving empires and civilizations.

•Why do rainforests get twice the rain you’d expect — Most rainforests get at least 250 cm of rain a year, but some areas get closer to 450 cm, almost double what you’d expect.

People living in the jungle

Indigenous communities still live high in the canopy. Indigenous communities, such as the Korowai people of New Guinea, have built tree houses as high as 45 meters up, a reminder that rainforests are home to humans as well as wildlife.

Easy Ways to Help Rainforests and People

•Buy products that have sustainably produced palm oil, coffee or timber.

•Minimise paper waste and recycle wherever possible.

•Donate to a reputable reforestation or conservation charity.

•Find and share real facts about the rainforest, especially with children.

•Avoid buying products associated with illegal logging or wildlife trade.

Last Thought 

Rainforests might seem distant, but they affect every part of the world—from the medicines in our cabinets to the air that drifts around the globe. Protecting the rainforest is not just an environmental issue; it is an issue that affects us all, no matter where we live.

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