Some Obscurish facts
#822
In 1950, rain forests covered about 14% of the earth's land surface. By 2001, this had diminished to 6%. Approximately half of the world's estimated 10 million species of life are believed to be found only in rain forests. The Amazon constitutes about 40% of the remaining rain forests, but it is disappearing at the rate of 7 football fields per minute - that's 20,000 km2 (7700 mi2) per year and increasing. From 1970 to 2000, an area the size of France or Texas was deforested by ranchers, farmers, loggers (mostly illegal), miners and developments of various kinds. The population of the Amazon is now over 20 million and rapidly increasing, since there is great poverty in Brazil, and the forest is seen as a vast area of land to be cleared and occupied.
In 1950, rain forests covered about 14% of the earth's land surface. By 2001, this had diminished to 6%. Approximately half of the world's estimated 10 million species of life are believed to be found only in rain forests. The Amazon constitutes about 40% of the remaining rain forests, but it is disappearing at the rate of 7 football fields per minute - that's 20,000 km2 (7700 mi2) per year and increasing. From 1970 to 2000, an area the size of France or Texas was deforested by ranchers, farmers, loggers (mostly illegal), miners and developments of various kinds. The population of the Amazon is now over 20 million and rapidly increasing, since there is great poverty in Brazil, and the forest is seen as a vast area of land to be cleared and occupied.