Great biodiversity

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To mark World Rainforest Day on June 22, Greenpeace is showing animals threatened with extinction by the exploitation and destruction of the Amazon and other rainforests.(Bild: kuzmichstudio - stock.adobe.com)

The rainforests are shrinking rapidly due to deforestation and agricultural use. Countless unique animal species are in great danger due to the loss of their habitat. Without immediate protection, many of these unique animals are threatened with extinction. 

Life pulsates in the rainforests of our planet. They are characterized by a particularly warm and humid climate, which remains more or less constant throughout the year. The fantastic conditions for a wide variety of animals and plants to grow and thrive make the rainforest one of the most species-rich areas on earth.

Unbelievable, but true: at least half of all known animal and plant species are found in the rainforest. And new species are discovered in the thicket every day.

Artenvielvalt im Regenwald

Das Wichtigste in Kürze

• Rainforests are home to at least half of all known animal and plant species
• The Amazon alone is home to an incredible 40,000 different plant species, 378 reptile species, 427 mammal species, 1294 bird species, 426 amphibian species and 3000 fish species
• The rainforests are in acute danger due to slash-and-burn agriculture and livestock farming
• Another reason for the destruction of the rainforest is the extraction of mineral resources. Iron ore, bauxite, tantalum, tin, nickel, copper, gold and diamonds are mined in rainforest areas
• The rainforest is also a victim of deforestation for paper and tropical wood furniture. Eucalyptus is grown in the forests of Brazil and Indonesia on cleared land for paper production and many hundred-year-old trees are cut down for furniture

Endangered animals in the rainforest (picture show):

White-cheeked spider monkey(Bild: © Greenpeace / Daniel Beltrá)

Jaguar(Bild: © Leandro Cagiano / Greenpeace)

Sumatran tiger(Bild: © Paul Hilton / Greenpeace)

Okapi(Bild: © Kim Gjerstad / Greenpeace)

Lowland gorilla(Bild: © Greenpeace / Filip Verbelen)

African forest elephant(Bild: © Greenpeace / Filip Verbelen)

Sumatran elephant(Bild: © Ardiles Rante / Greenpeace)

Orangutans(Bild: © Markus Mauthe / Greenpeace)

White-cheeked spider monkey(Bild: © Greenpeace / Daniel Beltrá)

Ten animals threatened by habitat loss:

1. Sumatran tiger
2. Sumatran elephant
3. Orangutans
4. Lowland gorilla
5. Jaguar
6. African forest elephant
7. Okapi
8. White-cheeked spider monkey
9. Giant otter
10. Yellow-banded treecreeper (an arrow frog)

But it is not only for the plants and animals of the rainforest that the preservation of this green wonder is of fundamental importance. The overall well-being of the planet is closely linked to the condition of the tropical forests.

Global corporations' hunger for raw materials is gnawing away at forests
However, the hunger of corporations for raw materials is gnawing away at the global forests. The Amazon, the Indonesian rainforest and the rainforest in the Congo Basin are being cut down for palm oil, rubber, beef, soy for animal feed, cocoa and coffee.