Rainforests have been providing ‘amenities’ to humans since the beginning being the foundation of the existence of the indigenous people. The ‘jungle’ supplied our ancestors with all the goods ranging from wood, animals and plants to clothing, medicines and pigments. After the passing of millennia, the close association to the services provided by rainforests did not fade (Rainforest Alliance). Rainforests across the globe provide services to humans that are of enormous economic value. They are frequently divided into 4 categories (Harvard School of Public Health):
Provisioning
According to UNEP 2011 yearbook, 1.6 billion people around the world have a close dependency on forests. Rainforests provide raw material for the inhabitants of the surrounding area to survive with fresh food from land or the fisheries, pharmaceuticals and wood for construction or fire.
On a global scale, there are renewable forest goods such as medicines where 70% of the drugs are natural chemical models , valuable timber, and surprisingly enough natural pesticides that humans are so in need (Rainforest Conservation Fund) and loads of varieties of exotic fruits (Figure 1) and of course chocolate!
Regulating
Rainforests act as carbon sinks where the lock they lock CO2 from the air and thus removing some of the CO2 from the air that would contribute to global warming but they also give out O2 vital for respiration. This is a service benefiting the human well-being on a global scale (Rainforest Conservation Fund) (WWF).
The hydrological functions are positively regulated by the rainforests. Devastating outcomes are prevented such as erosion and landslides, flooding as well as desertification. This is because the water flow is regulated within the biome through watersheds and surface runoff in addition to regulating the water quality (Rainforest Conservation Fund) (Rainforest Concern).
Supporting
The majority of rainforests are act as the so called ‘closed loop system’. They have very little inputs and outputs. As follows, they should be able to make their own nutrient to ‘feed’ the plants that thrive there. The nutrient cycling in the rainforest is very efficient with the different biodiversity and range of plant chemical composition they have the opportunity to exploit the environment. The disruption of this system will lead to the loss of the nutrients and the death of the rainforest (Rainforest Conservation Fund)
Rainfall patterns are influenced by the environmental conditions created by rainforests. The cloud cover as well as the humidity can affect other regions of the world thus supporting weather conditions.
Pollinators pay an important role in supporting the life in rainforests (Figure 3). Due to the vast number of plant species there are some pollinators that are specific to certain plants. Any reduction in ecosystems of rainforest can have a serious impact on the regeneration of the rainforest in addition to loss of species (Rainforest Conservation Fund).
Figure 3: Glossophaga soricina, nectar-feeding bat smothered with pollen from a flowering tree – Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica (cosmos)
Cultural
Rainforests are critical in society. They are the natural heritage of the local people with high spiritual and religious significance. On a more global scale, the jungle is a natural laboratory where it can contribute in different kinds of research from climate and natural systems to soils, biological and medical. The non-destructive harmonic coexistence of some human societies living in rainforests can provide an inside on their way of life through their agriculture and husbandry. The can also provide recreational activities through eco-tourism. The aesthetic value (Figure 4) is beyond measure either through air or through land (Rainforest Conservation Fund).
Figure 4: Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve (NatGeo)
Locally as well as globally, the services provided by the rainforests are of great value and the loss of them may cause irreversible effects to the climate, environment and human kind.
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