I first became interested in rainforests whenI was a child. I was actually only interested in the animals. It wasn't until last semester, as I was working on a thematic unit on rainforests, that I again became interested in the rainforests and learned how the rainforests are an important part of our ecosystem, even if they are located far from us.
When I was a child, I thought the rainforest was in a certain place and that there was only one. Of course, the Amazon Rainforest! That was the rainforest. It wasn't until I moved to the North Coast of California in sixth grade that I learned about rainforests. My teacher was explaining that we lived in a rainforest. I thought she was crazy. The North Coast of California is a rather cold, damp, foggy area where the Redwood Forest thrives, not a hot, humid rainforest. I learned that there were rainforests around the world and that there were two significant types of rainforests and other sub categories of rainforests. I was excited to be living in a rainforest and loved exploring my rainforest, The Redwood Forest.
I also learned that rainforests once covered 14% of the Earths surface. Today however, they cover only 6% and are continuing to be destroyed for their timber. Along with the trees, animals and plants are disappearing and the population of the indigenous peoples is shrinking. However, with education the rainforests can be saved. The world's rainforests affects all of us and there is so much still to be learned from the hidden treasures waiting to be discovered within the rainforests.
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