1Tropical rainforests are among the most extraordinary environments on Earth. Covering less than six percent of the land on our planet, they are home to more than half of the world's plant and animal species. This incredible richness of life is known as biodiversity, and nowhere on Earth is it greater than in a rainforest.
2The Amazon rainforest in South America is the largest on Earth, stretching across nine countries and covering an area more than half the size of Europe. Within its dense canopy live jaguars, anacondas, poison dart frogs, and millions of insect species, many of which have never even been discovered by scientists.
3Rainforests play a vital role in regulating the Earth's climate. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, helping to keep the atmosphere in balance. They also play a crucial part in the water cycle, releasing moisture into the air which eventually falls as rain across continents.
4Despite their importance, rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Deforestation, driven by farming, logging, mining and fires, destroyed an area of tropical forest the size of eighteen football pitches every minute in 2024. As trees are cut down, the unique species that depend on them face extinction, and vast quantities of stored carbon are released into the atmosphere.
5Conservation efforts are growing around the world. Governments, charities and local communities are working together to protect remaining rainforest and to restore land that has already been cleared. Scientists argue that saving the rainforests is not just a matter of preserving beauty, but of safeguarding the future of life on Earth.
Match each word from the passage to its correct meaning.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release into the air. They release into the atmosphere as part of the water cycle. When trees are cut down, stored is released. Conservationists work to cleared land.