The rainforest

This vast 5.5 million square mile jewel is home to the densest concentration of plant, insect and animal species on Earth. It is the home of 50 to 70 percent of all life forms on our planet. Rainforest are the most productive and most complex ecosystems on earth.

At least 25 percent of all modern drugs came originally from rainforests. Over two thousand tropical plants have been identified by scientists as having anti-cancer properties. The richness of the Amazon's biological diversity has not been completely cataloged and scientists consider the Amazon to be one of the key "endangered places" on the planet. Rain forests cover less than two percent of the Earth's surface.

More than 50 percent of the Earth's species live in tropical rainforests.

The most distinctive characteristic of the tropical rain forest is probably its enormous richness; no other major ecological community has so many kinds of plants and animals. In Kapawi, more than 500 species of birds can be found, and in just one hectare over 300 tree species.

Of all natural, terrestrial ecosystems on earth, none accomplish more photosynthesis than the tropical rain forest. On average, a tropical rain forest produces annually about 2000 grams of dry plant material per square meter, compared with 1250 grams per square meter for a temperate forest.

The tropical rain forest is the most complex ecosystem on the earth. Nevertheless, it can be described in the same way as other self-sufficient ecosystems: an association of producing, consuming and decomposing organisms, all ultimately deriving their energy from sunlight. The producers are the plants, the consumers are the animals, some of which (the carnivores) prey on other animals; the third class of organisms, the decomposers, consists of bacteria, fungi and certain small animals like termites, worms and mites, which break down dead organic material so that the carbon, nitrogen and minerals it contains can be recycled.