The Amazon has many inhabitants; the estimated total of population in the Amazon basin is between 20-25 million people. 750 000 - 800 000 of the population are indigenous tribes people. There are many tribes in the Amazon rainforest. One of these tribes is called the ‘Yanomani’ the people in the tribe are very dark skinned, because they have always lived in the rainforest and their dark tough skin has protected them from the elements there. They relay on the forest for everything; food, fuel, medicines, materials for clothes and housing. These people have their own way of life, their languages, dress, music, songs, stories, arts and crafts.
Due to the tropical climate in the rainforest there are many plants and trees that will only grow there and not in any other countries like Britain, unless under very special growing conditions like in the ‘Eden project’. The climate there means that some vegetation can grow the giant size proportions. The flowers of the rainforest are brightly coloured and highly scented, so they can attract birds, insects and bats to feed. Just like other plants the plants in the rainforest need light to grow and to make food by photosynthesis, this means that those that need a lot of light compete and grow really tall, to about 60 meters off the ground and other plants that don’t need as much light to grow stay near to the forest floor.
Most of the plants that the native tribes use for medicines are poisonous. Yet the right dosage can alleviate suffering or save lives of fellow humans. A rainforest can be compared to a huge pharmacy were tribes people can find remedies for al of their illnesses. Only some of the plants have been scientifically screened. It is important to do this before either the plants become extinct or the tribes with their accumulated knowledge disappear. Many plants are known to contain beneficial compounds, others have more spiritual importance. Some tribe’s people think that if a plant looks like a bodily organ it will cure that particular organ of all aliments.
The jungle produces lots of things that are exported all over the world, such as; hard woods, rubber and cocoa which are part of everyday life. It is easy to forget that it originally came from the forest. Products for a world wide market are mostly grown in plantations. However some crops such as Brazil nuts are still gathered from the forest. Many of the fruits and seeds that tribe’s people have enjoyed for a long time are now only beginning to find new markets in North America and Europe. In the future we may be enjoying ice cream and using cosmetics that contain even more exotic ingredients which come from the rain forest.
Animals
The canopy receives more rain and sun than any other part of the forest, and is home to the majority of the animals, this include birds, insects, monkeys, bats, snakes, lizards, frogs and squirrels. Among the most famous inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest canopy are sloths and toucans.
Sloths
Sloths spend most of their time up in the canopy hanging up side-down, half asleep, from the branches. They rarely descend from the canopy down to the ground, or have contact with any other sloth’s, except to mate. Sloth’s do not spend much of the time cleaning them selves, and allow ting plants called algae to grow on their shaggy coats. The green colour of the algae helps them top camouflage them selves among the leaves, and provides an ideal place for moths that feed on algae and to lay their eggs.
Toucans
Toucans are famous for their brightly coloured beak, which can grow to over 20cms in length. A toucan’s beak is very strong and quite light for its size; toucans use it for pluck fruit and insects from the branches. It also displays it’s beak as a warning for its enemy’s. It has also been seen using it to topple other toucans off branches in a kind of wrestling game that birds seem to enjoy.
In the under story lurk some of the most dangerous animals of the forest. These are tiny, brightly coloured arrow poison frogs; they are called this because local hunters tip their arrow heads and tips of blowpipe darts in their deadly poison from their skin. One drop of this poison is strong enough to kill a large monkey. The brilliant colours on their skin advise other animals that they are extremely poisonous to eat.
Rain forest across the world are being destroyed as we speak, some of which are being cut down for timber which is then exported all over the world to be used as furniture, doors, windows etc. other rainforests are being burnt down so that the land can be used to grow food. But because the forest is so dense, if a person cut down one tree the chances are that probably 4 trees will come down with it. So the future of the rainforest doesn’t look so good, take the Amazon rainforest in 1975 0.6% of the forest had been cleared and by 1986 12% of the forest had been destroyed, in 1987 alone an area almost the size of the UK, about 210 000 sq km had been destroyed.
