Rainforests and Tropical Diversity

Gaby Orihuela

Visitor Experience Manager

Global Strategy for Plant Conservation

Objective IV: Education and awareness about

plant diversity, its role in sustainable livelihoods

and importance to all life on earth is promoted.

– Target 14: The importance of plant diversity and the need for its conservation incorporated into communication, education and public awareness programs.

What are Rainforests? Forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a

minimum normal annual rainfall of 68–78 inches, and as much as 390 inches. (Miami receives an average annual of ~60 inches.)

Two types: Tropical (wet and warm) and Temperate

Around 40% to 75% of all biotic species are indigenous to the tropical rainforests

Natural reservoir of genetic diversity and ecological services:

– Rich source of medicinal plants

– High-yield foods and a myriad of other useful forest products

– Sustain a large number of diverse and unique indigenous cultures

– Important habitat for migratory animals

Peruvian Amazonia

Where in the World?

Today less than 3% of Earth’s land is covered with these forests (about 2 million square miles). A few thousand of years ago they covered 12% (6 million).

Tropical forests are restricted to the latitudes 23.5° North and 23.5° South of the equator, or in other words between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.

Global distribution in four biogeographic realms: – Afrotropical (mainland Africa, Madagascar, and scattered islands)

– Australian (Australia, New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands)

– Indomalayan (India, Sri Lanka, mainland Asia, and Southeast Asia)

– Neotropical (South America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands)

Neotropical Realm The Amazon Rainforest

+50 % of the world’s rainforests lie in the Neotropical realm

The largest unbroken stretch of rainforest is found in the Amazon river basin of South America

It include parts of 9 countries: Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Surinam, Guyana, French Guiana and Bolivia

Over half of this forest lies in Brazil (~1/3 remaining in the world).

Rainforest Structure Typically divided into four main layers, each with different plants and

animals adapted for life in that particular area:

The emergent layer contains a small number of very large trees, which grow above the general canopy, reaching heights of 120–150 feet.

The canopy layer contains the majority of the largest trees, typically 98 to 148 feet tall. The densest areas of biodiversity are found in the forest canopy, a more or less continuous cover of foliage formed by adjacent treetops.

The understory layer lies between the canopy and the forest floor. Only about 5% of the sunlight shining on the rainforest canopy reaches this layer. The leaves are much larger at this level and many seedlings that will grow to the canopy level are present.

The forest floor, the bottom-most layer, receives only 2% of the sunlight. Only plants adapted to low light can grow on this layer.

Rainforest Structure

Plant Diversity

Rainforests contain 170,000 of the world’s 250,000 known plant species

A recent survey in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil found 487 tree species in 2.5 acres, while the US and Canada combined only have 700 species

Botanical Biodiversity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVnveDTKAJo

A Tropical Rainforest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUuA-C_I3DE

1/3 of world’s spp.

Insect Biodiversity

A single square mile of rainforest often houses more than 50,000 insect species

Whereas all of Europe has some 321 butterfly species, a locality in the Southeastern Peruvian Amazonia has ~ 1,300 species

So, why are Rainforests important?

Help stabilize the world’s climate;

Habitat to many thousand of spp. of flora and fauna;

Maintain the water cycle;

Protect against flood, drought, and erosion;

Are a source for medicines and food;

Support livelihoods of native people

Threats to Rainforests

Natural threats

– Fire

– Draughts

– Tropical storms

Human induced threats

– Deforestation

– Pollution

– Hunting

– Dams

Causes of Rainforest deforestation in the Amazon

#1 cause of deforestation: Cattle ranching

Deforestation • Agriculture • Timber extraction • Roads

+15% carbon emissions come from deforestation and forest degradation. UN data. REDD

REDD

What is REDD and why do we need it? – Reducing Carbon Emissions from Deforestation and

Degradation

– UN mechanism to mitigate climate change by using forest management

– It gives financial incentives to help developing countries reduce deforestation rates to meet Carbon emission ‘baseline’

– Countries can sell ‘carbon credits’ on the international carbon market

– Over 70 countries eligible

Other threats: Bush meat hunting

Other threats: Illegal mining

…& the native communities of the rainforest!

Some solutions in the field:

Biodiversity inventories

Using Technology as well as traditional survey methods.

Camera Traps

Smithsonian Project, 2011- 2014

Images courtesy of Patricia Alvarez

Photo by Diego Cortijo/Survival International

Amazon Rainforest: Still new discoveries, new ethnicities and new species for humanity and science!

How can YOU save Rainforests?

Teach others about the importance of this ecosystem and how they can help save rainforests – Interpreting this ecosystem at Fairchild!

Encourage people to live in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment – Reduce, reuse and recycle way of living

Support companies which operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment – Sustainable tourism

Be an ethical consumer – Buy sustainable forest products like certified cacao, coffee, timber,

etc.

Thank you!