It's been proven that the world's Rainforests are home to at least 50% of all species on Earth. In fact, it's been said that they could house up to 90% of it. So, why are we destroying it? Well, for one thing, the logging industry is extremely profitable, even though I'd say about 60% of it is done illegally. A partion of precious, ancient rainforest the size of the U.S. state Delaware is leveled every month. I've been through Delaware...it's huge! Every single month, a whole chunk of forest, gone like that. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of species man hasn't even recorded yet that are slaughtered right along with it. The native tribes are being driven from their homes, even killed if they try to fight back. Oil companies like Texico have spilled hundreds of gallons of their poison in the Amazon, making the water supply quite literally run black. (And of course, when Texico was confronted by activists, they promised they'd clean it up, but never did. I guess the oil they sell isn't the only thing running black in that company.)
Another major factor is farming. Gee, let's think for a moment, shall we? You go through the "trouble" of clearing away a part of rainforest where it's about 85 degrees and humid as hell on average and think a bunch of cows, chickens and piglets are going to survive? Yes, people can be that stupid.
Many types of ancient wood is sold elsewhere for cheap lumber. Mohogany, for example, all comes from tropical rainforest. Former NYC mayor Foolian--err...Giuliani tried to rebuild the entire Brooklyn Bridge out of ancient South American lumber. 80% of all modern day antibiotics and medicines are derived from plants. A good percentage of that 80% is derived from rainforest vegitation. Wouldn't it suck to find out that the cure for AIDS or Cancer is being used for a bridge? Well, think about it. Rainforests contain billions of plants, animals and insects humanity has never seen. Who's to say the cures for most human illnesses aren't waiting to be discovered there? Have we even really looked? Maybe a little, but we see these paradises on Earth as just another well to be used up. Getting the Story Straight:
Okay, not even counting the unbearable climate, a 10 foot chain link fence isn't going to stop a starving jaguar from sinking her claws into the free range buffet you've created. Sure, let the cows eat the grass with spores, molds and fungi they aren't used to. Now envision all the cows getting some freaky disease that infects the entire farm. People don't think of these things. Now imagine the poor jaguar eating one of these cows that has been pumped so full of hormones that it makes the jaguar deathly ill, or worse, die. Not that these people give a shit about the surrounding wildlife, I just thought I'd bring it up. 
Also, ever hear of wet/dry season down there? Most natives put their houses up on long stilts because of the flooding. When the terrential downpour comes, what are farmers going to do with all those pigs, chickens and cows, build an arc?
And we will. Sooner rather than later at the pace we're going. I'll bet people don't mind that rainforests provide more than half the world's oxygen as well. Have you ever seen "Logan's Run"? (If you haven't, then see it.) That's about where the planet is heading. Noone seems to understand how vital these places are to us. We're destroying ourselves and taking the whole world down with us because we're too stupid, obstinant and corrupted to realize and/or admit what we're doing is wrong.
I'm trying so hard to educate and get through to you fucking people, but it's not working. If I found a way to move the entire human race into our broken and wasted future, show them what we've done to the world and brought them back, begging them to change, they wouldn't. They'd just keep on doing the same bullshit because they don't care about anything but the blood money in their pockets and their dead animal bretheren lining their walls. But guess what? I'm gonna keep on trying because if I didn't, I wouldn't be me, so read on and at least try to look like you give a flying fuck.
Alright, imagine you have children. If you already do, this should be easy. Now imagine yourself moving into a large mansion and spending countless days and hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix it up, but mostly, to fix up the perfect room for the children. Slowly but surely, the children, like all children, I suppose, make that room a terrible mess. They leave garbage everywhere, they rip up the carpet, make holes in the ceiling, put cracks in the walls and damage the structural integrity of the room. As they get older, they start moving into the other rooms and doing the same thing to each room until you are trapped in only one room. The more rooms they take over, the less room *you* have to move around. There is way too much garbage for one person to clean up, and every time you do, it's even worse the next day. It smells unbearable and you don't even remember what the floors look like anymore. And to top it all off, you don't know how much longer the house will stay standing after all this. Now picture your children doing this sort of thing to your house after all the time and effort you put into making it perfect. Now imagine you are God. Congratulations. Now you know how He must feel.
Don't think I'm not also sympathetic to the indigenous tribes who live in the rainforest. Part of my family is from Argentina and I happen to be utterly fascinated by South American cultures. These poor people are bombarded by all sides. Everyone wants them to either leave or die, their in a constant war with drug lords/drug trafficers, their own government sold them out, their home is being destroyed, their culture is being squashed and they're too outmanned and outgunned to fairly fight back.
Read more about it here. There is a song by Sepultura called Ratamahatta, remembering an old Brazillian native tribe. In the middle of the night, troops invaded their village and slaughtered every last man, woman and child. I don't remember if it was their government or ours. I can't find word one on it on any search engine. If you don't care about a single animal life, know that there are people in that jungle suffering too. This will effect all of us, like a ripple, only deadlier. The rainforest is only being decimated because there's profit in it. You are the consumer; you have more power than you think. If you stop buying, they stop making money, and they won't have a reason to do it anymore. Look more closely at what it is you're buying. That's all any environmentalist asks. Don't be a blind, ignorant sheep of a consumer, don't just go out and blow your money on whatever big businesses say you need. Turn your brain on and keep an open heart. Think about where your money is going to and if it will help people or add to this problem. It's really very simple, and the alternative is disturbing and bleek. If we continue on the road we're on, we wont have to worry about aliens or big brother or any natural catastophe, we'll do ourselves in.
Wake up, or die.
"Art is man's nature: Nature is God's art."
"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature."
"Milk the cow, but do not pull off the udder."
"He who would enjoy the fruit must not spoil the blossoms."
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority."
"Mention that we are praying, many of the medicine people, the
spiritual leaders, the elders, are praying for the world. We are praying that mankind does wake up and think about the future, for we haven't just inherited this earth from our ancestors, but we are borrowing it from our unborn children."
-Joseph Chasing-Horse
-Philip James Bailey (1816 - 1902)
-Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
-Greek Proverb
-Gaelic Proverb
-E. B. White 
Home
Other Sources of Information:
Rainforest Info Centre
Rainforest Releif
HotEarth.Net
Rainforest Action Network (RAN)
Rainforests.net
NAFI Forest Facts
If Elementary kids get it, then you have a problem if you don't.
The Stevenson Press
Well-written site, informative, organized and accurate. It was written for school kids by school kids, but if that's what it will take to get through to some of you...so be it.
Rainforest Education Project
On the Line- Tropical Rainforests
Tropical Rainforest Coalition
