why are rainforest being destroyed?
116876
It is a symptom of a much bigger problem, namely overpopulation. This world is finite and if humans don't find a way to thin the herd mother nature will.
184572
The question is not clear. Are you refering to ecological sub-systems with the rainforest?\nRainforests are the most complex of ecosystems, both in terms of structural complexity (several vertical layers, etc.) and in terms of interelationships and functions. \nSome of the sub-systems of the rainforest (although there is no clear separation between them) are the canopy, the underbrush, and the leaf litter levels. All of those are disturbed (destroyed, more likely) by deforestation. All the arboreal habitats just disappear, to be replaced (more or less slowly) by secondary-growth forest, which is much thicker and comprises different species (mostly opportunist species that grow rapidly once a clearing opens); and the leaf litter system (comprising most of the detritivore food web) is also destroyed because the ground level is exposed to direct sunlight and evaporation, as well as the erosive effects of rain.
339834
It's because they are also collecting coral.  They break of large chunks of coral to sell to tropical fish tanks.  The loss of this coral can destroy the coral reefs.  The tropical fish live off of the coral, so with less coral around, the environment supports less fish.  With constant collection eventually all of the coral and fish will be gone.  AND THEN.... after the coral reefs are destroyed there will be nothing really protecting the beaches around that area.  The coral reefs put up a kind of barrier that deadends the ocean's power.  With that gone, the ocean water will be able to "attack" everything after the reef closer to the beach.  That beach area also had its ecosystem setup around the deadened ocean, so when the reef is gone, the ocean will come in at full force and then destroy that area too.
494494
It cause the dangerous effect on land which get related to the living of humanbeings. it destroys buildings and effect communication. it is also dangerous for navigation.
815067
Unfortunately, the world needs to come to grips with the fact that Brazil will continue to log rain forest in the Amazon and convert land into low-output farm or range lands.  Tropical rainforest soils are very low in nutrients and threir conversion has serious, probably global, consequences.  There seems to be a pretty good consensus about the problem, but it's not just a simple matter of "big corporations" (they play their part) and a ruined environment.\n\nBesides the big corporations logging, there are a host of small companies that selectively log the most valuable trees.  This has caused the "under count" by many thousands of acres of logged land. (ref. 1)  Often once an area is opened up even in a rudimentary way, subistence "slash and burn" farmers follow, often causing large regional fires. (ref. 2) These are very poor, often uneducated, people who see few alternatives to their life style.  Eventualy, the depleted land often ends up in large ranches.  Those who even try to regulate logging do so at considerable risk as the profits from logging and land conversion are huge.(ref. 3).  Last year saw the worst drought in memory in the Amazon, showing that the environment may have reaced a point of no return. (ref.4)\n\nTo this person, there is no easy solution.  Brazil is a poor country where many of the people live on less than $2 a day.  Nobody has the authority to tell them to stop logging other than the Brazilian government, and even then it is doubtful that such a ban could be enforced given the poverty and lawless conditions in the Amazon.  It's like telling the Columbian's to stop growing coca - the US has spent millions on that effort with little effect.  The solution (if there is one) is to end the demand for tropical hardwood, because it's not just Brazil but every tropical forest that is disappearing fast.  This means providing people with an alternate way to make a living.  The developed world needs to spend the money to give the workers in the Amazon (and other extraction-based poor countries) decent life choices that are sustainable along with a stake in a better world.  I invite you to visit the one.org website which discusses their campaign to do just this. (www.one.org).  Actions speak louder than words.  I have given my favorite organizations site as the last reference, but there are many working for global equity and justice.  Environmental problems in developing countries simply cannot be addressed about without dealing with issues of poverty, disease, and lack of education.
145383
people are destructive
256077
Exactly. A far bigger emphasis should be put on environment protection than it is getting now. Everybody and every country is only looking at their own interests while the amazing rainforests are being cut and the waters full of oil.. \nI'm from east Europe, air pollution is a big problem here too, still only few people think and talk about these. I hope they won't realise the importance of this when it will be already irreversible.
613456
When the place in which organisms live is destroyed.
769778
aww i hate that. the rainforest are already reduced to a 4% of the entire world area and they still want to cut. get the National wildlife and forestn preservation for support.
570801
Environmental degradation and massive overpopulation.
329933
yes,man is destroying the earth by:\n1.by cutting trees and destroying forest\n2.by burning fossils,plastics they produce carbon dioxide   in atmosphere\n                   man is destroying nature in many ways,but\nwe can save our earth by simple ways like donating a plant sample,not throwing the garbage.
320955
One reason maybe the pollutants that are in the areas that will be reflooded.  We do not know the impact they will have on the rest of the ecosystem.
162080
Hi there, \n\nHere are 5 sentences about rainforests - \n\n(1) We are losing Earth's greatest biological treasures just as we are beginning to appreciate their true value. Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. \n\n(2) One and one-half acres of rainforest are lost every second with tragic consequences for both developing and industrial countries. \n\n(3) Rainforests are being destroyed because the value of rainforest land is perceived as only the value of its timber by short-sighted governments, multi-national logging companies, and land owners. \n\n(4) Nearly half of the world's species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation. \n\n(5) Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. While 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. \n\nHope this helps. If not, I'd be glad to assist you further. Bye!!\n\nrule wid style n luv@vinny
588236
Personally when we visit a coral reef we must be careful not to damage it by stepping on it or chipping off pieces for our own use.\nToxic waste and other sewage dumped into the water damages coral reefs, as well as a rise in water temperature that could be caused by global warming.
1038295
The natural environment is full of wide sparkly rivers and waterfalls and lushes green plants with a plentifly amount of animals.So behind all that there is hurt. Animal populations are low. Plants are be torn down.And the water is getting trashed.
42590
This question has been in debate of decades.  Part of the issue is WHERE the logging is occurring.  In the Rain Forest when clear-cut occurs, the lush undergrowth groud is exposed for farming purposes.  Then in a few years the ground has been over-cultivated and unusable, and then more rain forrest has to be cut down. \n\nThere is no instruction on how to use those lands safely and conservatively.\n\nIn the United States, we have one of the largest programs of conservation and revitalization after tree harvesting.  For every acre cut another acre is planted with seedlings.  In fact the United States has THE largest amount of land set aside for State parks, National Parks and reserved conservation lands in the world.\n\nLogging hurts the environment when no effort is taken to replant or carefully guage where the cutting is done, in what patterns, etc.  You can't just go in and clear cut an entire forest and expect no damage.  \n\nHere is information on the process:\n\nhttp://fwie.fw.vt.edu/rhgiles/trevey/Clearcut_SquareKnot.htm
342926
Rainforests are extremely important in the ecology of the Earth. The plants of the rainforest generate much of the Earth's oxygen. These plants are also very important to people in other ways; many are used in new drugs that fight disease and illness. Scientists divide the rainforest into strata (zones) based on the living environment. Starting at the top, the strata are: \nEMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much higher than the average canopy height. It houses many birds and insects. \nCANOPY: The upper parts of the trees. This leafy environment is full of life in a tropical rainforest and includes: insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and more. \nUNDERSTORY: A dark, cool environment under the leaves but over the ground. \nFOREST FLOOR: Teeming with animal life, especially insects. The largest animals in the rainforest generally live here. \nIt is almost always raining in a rainforest. Rainforests get over 80 inches (2 m) of rain each year. This is about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) of rain each week. \n\nThe rain is more evenly distributed throughout the year in a tropical rainforest (even though there is a little seasonality). In a temperate rainforest, there are wet and dry seasons. During the "dry" season, coastal fog supplies abundant moisture to the forest. \n\nThe temperature in a rainforest never freezes and never gets very hot. The range of temperature in a tropical rainforest is usually between 75° F and 80° F (24-27° C). Temperate rainforests rarely freeze or get over 80° F (27° C). \nThere are many indigenous groups of people who have live in the tropical rainforests. Many of these groups, like the Yanomamo tribe of the Amazon rainforests of Brazil and southern Venezuela, have lived in scattered villages in the rainforests for hundreds or thousands of years. These tribes get their food, clothing, and housing mainly from materials they obtain in the forests. \n\nForest people are mostly hunter-gatherers; they get their food by hunting for meat (and fishing for fish) and gathering edible plants, like starchy roots and fruit. Many also have small gardens in cleared areas of the forest. Since the soil in the rainforest is so poor, the garden areas must be moved after just a few years, and another part of the forest is cleared. \n\nMost indigenous populations are declining. There are many reasons for this. Their primary problems are disease (like smallpox and measles, which were inadvertently introduced by Europeans) and governmental land seizure.\nTropical rainforests cover about 7% of the Earth's surface and are VERY important to the Earth's ecosystem. The rainforests recycle and clean water. Tropical rainforest trees and plants also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their roots, stems, leaves, and branches. Rainforests affect the greenhouse effect, which traps heat inside the Earth's atmosphere. \nSome of the foods that were originally from rainforests around the world include cashew nuts, Brazil nuts, Macadamia nuts, bananas, plantains, pineapple, cucumber, cocoa (chocolate), coffee, tea, avocados, papaya, guava, mango, cassava (a starchy root), tapioca, yams, sweet potato, okra, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, mace, ginger, cayenne pepper, cloves, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, passion fruit, peanuts, rice, sugar cane, and coconuts (mostly from coastal areas). \n\n\nThe Wealth of the Rainforests \n\n\nThe Amazon Rainforest covers over a billion acres, encompassing areas in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and the Eastern Andean region of Ecuador and Peru. If Amazonia were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world. \n\nThe Amazon Rainforest has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet" because it provides the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen. More than 20 percent of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. \n\nMore than half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants,