The Earth's Rain Forests wraps the globe which is home to more then half the species on earth. Thirty to sixty years ago the rainforest covered 15% of the land on the earth, now only 5 to 6 % is left. Humans are destroying their "God Given" lands. Did you know that ten animal species die, each time a plant species dies.
In the Philippines the rainforest has been reduced by 70%, their Philippine Eagle is on it's way to extinction! Fewer then 200 to 300 live. Take the forest away, you take the flying lemurs, palm civets & monkeys, therefor taking the food right out of the mouths of the Eagles!
In Borneo and Sumatra as few as 5,000 Orangutans survive today. A beautiful, intellegent monkey, my favorite! We are cutting down its home, killing it off as fast as we can say
"Development of greed, for money, for me!" So Many species of Animals & Insects & Birds & Plants are being cut out of our lives, like slicing a huge peice of cake & stuffing it into your mouth, choking on it, with no milk in sight! The disappearance of the rainforest limits the birth of new species, Michael Soule(conservationist) wrote "A death is one thing, an end to birth is something else."
Iguazu National Park, Argentina~~ Iguacu National Park, Brazil
The Iguazu River roars out of the jungle and rushes over the cliffs between Argentina and Brazil. It's finale path takes it into the Brazilian southern highlands. In the rainy season the river swells to pour water over a two mile wide lava cresent. The river lowers between Aug.& Oct., to show rock ledges that divide into 300 or so cassades. Eleanor Roosevelt was once heard to say " This makes the Niagara look like a kitchen faucet."when she first layed eyes on it. The falls were named by the Guarani Indians. Iguazu means great water. An umbrella of mist about 100 feet high strikes one & all when they see the falls. The national parks protect about 925- square miles of subtropical rainforest on both sides. This is one of our worlds richest ecosystems.
The falls have a brilliant inhabitant, called the Dusky Swifts. They nest on the slippery black rocks behind the falls. They lay their eggs on ledges not even a inch wide! In the day they fly high over the falls to catch the many kinds of insects, and at dusk they rush into the wall of water with wings folded to land with outstrectched feet.
Around the falls and many miles away, you will find ferns,bamboos,mosses, many exotic kinds of orchids, my favorit flowers! There are begonias, vines covered with flowers, and bromeliads that have leaves , that form drinking cups filled with water. There are insects, invertebrates and amphibians, as well as tons of butterflies! The falls have their own coconut palms, airplants and many animal species in the canopy over head that the jungle makes.
The first European visitor to see the falls was Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541, he was more interested in the Guarani Indians. I have seen the beautiful falls & magestic jungles, and I say he missed alot if he did not notice the wonder around him!
