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Why is the Amazon Rainforest Important?
Carbon Storage
"The 390 billion trees across the Amazon rainforest locks up massive amounts of carbon in their leaves, branches, trunks and roots. A 2007 study published in Global Change Biology estimated the forest stores some 86 billion tons of carbon or more than a third of all carbon stored by tropical forests worldwide." - Mongabay.com
Biodiversity
"The Amazon is home to more species of plants and animals than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet — perhaps 30 percent of the world's species are found there. Besides their intrinsic value as living organisms, these species have potential value to humans in the form of medicine, food and other products." - Mongabay.com
Community Livelihoods
"Within the Amazon Basin, tens of millions of people depend on services afforded by the forest. Rivers are the main vectors for transportation, while logging and collection of non-timber forest products are major industries in many cities, towns and villages. The rainforest helps suppress — but not completely eliminate — the risk of fire, in addition to reducing air pollution. Fish in Amazon tributaries are a huge source of protein in the region. Annual floods replenish nutrients in floodplain areas used for agriculture." - Mongabay.com
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