-Rain forests cover 2% of the earth's surface, yet half of the world's animal and plant species make the rain forest their home. Tropical rain forests are the oldest living ecosystems.

-200 different tree species may grow within one acre of rain forest land, with 3,500 tree species spreading throughout the tropics, letting their diversity be a means of survival.

-One acre of rain forest is also home to 50,000 different animal species. That is the same number of animal species that exist in the eastern part of North America or in all of central Europe.

-Can you count to 30 million?  That is the total number of species estimated to exist within the tropical forest zone.

-Of those 30,000,000 more than 900 species are less than 2 millimeters in size.

-The greatest number of frogs, snakes and lizards are found in the tropical rain forest.

-Similarly, 2/3 of the world's birds are found in the rain forest.

-Rain forests are also beneficial to people all over the world. One fourth of the medicines available today were born from rain forest plants. 70% of the plants identified as being useful in treating cancer by The National Cancer Institute are found in the rain forest.

-Medications used for treating leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, heart ailments, hypertension, arthritis and birth control all may come from the rain forest.  Yet only 1% of the tropical forest species have been studied for their medicinal purposes.

-Many of the foods that we eat originated in the rain forest, such as bananas, avocados, chocolate, coffee, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, sugar, eggplant, tomatoes, and corn.

-Despite the diversity and beauty of the rain forest, it is being destroyed at an alarming rate, which means that hundreds of species are disappearing from the earth every year, never to be seen again. It is already too late to name or study the thousands of plants and animals that have been lost, many of which may have possessed qualities that could have benefited the greater world.

-It is estimated that we lose 230 square miles (600 square km) every day.  That is more than 80,000 square miles (200,000 square km) annually.

-As  rain forest land disappears, so do the creatures that call it their home.  Between 50 and 100 species become extinct every day. Large scale burning is used to clear hundreds of acres of rain forest land, destroying its dense vegetation and delicate balance of living creatures.  The ashes that remain are a reminder of the billions of life forms that have been extinguished. The land will no longer be able to support permanent use due to poor soil quality and erosion.

-By 1990 only half of the original rain forest land on Earth remained and today, it is less than that.