The sunlight sporadically pierces through the high, dense canopies, just barely reaching the world below. A beautiful, black leopard lies dormant quietly resting upon the cool ground. The mixed sounds of parrots and monkeys flood the air with the usual symphony of nature. A nearby stream of pure, untouched water trickles into a pool where it empties into a wondrous waterfall of gigantic proportions. Suddenly the peaceful ecosystem erupts with a thunderously loud crack as the age-old forests of the Amazon fall to the destruction of man made machinery at the hands of big business greedy for wealth and expansion. Rain forests of the world are being destroyed at an alarming rate and the Amazon Rainforest is no exception. If such destruction does not end, South America and even worse, planet Earth, will lose not just a rain forest, but also a valuable ecosystem of plant and animal life.

Rainforests are the richest, oldest, most productive and complex land ecosystems on this planet. They cover less than two percent of the earth's surface, yet they are home to approximately 50% of all earthly life forms. As renowned biologist Norman Myers states, "Rainforests are the fin

The Brazilian government has decided to allow big business to cut millions of acres of trees in the Amazon River basin (Ghitis). Although perhaps only 15 to 20 % has been removed so far, the rate of cutting has been accelerating so that now more than twenty thousand square kilometers are cleared each year (Place XVI). In Brazil alone 5.4 million acres are lost every year. Ecuador a country of 270,000 square kilometers, formerly had 132,000 square kilometers of Amazonian rainforest and now with a deforestation rate of nearly 4% per year, only 44,000 square kilometers still remain. Due to this rapid destruction, scientists estimate that an average of nearly 137 species of plant and wildlife are driven into extinction every day and nearly 50,000 per year in the Amazon alone. To further put these disturbing numbers into perspective, within the next hour six species will be destroyed and in a matter of minutes 150 acres of beautiful land will be mowed over for human use (Miller). Estimates by environmental scientists indicate that by the middle of the twenty first century there will be no sustainable tropical rainforest left in Brazil (Place XVI). Man made machinery is not the only way that these forests have been carelessly destroyed. Due to the intense heat generated within the forests, the lands are extremely easy to ignite and burn to clear for personal use. Many small farmers with the desire for further expansion or land use quite frequently burn sections of land and often cannot contain these wildfires. Many times hundreds to thousands of vital Amazon acreage is left burnt and crippled as yet again personal interest damages the future of our environment (Mirabella). Whether by means of machinery or fire the end product is still the same as the environment becomes slightly more mangled and disrupted. The main factor

Some topics in this essay:
South American, South America, Fahrenheit Amazon, Brazil XVI, Twice Gone, XVI Brazil, Mirabella Despite, Destruction Amazon, Environmental Ministry, Myers Rainforests, amazon rainforest, destruction amazon, square kilometers, south america, south american, amazon 402, destruction amazon rainforest, river basin, animal life, amazon river, brazilian government, south american governments, plant animal life, amazon river basin,