of all the orchid species in the world are found in this rainforest, making it the ultimate destination for orchid lovers. Rainforests are also crucial in regulating the earth's climate, as they absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Tropical rainforests cover less than 3% of Earth’s area; still, they are the habitat of more than half our planet’s terrestrial animal species. The rainforest is also home to some of the world's most delicious fruits, such as papaya, mango, and pineapple. Rainforests are often referred to as the "lungs of the earth" because they produce more than 20% of the world's oxygen.

Other species, such as the fig wasp, have evolved a symbiotic relationship with their host plant, which provides them with a safe place to lay their eggs and food for their larvae. Home to an incredible diversity of plants, animals, and trees — this rainforest is teeming with life. In the next layer, the canopy, the leaves and branches of the trees all touch one another or are connected by vines. Okapis, which are found in the Congo Basin, are animals that look like part-zebras and part-giraffes. Other species such as the golden toad, whose entire population lives on one mountain in Costa Rica, could become extinct within seconds from a bulldozer’s crush.An alien-looking plant that doesn’t need sunlight to survive reappeared in Malaysia a century after it was first documented. Even though their population was larger in the past, today, there is fewer than one person per every 1.

The Atlantic forest, which stretches along Brazil’s southern Atlantic coast, has experienced severe deforestation over recent decades due to expanding cities and agriculture, a result of more than 70% of the Brazilian population living in and around the forest. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. By the time it uncovered the massive 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, the independent media outlet Sarawak Report had built a solid reputation upon years of reporting about how corruption abets deforestation in Borneo.Although rainforests cover less than 3 percent of the planet, these ecological powerhouses are critical to nearly every aspect of the planet’s health—including our very ability to breathe. Less than 1% of the plants in the rainforests have actually been examined to see if they have any uses in medicine. A beam of sunlight makes its way through the leaves and lights up the brightly colored wings of a macaw. In 2019 alone, there have been 74,000 records of forest fires, which doubles from 2018’s record of 40,000 cases.