Tropical Biodiversity: A Wealth of Life
In a study, a single hectare (100 metres X 100 metres) in the tropical rainforest of Brazil yielded 450 species of tree.
The tropics are home to "biodiversity hotspots" in which we find :
of vascular plant species
35% of vertebrates species
in less than 1.5% of the earth's land.
A single rainforest reserve in Peru is home to more species of birds than are found in the entire United States.
![](https://internationalconservationfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/birds-peru-1-uai-258x688.jpg)
The number of species of fish in the Amazon exceeds the number found in the entire Atlantic Ocean.
![](https://internationalconservationfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/fish-uai-258x688.jpg)
One single tree in Peru was found to harbor 43 different species of ant.
![](https://internationalconservationfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ants-peru-1-uai-258x688.jpg)
The Economic Value of Nature
Tropical forests provide a host of ecosystem services, including protecting watersheds from erosion and evaporation, nutrient cycling and providing habitat for species critical for pollination of crops.
Forests produce clouds and rainfall through evapotranspiration, a process essential for agriculture. The Amazon rainforest, for example, is responsible for rainfall on an intercontinental scale.
$33 trillion
A famous study published in Nature in 1997 estimated the value of ecosystem services worldwide at $33 trillion per year; higher than world GDP at $27 trillion (both figures in 1994 dollars).
![](https://internationalconservationfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pollination-uai-258x688.jpg)
Over 75%
of the world’s drinking water comes from forested areas.
![](https://internationalconservationfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/freshwater-uai-258x688.jpg)
One quarter
Existing forests and their soils absorb one quarter of all carbon emissions.
![](https://internationalconservationfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/carbon-uai-258x688.jpg)
Over 20%
More than 20 percent of all oxygen in the atmosphere is produced in the Amazon Rainforest.
![](https://internationalconservationfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/oxygen-uai-258x688.jpg)