Connect with us

Social Stories

Study: 64% Of Rainforests Worldwide Are Gone, Remainder On The Brink Of Collapse

Published

My Post 2021 03 11T161122.098
Source: Mongabay & Science News for Students

Follow us on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest stories and updates daily.

We used to be able to boast about how green our planet was, with lush rainforests covering a large portion of the world.

But sadly, we may be only left with 36% of what we used to have.

The Rainforest Foundation Norway released a report on the State of the Tropical Rainforest at the start of a significant year for the sake of environmental protection, with global efforts accelerated with the UN biodiversity and climate change summits.

forest 4

Ander Krogh, who is the author of the latest report and works as a special advisor for the Rainforest Foundation Norway, shared that of the 14.5 million square kilometers of tropical rainforest that once covered the Earth’s surface, only 36% remains intact.

While 34% of it is completely gone, the remaining 30% is in various forms of degradation. On top of that, 45% of the remaining rainforest is also in a degraded state.

“The good news is that we have an area half the size of Europe that is still completely intact. However, the remaining tropical rainforests are either severely damaged or increasingly fragmented. Humans are chopping these once vast and impenetrable forests into smaller and smaller pieces, undermining their ability to store carbon, cool the planet, produce rain and provide habitats,” he said.

forest 1

He analysed and compiled Global Forest Watch data from all 73 countries that are home to the world’s tropical rainforests, the world’s oldest and most diverse terrestrial ecosystem.

They are now warning that the tropical rain-forest ecosystems are getting closer to a tipping point, in which the services provided by the natural ecosystem can no longer be sustained and forests start to collapse.

Some signs of this can already be seen in certain parts of the Amazon rain-forest.

forest 3

“These highly specialised ecosystems are suffering from constant and persistent abuse, through our bottomless appetite for land and resources,”

“We expect that upcoming UN climate and biodiversity summits provide specific targets and measures to protect intact tropical rainforests,” he added.

Human consumption can very much be blamed for this troubling revelation, as agricultural expansion, mineral extraction and the worldwide use of timber in construction and railroad infrastructure opened up the door for industrial and global exploitation of our forests.

We need to stop what we’re doing and fix this problem before it is too late. It’s now or never.

What do you think about this? Let us know in the comment section.

 

Also read: This M’sian Man Built His Very Own Version Of The Amazon River!

My Post 40

Source: Mongabay
Source: WWF
Source: ThoughtCo

Follow us on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest stories and updates daily.



Just In

feat image kedah irrawaddy feat image kedah irrawaddy
News13 minutes ago

An Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin Found Dead in Kedah After Getting Stuck in Illegal Fishing Net

A rare Irrawaddy dolphin, classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), was tragically found dead...

feat image uss feat image uss
News52 minutes ago

United States Aircraft Carrier Warship Spotted on Strait of Malacca Amid Escalating Iran-Israel Conflict

The United States aircraft carrier warship USS Nimitz was spotted on the Strait of Malacca recently amid rising tension in...

collage 83 collage 83
News15 hours ago

“I should’ve got it 4 or 5 times” – Donald Trump Gets Nominated for 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Pakistan has nominated U.S. President Donald J. Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his decisive diplomatic...

collage 81 collage 81
News15 hours ago

Man in Johor Arrested on Suspicion of Raping Both Daughters for 11 Years Since They Were Only 5 & 6

A 44-year-old palm oil plantation worker in Johor has been arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) over allegations of...

collage 80 collage 80
News15 hours ago

Massive Blaze in Puchong Destroys Factory Almost Entirely as Fire Spreads Rapidly

A large fire broke out today (June 21) at a paper factory located on Jalan Lembah Kinrara, Kampung Lembah Kinrara,...

izzahft izzahft
News18 hours ago

“I don’t know where the comments came from” – Man Denies Posting Obscene Remarks About Nurul Izzah

A 48-year-old diver, Ruslan Mat Ali, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in Sepang on June 20 to 11...

shooft shooft
News18 hours ago

“It didn’t sound like gunshots to us” – Witnesses Recall Shocking Meru Shooting Incident

People near the scene of yesterday’s fatal shooting in Meru, Klang, were caught off guard. At first, they thought the...

collage 78 collage 78
News19 hours ago

Man Steals Car in Penang With 12yo Girl Inside After Her Mum Left Engine Running

A 12-year-old disabled girl in Penang was abducted by a man in his 60s who stole a car and drove...

Announcement

Latest Videos



TRENDING TODAY