A rainforest is an area of tall, mostly evergreen trees and a high amount of rainfall. It is incredibly diverse and complex and home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species— even though they cover just 6% of Earth’s surface.

Rainforests thrive on every continent except Antarctica. The largest rainforests on Earth surround the Amazon River in South America and the Congo River in Africa. The tropical islands of Southeast Asia and parts of Australia support dense rainforest habitats.

It is the large-scale removal of plant communities from an area of land. It is an indiscriminate cutting or overharvesting of trees for various purposes, like the need for lumber and pulp, making paper, clearing the land for agriculture, ranching, housing, industrial development and highway construction.

IMPORTANCE OF RAINFOREST. ___________________Tropical forests cover only twelve percent of the land-area of the Earth, yet they are home to between 50 and 90 percent of the world's species.

IMPORTANCE OF RAINFOREST. Rainforests are a vital source of ______________ . Today, less than 1 percent of the world’s tropical forest plants have been tested for pharmaceutical properties, yet a quarter of all modern medicines came originally from rainforests. Most were first discovered and used by indigenous people.

Rainforests also offer a bounty of ______________. Foods that we use today that originated in rainforests include coffee, cocoa, many fruits and nuts, spices, rice, and other products such as rubber, gums, resins, dyes, and cane.

__________________ - Tropical forests regulate global and regional climate systems by acting as heat and water pumps. They release moisture into the atmosphere which returns to the ground as rain.

Rainforests act like giant sponges, soaking up moisture, and then releasing it slowly. This moderates the flow of rivers thus preventing flooding and ensures that rivers and creeks continue to flow during periods of less rainfall.

__________________  are made up of colonies of hundreds to thousands of tiny individual corals. These marine invertebrate animals have hard exoskeletons made of calcium carbonate and are permanently fixed in one place.

Corals are found in all of Earth's oceans, from tropical to freezing temperatures, however they only build coral reefs in warm, shallow seas in the tropics. 

The most biologically diverse reefs in the world can be found in a region known as the Coral Triangle in AFRICA.

IMPORTANCE OF CORAL REEFS. __________________  - Coral reefs are essential spawning, nursery, breeding, and feeding grounds for numerous organisms. Coral reefs support more than 800 hard coral species and more than 4,000 species of fish.

IMPORTANCE OF CORAL REEFS. _____________________ - Healthy coral reefs have rough surfaces and complex structures that dissipate much of the force of incoming waves; these buffer shorelines from currents, waves, and storms, helping prevent loss of life, property damage, and erosion.

IMPORTANCE OF CORAL REEFS. ________________ - The fish that grow and live on coral reefs are a significant food source for over a billion people worldwide—many of whom live far from the reefs that feed them.

IMPORTANCE OF CORAL REERS. _______________ - Every year, millions of scuba divers and snorkelers visit coral reefs to enjoy their abundant sea life. Even more tourists visit the beaches protected by these reefs.

____________________ are coastal wetlands found in tropical and subtropical regions. They are characterized by halophytic (salt loving) trees, shrubs and other plants growing in brackish to saline tidal waters. These wetlands are often found in estuaries, where fresh water meets salt water.

_____________ are trees found in coastal areas near the equator that can can survive in both saltwater and freshwater conditions.

Importance of Mangrove Swamps. ______________  - Mangrove forests are home to a large variety of fish, crab, shrimp, and mollusk species. These fisheries form an essential source of food for thousands of coastal communities around the world.

Importance of Mangrove swamps. Mangrove wood is resistant to rot and insects, making it extremely valuable. Many coastal and indigenous communities rely on this wood for construction material as well as for fuel. These communities also collect medicinal plants from mangrove ecosystems and use mangrove leaves as animal fodder.

Importance of Mangrove Swamps. ________________ The dense root systems of mangrove forests trap sediments flowing down rivers and off the land. These help stabilize the coastline and prevent erosion from waves and storms.