Simplified
The Rainforest
Rainforests are thick, wet forests that get a lot of rain every year. They are found near the middle of the Earth, in places like South America, Africa, and Asia. The Amazon in South America is the biggest rainforest in the world.
Rainforests are home to more than half of all the animals and plants on Earth. Tall trees grow so close together that their leaves block out the sun. This makes a shady roof called a canopy. Smaller plants, animals, and insects live at different levels underneath it.
Rainforests are very important. They clean the air we breathe by taking in carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen. They also help control the weather around the world. Sadly, many rainforests are being cut down. Protecting them helps keep our planet healthy.
On-level
The Rainforest
Tropical rainforests are dense, humid forests that receive over 2,000 millimetres of rainfall each year. They are located in a band around the equator, spanning continents such as South America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. The Amazon rainforest covers more than five million square kilometres, making it the largest on Earth.
These ecosystems support an extraordinary variety of life. Scientists estimate that rainforests contain more than 50% of the world's plant and animal species, despite covering less than 6% of the Earth's surface. The forest is structured in layers — the emergent layer, the canopy, the understorey, and the forest floor — each providing a unique habitat for different organisms.
Rainforests play a critical role in regulating the global climate. Through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, helping to reduce the effects of climate change. However, widespread deforestation for farming and logging is destroying these vital ecosystems at an alarming rate. Conservation efforts are essential to protect both biodiversity and our climate.
Extended
The Rainforest
Tropical rainforests are among the most complex and biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, characterised by consistently high temperatures, intense humidity, and annual rainfall exceeding 2,000 millimetres. Distributed across equatorial regions — most notably the Amazon Basin, the Congo Basin, and the forests of Borneo and Sumatra — these environments have evolved over millions of years into intricate, self-sustaining systems.
Despite occupying less than 6% of the Earth's land surface, tropical rainforests harbour an estimated 50–70% of all known species. This remarkable biodiversity is sustained by the forest's vertical structure: the emergent layer of towering trees rises above a dense canopy, beneath which the understorey and forest floor support organisms that have adapted to conditions of low light and high moisture. Species interdependence is profound — from mycorrhizal fungi that transfer nutrients between trees to specialised pollinators that serve single plant species.
Rainforests also function as critical regulators of the global carbon cycle. Through large-scale photosynthesis, they sequester billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, mitigating the acceleration of climate change. Furthermore, the process of transpiration — in which trees release water vapour — influences rainfall patterns far beyond the forest boundaries, affecting agriculture and weather systems across entire continents.
Yet these ecosystems face severe and accelerating threats. Industrial deforestation, driven by agricultural expansion, cattle ranching, and resource extraction, destroys approximately ten million hectares of forest each year. The consequences extend beyond habitat loss, triggering species extinction, disrupting indigenous communities, and releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Addressing deforestation demands coordinated international policy, sustainable land management, and a fundamental reassessment of how humanity values natural ecosystems.