| The world's tropical rainforests are disappearing at | | | | covered as much as 12 percent of the Earth's |
| an alarming rate. Sooner than we know we will all | | | | land surface, or about 6 million square miles (15.5 |
| become aware of their importance in our lives. | | | | million square km), but today less than 5 percent |
| Today, more than two-thirds of the world's | | | | of Earth's land is covered with these forests or |
| tropical rainforests exist as fragmented remnants | | | | about 2.41 million square miles or 625 million |
| of their past magnificence. Man in his headlong | | | | hectares). The largest unbroken stretch of |
| pursuit of power and dominance over nature | | | | rainforest is found in the Amazon River basin of |
| continues to destroy the sacred trust to which he | | | | South America. More than half of this forest lies in |
| is an heir, the planet itself, our home spaceship | | | | Brazil, which holds about one-third of the world's |
| earth hangs in the balance. What can be done at | | | | remaining tropical rainforests. Another 20 percent |
| this late hour to turn the trend back towards | | | | of the world's remaining rainforest are in Indonesia |
| sanity? | | | | and Congo Basin, while the balance of the planets |
| Tropical rainforests and their importance to the | | | | rainforests exist scattered around the globe in |
| global ecosystem, and for that matter human | | | | tropical regions. |
| existence, are paramount. Unequalled in terms of | | | | The global distribution of tropical rainforests can |
| their biological diversity, tropical rainforests are a | | | | be broken up into four bio-geographical realms |
| natural pool of genetic diversity which offers a | | | | based roughly on four forested continental |
| rich source of medicinal plants, high-yield foods, | | | | regions: the Ethiopian or Afro-tropical, the Austral |
| and a plethora of other useful forest raw | | | | Asian or Australian, the Oriental or Indo-Malayan |
| materials. They are an important habitat for | | | | Asian, and the Neo-tropical. |
| migratory animals and sustain as much as fifty | | | | Therefore it is imperative that what little remains |
| percent of the species of life on our planet, not | | | | of this vitally important land area is preserved and |
| to mention a number of diverse and unique | | | | cherished. For were it to become more atrophied |
| indigenous cultures. Tropical rainforests also play | | | | than it already is we may as well throw in the |
| an important role in regulating global weather in | | | | towel and admit that we just didn't deserve our |
| addition to maintaining regular rainfall, while | | | | place on this planet and we can all go to our |
| buffering against floods, droughts, and erosion. | | | | deaths knowing that we were the generation that |
| They store huge quantities of carbon, while | | | | turned its back on life itself. |
| producing more than a significant amount of the | | | | Yet there is a way that we can all contribute |
| world's oxygen. | | | | locally so that nutrition and life force can be |
| Despite their vital role, tropical forests are | | | | returned back into the rainforests of our world. |
| restricted to the small area of land between the | | | | By daily performance of an Ancient Ayurvedic |
| latitudes 22° North and 22° South of the | | | | process known as Agnihotra we can fulfill a vital |
| equator, or in other words between the Tropic of | | | | function that no other technology known to man |
| Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. Since the | | | | can accomplish. We can through our local daily |
| majority of Earth's land is located north of the | | | | performance and participation in this technology |
| tropics, rainforests are naturally limited to a | | | | can breathe new life back into the rainforests of |
| relatively small area relative to the overall global | | | | the world and in so doing simultaneously raise our |
| land area. | | | | awareness as well as all of mankind's awareness |
| Like so many other natural places Tropical | | | | collectively, for this cuts to the heart of the |
| rainforests are a dwindling resource in the 21st | | | | problem. Mans lack of awareness is the root |
| century. The vast areas of forest, swamp, | | | | cause of the mess we find ourselves in today |
| desert, and savanna that carpeted the Earth's | | | | and so it here that we must work to make the |
| surface a mere five generations ago have now | | | | change. Join me in this great work and rise to the |
| been reduced to scattered fragments. Today, | | | | challenge that this catastrophic dilemma poses or |
| more than two-thirds of the world's tropical | | | | we will have no one to blame but ourselves for |
| rainforests exist as fragmented remnants. Just a | | | | the fruits of our collective in action. |
| few thousand years ago, tropical rainforests | | | | |