Tropical forests could disappear due to soil degradation

Story by: Sandra Álvarez Photography by: Carlos Duarte Translated by: Alejandra Palencia jue 8, Oct 2020

In the last decades, soil degradation has led to many of the tropical forests to experience desertification processes. This is dangerous, not just for the loss of essential ecosystems for the biological balance of the planet, but because this contributes to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

During the forest degradation process, carbon dioxide is released, which helps to increase the temperature and global warming. Tropical forests (located 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south of the planet’s equator) constitute an important reserve of fruit, vegetable and medicinal species.

These forests are characterized by the high level of rainfall (between 2000 to 5000 mm per year), and micro-climates between humid and warm. These traits, make them one of the richest ecosystem, and they foster to about 50% of all plants and animals of the planet.

This biological wealth contrasts with the quality of its soils, which is poor. When they degrade, the possibility of recovering them is minimal. If the soil is bare, it falls into a process known as laterization, in which the minerals and compounds in the soil consume the existing hummus in an accelerated way, due to the high amount of precipitation, thus giving it a rock-solid structure and less fertile than in other latitudes. That is why they are not useful for agriculture because the fast loss of their nutrients.

Rainforest in Central America

Natural forests remain the best tool to combat the effects of climate change. Photo: Viatori

These region is home of some of the most important rainforests of the world, like the Mayan Forest (Mexico, Guatemala and Belize) Mosquitia (Honduras), Indio Maíz – Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica and Nicaragua), International Park La Amistad (Costa Rica and Panama) and the Strait of Darien (Panama). These areas are home of many species of animals and plants, also of native groups that are those who fight to protect the forests.

Costa Rica is one of the countries that take really serious about taking care of its nature. The Protected Wild Areas system covers 25% of their territory. The country has 31 protected areas, 28 national parks, 9 forest reserves, 8 biological reserves, 71 national wildlife refuges and 13 wetlands.

In Latin America the destruction of forests its produce mainly by the ever growing cattle activities, ranching, which requires the clearing of large wooded areas to create grasslands, and mass agriculture. At the same time, in Asia and Africa, the loss of rainforests, comes from heavy felling of trees.

Most of the countries located in the tropical area are consider from the third world, and over the years have dragged a huge foreign debt, therefore, behind the destruction of these areas could be underlying economic and political interest. Leaving benefit for a few people and harming the rest of the population.

Tropical forests and their flora and fauna

The tapir, taking a bath in a small wash on the side of the road. Photo: Manuel García / Viatori

According to scientific records, rainforests have 170,000 of the 250,000 known plant species. Because they receive a lot of sunlight and high rainfall, tropical forests are the habitat of many species of fauna and flora.

One hectare of tropical forest (100 x 100 m) has more than 200 species of trees. This diversity keeps them protected and healthy, contrary to the popular forest plantations, because the pathogens cannot attack the different tree species, as there is a diversity of these.

Coconuts, mangoes, papayas, pineapples, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, guavas, bananas, sugar cane and avocados are the most known tropical fruits from this forests. Between the species of fauna there are plenty of insects, arachnids and worms. Also is habitat for a great variety of reptiles and amphibians (snakes, crocodiles, turtles, salamanders, toads, frogs, among others)

Birds are another mega-diverse group of animals. In this type of forests, there are parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, hawks and eagles. Central America and the Amazon area are home of migratory birds that look for warmer and richier ecosystems during winter at the north of the continent.

There is also a great variety of mammals that inhabit the tropical region of the planet. They range from rodents, marsupials, bats, squirrels, sloths, pangolins, antelopes, felines (jaguars, tigers, leopards), and primates (monkeys, lemurs, gorillas). Also, the waters of the rainforests are home to most freshwater fish.

 

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