Our rain forests are as rich in beauty as they are bountiful
in the life forms they sustain. Many of the medications we
use today, such as cortisone, come from rain forest plants.
Scientists have identified 3,000 plants as having anti-cancer
properties... and 70% of those plants are found ONLY in the
rain forest.
Unlike other forests, many tropical forests have poor, thin
soils. Virtually all of the nutrients are in the plants. When
the trees are destroyed, what was once a dense woodland full
of life becomes a barren wasteland. |