Tropical rainforests are disappearing faster than ever before. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that in 1980, the rainforests were disappearing at a rate of 114,000 square kilometers each year (Colchester and Lohmann, 1). More recent studies have shown a sharp increase in that number. According to a study completed by Friends for Earth, some "142,000 square kilometers of tropical rainforests were destroyed in 1989, and a further 200,000 square kilometers seriously degraded" (Colchester and Lohmann, 1,2).

The Amazon Rain Forest is among the leading places ravaged by deforestation. The first estimates of the damage done in

Webster, 2000. Online. Available www.m-w.com.

The animals of the rainforest are beginning to be as endangered as the trees. An estimated 50 percent of the entire world's population of plants and animals live within the confines of the tropical rainforest, although those forests only cover two percent of the globe (Gallant, 4). The Tamarin is an example of an endangered rainforest animal. The Golden Lion Tamarin has only 100 animals of that species left, due to the destruction of its habitat- the rainforest. The Cotton-Top Tamarin has an extremely small estimated population, also due to the destruction of the rainforest. Both breeds of monkeys are in captive breeding programs and on reserves (Banks, 16). The monkeys are only one example close to extinction.

Deforestation has a number of root causes, from agricultural purposes to increasing population. The most significant amount of deforestation is a direct result of agriculture and the need for food from the rising population. Most of the Brazilian Amazon forest, that stretched along the Atlantic coast was "hacked down to make room for plantations of sugar, coffee and other crops" as well as to make room for sprawling cities (Brazil- Still Chopping, 2000). Throughout history, as the natives moved through the forest, they began to clear small plots of land for cultivation and living. Once the land was no longer fertile, the fields were abandoned and the rainforest quickly grew back. As additional immigrants began to settle in the area, they too began to clear plots of land, much larger plots. It was not uncommon for "the new immigrants to clear 10 hectares, and only plant four or five" because of inadequate burning or the underestimation of weeding a large field (UNRISD, 14).

Cattle ranching is another one of the highest reasons for deforestation. The UNRISD believes it to be the "main land use" in deforested areas of the Amazon (15). The ranchers cut and burn vast amounts of land for temporary pasture. After a short amount of time, a year or two at the most, the land is abandoned and another large area of the forest is cleared, repeating the cycle. Once the soil is too poor for farming or grazing, the ranchers move on. Due to the high price of chemical fertilizers, it is more cost-effective for the ranchers to clear new forest than to recuperate the old pastures.

"Brazil- Still Chopping." The Economist (US) 29 Apr. 2000: Online. Available GPIP.

Many people living within the immediate area of the rainforests have lost homes due to uncontrollable fires, almost all of them directly related to illegal logging. There have been complete villages that have been swept away in torrential downpours and flooding, attributed to the lack of trees and roots absorbing water. There have even been documented cases where villages were erased in landslides, due to a lack of root systems to keep the soil

Some common words found in the essay are:
Vanishing Forests, Cotton-Top Tamarin, Brazil- Chopping, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, Economist April, , Social Development, Friends Earth, Brazilian Amazon, Colchester Lohmann, square kilometers, online available, trees absorb, tropical rainforests, plants animals, brazil- chopping, 2000 online, carbon dioxide, 2000 online available, research institute, research institute social, parker 14, united nations research, institute social development, nations research institute,
Approximate Word count = 1947
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)