Threats to Rainforests

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EVERY 2 SECONDS, WE LOSE AN AREA OF RAINFOREST THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL PITCH

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DEFORESTATION AND FOREST DEGRADATION ACCOUNTS FOR AROUND 10% OF GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

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LOGGING, MINING, OIL EXPLORATION AND INDUSTRIAL PLANTATIONS ARE SOME OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION

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THE CONGO BASIN RAINFOREST IS A UNIQUE HOME TO MANY ENDANGERED AND THREATENED ANIMAL SPECIES, INCLUDING THE OKAPI, THE BONOBO AND THE FOREST ELEPHANT

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INDUSTRIAL LOGGING CONCESSIONS COVER AROUND 50 MILLION HECTARES OF FOREST IN THE CONGO BASIN - TWICE THE SIZE OF THE UK

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ILLEGAL LOGGING COSTS THE WORLD £23 BILLION EACH YEAR. IN AFRICA, LOSSES FROM ACTIVITIES LIKE ILLEGAL LOGGING ARE TWICE AS LARGE AS INTERNATIONAL AID RECEIPTS

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PALM OIL HAS BECOME ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING MONOCROPS IN THE TROPICS AND IS GROWN IN OVER 40 COUNTRIES

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IT IS ESTIAMTED THAT ONLY 10% OF GORILLA HABITAT WILL REMAIN IN THE CONGO BASIN BY 2032

Forest facts

Plants and Animals

Rainforests are home to 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial species

People and Rainforests

Over one billion people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihood

Geography and Ecology

Although they cover less than 2% of earth’s surface, rainforests are home to half of all terrestrial biodiversity

Threats to Rainforests

Every 2 seconds, we lose an area of rainforest the size of a football pitch