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Rainforests
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Rainforests are home to two thirds of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. It has been estimated that many hundreds of millions of new species of plants, insects and micro organisms are still undiscovered. Tropical rain forests are called the "jewels of the earth", and the "world's largest pharmacy" because of the large number of natural medicines discovered there. Tropical rain forests are also often called the "Earth's lungs", however there is no scientific basis for such a claim as tropical rainforests are known to be essentially oxygen neutral, with little or no net oxygen production.
The undergrowth in a rainforest is restricted in many areas by the lack of sunlight at ground level. This makes it possible for people and other animals to walk through the forest. If the leaf canopy is destroyed or thinned for any reason, the ground beneath is soon colonized by a dense tangled growth of vines, shrubs and small trees called jungle.
Rainforests are constantly shrinking becasue of human activilty, enlargement and loggings. We have to preserve these natural pharmacies of nature for the coming generations.
Length: 301
Rating: 5.00 (103 ratings)
Tags: Nature jungle smokey tick fern sunlight sunshine fog rays tropical stream creek raindrops leaves rainforests thick trees
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Gifts of Western Ghats - Rain Forests of India
Western Ghats in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is home to tea, coffee and spice plantations, reserved forests, and dense tropical jungles. Elephant, Gaur, Sambar, and Wild Boars dwell in the forests. Sloth Bear, Leopard and tiger are also found. The Western Ghats is home to numerous serene hill stations like Munnar, Ponmudi, Waynad, Ooty, Kodaikannal, Coorg etc. The Silent Valley National Park in Kerala is among the last tracts of virgin tropical evergreen forest in India.
The Western Ghats form one of the three watershed of India, feeding the perennial rivers of peninsula India. Important rivers include the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri. Rivers that flow to the west drain out into the Arabian Sea. These rivers are fast-moving, owing to the short distance travelled and steeper gradient. Important rivers include the Mandovi, Zuari, and Periyar. Many of these rivers feed the backwaters of Kerala and Maharashtra. Rivers that flow eastwards of the Ghats drain into the Bay of Bengal. These are comparatively slower moving and eventually merge into larger rivers such as the Kaveri and Krishna. Smaller rivers include the Chittar, Bhima, Malaprabha, Manimuthar, Kabini, Kallayi, Kundali, Pachaiyar, Pennar, and Tambaraparani.
Fast running rivers and steep slopes have provided various state governments set large hydro-electric projects. There are about major 50 dams along the length of the Western Ghats with the earliest project up in 1900 near Khopoli in Maharashtra. Most notable of these projects are the Koyna Dam in Maharashtra, the Parambikulam Dam in Kerala, and the Linganmakki Dam in Karnataka. The reservoir behind the Koyna Dam, the Shivajisagar Lake, is one of the largest reservoirs in India with a length of 50 km (31 mi) and depth of 80 m (262 ft).
During the monsoon season, numerous streams fed by incessant rain drain off the mountain sides leading to numerous and often spectacular waterfalls. Among the most well known is the Jog Falls, Kunchikal Falls, Sivasamudram Falls, and Lushington Falls.
Historically the Western Ghats were well-covered in dense forests that provided wild foods and natural habitats for native tribal people. Its inaccessibility made it difficult for people from the plains to cultivate the land and build settlements. After the arrival of the British in the area, large swathes of territory were cleared for agricultural plantations and timber.
The area is ecologically sensitive to development and was declared an ecological hotspot in 1988 through the efforts of ecologist Norman Myers. Though this area covers barely five percent of India's land, 27% of all species of higher plants in India (4,000 of 15,000 species) are found here. Almost 1,800 of these are endemic to the region. The range is home to at least 84 amphibian species, 16 bird species, seven mammals, and 1,600 flowering plants which are not found elsewhere in the world.
The Government of India established many protected areas including 2 biosphere reserves, 13 National parks to restrict human access, several wildlife sanctuaries to protect specific endangered species and many Reserve Forests, which are all managed by the forest departments of their respective state to preserve some of the ecoregions still undeveloped. Many National Parks were initially Wildlife Sanctuaries.
In 2006, India applied to the UNESCO MAB for some 7 regions to be listed as a protected World Heritage Site.
Length: 135
Rating: 4.50 (11 ratings)
Tags: "Incredible India" "Western Ghats" Nature "Tea Gardens" "Water Falls" "Paddy Fields" "Hill Stations"
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The Prince of Wales speaks about the world's rainforests
The Prince of Wales speaks about the importance of the world's rainforests and the work of Iwokrama, a Guyana-based rainforest conservation charity. To find out more about the work of Iwokrama visit the website at www.iwokrama.org.
Length: 237
Rating: 4.50 (377 ratings)
Tags: prince wales rainforest environment climate change
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Save Rainforests, Save Lives
http://www.saverainforestssavelives.org/
Save Rainforests Save Lives reminds us that the rainforests are our best hope for finding cures for cancer, AIDs and other life-threatening diseases.
Length: 60
Rating: 4.60 (57 ratings)
Tags: rainforest conservation medicine leukemia periwinkle
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Bio-Fuel toasting the Indonesian rainforests
Whilst teeming with a vast diversity of life, Indonesia's lush rainforests are quite simply disappearing -- meaning that its eco-system and climate processes are sorely being affected.
75 percent of the nation's rainforests have already been cut down by loggers wishing to exploit the opportunity to make huge profits feeding the insatiable worldwide demand for timber.
Many of the logging companies act illegally, aided by distributive corruption at every level of bureaucracy.
The area of destroyed rainforests is almost incomprehensibly huge -- an area the size of 300 football pitches is destroyed every single hour, and an area of rainforest the size of the nation of Wales disappears every year.
However once the rainforest has been taken it is soon replaced by thousands of acres of palm oil trees which, once being used merely for the food and cosmetic industries, are now seen to be hugely profitable due to the growing global need for bio-fuels particularly in China, India and Europe.
The palm oil boom is built on the ruins of rainforests that will never return.
Put simply, Indonesia's rainforests and the so-called "lungs of the world" are going up in smoke.
Length: 282
Rating: 4.90 (17 ratings)
Tags: bio-fuel peak oil indonesia climate change deforestation palm
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Wired Science 5: Rainforests of the World
Wired Science visits The Rainforests of the World exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences, where a vibrant snapshot of life from across the globe is on display in a greenhouse dome.
Length: 197
Rating: 4.90 (8 ratings)
Tags: HRH Prince Wales Charles rainforest project prince's climate change
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HRH The Prince of Wales introduces his rainforests project
HRH The Prince of Wales presents an introduction to The Prince's Rainforests Project, his new charity dedicated to the cause of finding a way to ensure that tropical rainforests are worth more standing than cut down. Here he welcomes viewers to his website, http://www.princesrainforestsproject.org , outlines his reasons for starting the project, explains what is at stake and why time is of the essence.
Length: 311
Rating: 4.80 (92 ratings)
Tags: Incredible India Western Ghats Rain Forests Kerala Karanataka Tamil Nadu Wilderness Biodiversity Flora Fauna
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Western Ghats - Rain forests of India
The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India, run along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separate the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea.
They contain the largest patches of moist deciduous forest and rain forest in southern India. These forests are home to diverse fauna and flora, many of them showing affinities to the Malayan region, but are increasingly threatened by human activity. Several national parks and other protected areas lie within the range, but it is estimated that only a small fraction of the Western Ghats remains in pristine condition. The Silent Valley National Park in Kerala is considered by many to be the last tracts of virgin tropical evergreen forest in India.
Biogeographers have long recognized the distinctive plant and animal communities of the Western Ghats. Many of these faunal and floral elements are not found anywhere else in India except in parts of northeastern India. The Western Ghats are also home to many endemic species, and the endemism is especially high in the amphibian and reptilian fauna.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ghats
Length: 279
Rating: 4.90 (32 ratings)
Tags: Rainforest Enviromental
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