YOUR ASSIGNMENT

”If deforestation can be stopped in its tracks, then we will be able to buy ourselves some much-needed time to build the low carbon economies on which our futures depend. I have endeavoured to create a global public, private and NGO partnership to discover an innovative means of halting tropical deforestation. Success would literally transform the situation for our children and grandchildren and for every species on the planet.” - HRH The Prince of Wales

Products from the Rainforest

Bananas, cocoa, coffee, wood and many more products originate in the rainforests of Latin America. As demand for products from the rainforest increases, more pressure is exerted on these precious ecosystems. ['ɪkə.sɪstəm生态系统 ] With 90% of the world’s forests outside of protected areas, the Rainforest Alliance works to protect ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on them by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. For instance, companies and communities in Brazil work with the Rainforest Alliance and their partners to harvest wood while ensuring the forest will remain healthy and productive for generations to come.

Your Assignment

In reality, your assignment is the central and most important part of this week’s lesson.

Rainforests wrap around the equator of the earth like a green belt. After millions of years of evolution, they are the most biologically rich ecosystems on our planet. Tropical rainforests contain a hugely rich diversity of species of plants and animals. They are also home to many different indigenous people, who have unique and treasured cultures. http://www.rainforestsos.org/pages/about-rainforests/

Please answer the following questions about the “Rain Forest.”

To help you with your answers some details have been provided for you in the “Supplementary Reading” for your group that follows the questions below. Follow the links in the “Supplementary Reading” section to help you answer questions about the “Rain Forest.” You will find most the answer to most of the questions by clicking on the links and reading the articles. In some cases I have provided you with a few sentences to help you find the answer, once you start reading the article … but you should read further to give more details. (click the "next >" button and scroll down until you find the readings for your group)

1. What are rainforests? Where are they located? (Click Here)

2. Name some of the key driving forces连带原因 [liándài yuányīn] behind rainforest deforestation滥伐森林? (LATIN and SOUTH AMERICA, Click Here; AFRICA, Click Here; ASIA, Click Here)

3. What is The Prince’s Rainforests Project (PRP)? Who are some of the supporters of the PRP – as of April 1, 2009?

4. How many plant and animal species can be found in rainforests? How do plants and animals interact with each other in rainforests?

5. Do some animals live in plants? What do some of the animals eat?

6. Why are sloths green and how do they catch their prey if they are so slow? Do birds migrate to rainforests?

7. Are there any unknown plants in rainforests? How do rainforests affect the Earth's climate?

8. What products do we use in our daily lives that originate in rainforests?

9. What are some leading causes of rainforest destruction? What are some solutions to rainforest destruction?

READ THIS FIRST! Click here

What is The Prince’s Rainforests Project (PRP)?

Background to The Prince’s Rainforests Project

The Prince of Wales has long been concerned about climate change and about how destruction of the world’s rainforests contributes to rising temperatures and sea levels.

He set up The Prince’s Rainforests Project (PRP) in 2007, following reports from leading climate change experts - including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - about the need to find a way to slow the rate of tropical deforestation.

Since then, we have worked hard to understand the economic reasons for deforestation in rainforest nations. We wanted to find a fair and effective way to encourage rainforest nations to protect, rather than destroy, their forests - and to identify ways to fund that approach.

Gathering top level support for our proposal

The PRP has developed a proposal for emergency funding to help protect rainforests and to encourage rainforest nations to continue to develop without the need for deforestation.

On 1st April 2009, The Prince of Wales hosted an historic meeting of world leaders, who came together to discuss possible ways to reduce tropical deforestation. This meeting was attended by the President of the European Commission, three of the European leaders (Angela Merkel, Silvio Berlusconi and Nicolas Sarkozy), three British cabinet ministers, Hillary Clinton, Kevin Rudd, leaders or senior cabinet ministers of four rainforest nations – Brazil, Indonesia, Gabon and Guyana, the Prime Minister of Norway, Prime Minister of Japan, Secretary-General of the UN and President of the World Bank.

They agreed to form an international Working Group to consider the issue. This Working Group will study the PRP proposal, along with other suggestions from governments and international organisations, before making recommendations for a co-ordinated, global plan of action ahead of the international climate change talks in Copenhagen in December.

How many plant and animal species can be found in rainforests?

How many plant and animal species can be found in rainforests?

More than half of the world's plant and animal species live in rainforests and some animals can only be found in rainforests, which means that if rainforests are destroyed, these incredible animals will lose their homes.

How do plants and animals interact with each other in rainforests?

In every environment plants and animals depend on each other for food and shelter, protection, reproduction and community. The survival of individual species depends on the health of other species and the environment as a whole. For example, many flowers are designed to attract a certain species of insect, bird or bat. The complex relationships within an ecosystem can be thrown out of balance when one of the components is threatened or one of the species becomes extinct