Tropical Rainforests 01

This KS3 Geography quiz takes a look at tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests experience high temperatures and a lot of rain. A tropical rainforest is a place found roughly within 25 degrees north or south of the equator. Over an acre of rainforest is being lost every second with possible serious consequences to us all. There are two issues. Firstly, the rainforests absorb a lot of carbon dioxide from the air, so as they are being cleared, less of this greenhouse gas is removed. When the rainforest is cleared, a lot of the trees are burnt, this releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Managing the tropical rainforests sustainably is not an easy thing to do. As the world population increases, there is a greater need for land and resources. The rainforests contain reserves of metal ores and mining these (both legally and illegally) destroys the forest. Logging for timber also is a major concern. It is possible to carry out logging sensitively in a way that preserves large areas. But it is cheaper and easier for logging companies just to clear fell to get at wood they want.