NDN Support Latin America

     

Who does the Amazon really belong to?

 

The vulnerability of the tropical rainforest

In principal the tropical rain forest is actualy hardly be compared with the forests in moderate climate zones like in Europe and North America. Here in Europe the compost layer is rather thick and tree roots will therefore grow many yards into the ground. The layer of brown leaves and the humus below is digested quite slowly but offers protection during the cold seasons. Now naturally we know all these stories of explorers and biologists that with cut themselves a fresh parth through the woods with a machette be it that that same path will already be overgrown within three days which can occasionally lead to getting lost out there. This is indeed true and in the tropics the plants will also grow many times more faster, but despite the fact that this gives an impression of a rather fast recovery, the tropical rain forest yet appear much more vulnerable. Especially because the died off plant material digests quite fast and get absorbed fast as well becomes by the living plants being present, the compost layer ist just awfully thin in the tropics. And although such freshly cut forest path restores rather fast, is that yet not really the case by the clearcutting of already a few acres of wood for then lies the really all minuskule compost layer bare. A compost layer that's no match is for the vehement tropical rains that will undoubtedly wash it away, after which only yet but a bare rocky surface is left where absolutely nothing wants to grow on.

    giant waxy monkey frog            Amazon blue morpho butterfly                        macaw's

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