Habitat
Why are rainforests important?
Rainforests store carbon, regulate rainfall, harbour half of terrestrial species and support indigenous communities.
In brief
Rainforests store carbon, regulate regional rainfall, harbour roughly half of known terrestrial species and support indigenous communities. Tropical deforestation releases greenhouse gases and drives orangutan, tiger and pangolin declines.
By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated
Tropical rainforests transpire moisture feeding regional rainfall — Amazon, Congo and Southeast Asian forests act as planetary air conditioners. One hectare may hold hundreds of tree species. Deforestation releases greenhouse gases and drives orangutan, tiger and pangolin declines. Palm oil, cattle, logging and mining are main conversion drivers — consumer and policy choices matter alongside field work.
50%
Terrestrial species in rainforests (approx.)
Amazon
Largest tropical rainforest — 5.5M km²
Carbon
Massive storage — release accelerates climate change
Indigenous
Millions depend on forest — land rights key to protection
Quick facts
| Climate | Carbon storage and regional rainfall generation |
|---|---|
| Biodiversity | Extraordinary tree, insect and vertebrate diversity |
| Medicine | Many drugs derived from forest plants |
| Threats | Palm oil, cattle, logging, mining, roads |
| WARN network | Orangutan, pangolin, parrot in tropical forests |
| Peat | Southeast Asian peat fires — massive CO₂ release |
Key takeaways
- Climate regulation and carbon storage globally critical.
- Roughly half terrestrial species depend on rainforests.
- Palm oil, cattle, logging drive tropical clearing.
- Indigenous land rights correlate with lower deforestation.
- Orangutan, pangolin, parrot — WARN rainforest species.
- Habitat appeal funds partner forest protection.
Climate and water cycles
Trees transpire water vapour — flying rivers carry moisture inland hundreds of kilometres from Amazon coast. Clearing reduces rainfall downwind — agricultural drought follows forest loss in causal studies. Carbon in biomass and soil releases CO₂ when burned or rotted — Indonesia peat fires among largest emission spikes globally. Rainforests cool locally through shade and evapotranspiration — heat island effect replaces forest with pasture. Climate policy increasingly funds REDD+ avoided deforestation — effectiveness debated but scale acknowledges forest climate role.
Biodiversity hotspots
Single hectare Ecuador or Borneo may contain hundreds of tree species versus handful in temperate forest. Co-evolution produces specialist pollinators — fig wasps, orchid bees. Loss of one tree species cascades to dependent insects and birds. Endemism high on islands and mountains — Madagascar, Philippines, Western Ghats. Extinction rates accelerate as fragments shrink — empty forest still looks green but loses apex species first.
People and indigenous rights
Indigenous territories overlap much intact forest — evidence shows lower deforestation where land rights recognised. Excluding communities fails long term — partnerships with forest peoples outperform fortress conservation without local buy-in. Commercial drivers still pressure — illegal logging, mining, land grabs. WARN does not substitute for indigenous leadership — partner programmes respect local governance where present.
WARN rainforest connections
Rainforest animals hub links orangutan, pangolin and parrot guides — species losing habitat to palm and pulp expansion. Orangutan appeal and habitat appeal channel gifts to verified partners in Kalimantan and Sumatra documented in newsroom releases. Consumer choices on palm oil certified RSPO imperfect but directionally reduce pressure — policy banning import deforestation products stronger still. Rainforest importance is not abstract — maps to named species and appeals donors can trace.
What WARN does
WARN funds orangutan, habitat and parrot partner work in Southeast Asian and Latin American rainforests through verified appeals.