PART 1-A : characteristics

So, first things first, let’s talk a bit about rainforests! There really is a lot to be said
about this unique ecosystem, because it has many dynamics, which is why it is so unique!
So, without further ado, let’s get straight into it!

Locations
First, where are rainforests? As you can see on that map, tropical rainforests lie
between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer, and are located in regions such
as Latin America, Africa, Asia… The two biggest and most famous rainforests are probably
the Amazonian rainforest, located in the Amazon Basin of South America, with an area of
approximately 5 500 000 km², and the Congo Rainforest, located in Africa, with an area of 1
780 000 km².

Climate
The tropical rainforests have, obviously, a tropical climate, characterized by warm
temperatures and high humidity. They are in the regions exposed the most to solar energy,
which is why there are so many evergreen trees (that never lose their leaves), because it
allows photosynthesis during all time of the year. And, as their name suggests, rainforests
are having a lot of rainfall and rainstorms, which are created by a unique water cycle. This
climate is what makes rainforests so fitted for biodiversity, because it allows species to
develop with a little of everything: never too hot, never too cold.

Structure
Rainforests are also characterized by a unique vegetative structure, composed of 6
vertical layers. The emergent layer is where the highest trees dominate, such as the Kapok
(Ceiba pentandra) tree which is over 50 meters tall. The canopy layer is occupied by the rest
of the trees ; it is a very important space as it contains 50% of a rainforest’s life, with species
such as monkeys, birds... The under canopy layer contains tree trunks and lianas. This
space and the following one are protected from rainfall. The shrub layer has the densest
plants, those that require less sunlight, and finally the forest floor contains rotting leaves, and
dead animals bodies, which decompose to become nutrients.

PART 1-B : dynamics of importance

So, now you know what makes tropical rainforests so suited for biodiversity. But now,
I’d like to talk about another aspect of rainforests, which is the importance of these spaces
for our planet.

Biodiversity
Rainforests are mostly known for containing a vast majority of Earth’s biodiversity.
And indeed, they are home to 80% of Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity: that is just huge, even
more when we know that they only take 6% of Earth’s total surface! To give you an idea of its
enormous density, let me give you some numbers: for a 10-square-kilometer patch, you can
find as many as 1 500 species of plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150
species of butterflies, not even counting all the currently undiscovered species. Rainforests
are called the “jewels of Earth”, and that’s for a good reason!
Health
This wealth goes far beyond unique animals and stunning flora: many of its
numerous plants were used (and still are) used as medicines throughout time. The
rainforests are considered as the "world's largest pharmacy": 70% of plants useful in the
treatment of cancer are found only in rainforests, and 25% of ingredients of our medicines
are rainforest plants!
For example, the Lapacho is a species of tree found in the Amazonian rainforest,
known for its numerous benefits on the human body. It was first identified by the Incas, and
today, it is so famous actually that you can find it on sale! And even better, people have
discovered a mushroom that literally eats plastic: its name is Pestalotiopsis, and its
promising potential may be life-changing for our future.
And that’s only for the biodiversity part. The numerous rainforest trees are producing
20% of our world’s oxygen, and store a huge amount of carbon dioxide: approximately 100
billion metric tons of carbon only for the Amazon Basin. That's more the equivalent of ten
years of fossil fuels emission!

PART 1-C : problems and danger

So, as you see, rainforests are beneficial in many ways for our planet, and that’s why
messing with them doesn’t seem like a good idea. But unfortunately, that’s not really what
the agricultural market wants to hear…

Rainforests loss
Currently, the most threatened rainforest is the Amazonian rainforest, which is also
one of the biggest rainforests of the world. I think the images really speak for themselves
here: you see, from 1985 to 2015, we’ve lost over 421 774 square kilometers (30% percent)
of the original Amazonian rainforest, in only 30 years!
Will this madness stop? Only time will tell, of course. Still, things look to be getting
better, as we are destroying a lot less rainforest patches than during the previous decades,
and, Jair Bolsonaro, the previous president of Brazil, the country that contains the most of
the Amazonian rainforest, has recently lost the elections. He was the one who really
participated in these bad practices, so this obviously comes as very good news. But as for
the Congo rainforest of Africa, things are a bit more complicated: as you know, Africa is one
of the poorest regions of the world. Africa’s countries face a lot of difficulties to develop
themselves, and the thing is, rainforests come as an amazing way to make money! So of
course, I highly doubt Africa will stop using their golden goose soon enough.

Bad practices
To get rid of rainforests, everything is either bulldozered, or even burned. That’s right,
industrialists often create artificial fires which burn thousands of hectares: this is called the
slash-and-burn method. On top of being a problematic process for, well… absolutely every
biology concern, it releases tons of carbon dioxide in the air. Dozens of billions of trees are
already gone, and the carbon dioxide they stored is released in the atmosphere, where it
does the most harm. Rainforests are now taking up a third less carbon than they did in the
1990s. In short, that means past carbon dioxide released, and a worst gestion of currently
produced carbon dioxide. Not so great…
 And that’s not the worst! These artificial cultures have terrible effects on lands: it
produces soil pollution (the fertilizers are getting in the ground), soil erosion, and water
contamination (fertilizers are washed into local streams).
If things continue, we could reach a tipping point, and what remains of the
Amazonian rainforest could become a totally different climate! Scientists indeed warn that if
25% of the Amazonian rainforest is destroyed, the water cycle which produces precipitation
may be unable to work anymore, which would transform rainforests into dry savannas,
unable to support such a dense ecosystem! Currently, 193 species are in risk of extinction,
and, at this rate, we could lose more than a quarter of Earth’s species within the next 50
years. One of these species are the orangutans, which Mila is gonna talk about right now.

CONCLUSION

The problem of the palm oil industry goes far beyond palm oil cultures, obviously:
even without us knowing, palm oil is everywhere in our daily supermarket products: from
frozen pizzas, to make-up, to Nutella… it is everywhere, because it is cheap and easy to
produce. I think this situation is pretty similar to the one of plastic: we know it is everywhere,
but we simply can’t get rid of it! And of course, palm oil is only one of the few industries
threatening the life of rainforests, as it is also used for other cultures, and even paturages
sometimes.
So, as you’ve seen, the rainforest problem is obviously far more complicated than it
seems. Still, we hope our presentation has given you a new look over that problem, and that
you enjoyed it. Thanks a lot for your listening!
PLAN

Hi everyone! Today, Mila and I are gonna be talking about rainforests and palm oil, and more
precisely the dangerous impact of the intensive palm oil culture on the rainforests, its
ecosystem, and its inhabitants.

So, for the first part, I’m gonna present to you the rainforest ecosystem, and why it is so
important for Earth. Then, I will be describing the negative effects of palm oil cultures on
these precious ecosystems. Then, Mila will be talking about one of the most famous
rainforest inhabitants, the orangutans, and the risk of extinction they face. So, without further
ado, let’s get into it!