The value and importance of tropical forests cannot be measured simply by the economic goods they produce. In addition to being a storehouse of species diversity and scientific discoveries, tropical forests play a vital role in global and local climate patterns.

Many of us may not be aware that many of the products we use in modern society originate from these forests. They include:

(a) Industrial products like resins, rattans, essential oils and latex (for rubber)

(b) Foods such as bananas, rice, egg-plants, coffee, lemons, peanuts and chocolate. Moreover many domestic crops have been crossbred with wild varieties to increase their resistance to disease.

(c) Medicines and life-saving drugs like curare, a paralysing drug vital for its use in surgery, diosgenin, an active ingredient in birth control pills, and drugs to treat cancer, malaria and heart disease.

The other consequences of tropical forest destruction include:

(a) Global Warming- The burning of tropical forests accounts for about 20% of the global manmade output of carbon-dioxide. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere trap heat reflected from the earth’s surface and cause a gradual warming of the atmosphere, called greenhouse effect.

(b) Loss of species- Deforestation is causing the extinction of at least one species plant or animal every day. This frightening genetic erosion entails a loss of important resources for foods, medicines and industrial products. The complex relationships between species especially on global scale are not well understood, but some biologists compare each extinction to one rivet on an airplane popping off. One easily foresees the consequences of losing too many rivets.

(c) Disruption of ecological cycles- On a local level, tropical forests regulate the hydrological cycle by acting as natural mechanisms for creating and absorbing rainfall; destroying them disrupts the cycle, causing more extreme conditions like droughts and floods. Deforestation also leads to erosion and siltation of rivers and oceans. The silt can ruin drinking and irrigation water supplies, destroy fish breeding areas and kill marine habitats like coral reefs.

(d) Loss of Forest Peoples’ Cultures- An estimated 140 million people live within the world’s tropical forests. Survival of these diverse cultures is directly threatened by tropical deforestation. Tribal groups are impacted by forced displacements, destruction of natural resource base of the forest by encroachment on traditional lands by settlers and industrial activities. Through lifestyles ranging from nomadic hunting gathering to farming, many forest dwellers have existed without detriment to the ecosystem for generations.