Book 17, Question 137
Why Are Some Rainforests Getting Smaller?
Some rainforests are getting smaller because people have cleared parts of them! Forest land has been used for farms, cattle, roads, mines, and wood. When large areas are cleared, animals and plants lose their homes.
More fun facts
- People clear rainforest for farms, often by cutting and burning.
- Fire is foreign to rainforests, so their plants are not adapted to it.
- Roads and farms break forests into smaller and smaller pieces.
- The edges of these pieces change the forest inside.
- When one species is lost, others in its web of life suffer too.
Sources: NASA, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
Why is fire so harmful to rainforests?
Fire is foreign to rainforests, so their plants are not adapted to it.