Preserving the rainforests and other endangered environments has benefits at many levels. The most important reason for saving these ecosystems is to preserve biodiversity. When we destroy the diversity of organisms in an area, the balance within that food web is disturbed not only at the macrobiotic level but at the microbiotic level as well. An ecosystem can be totally destroyed and the organisms can become extinct either locally or globally. Some people discuss sustainable management of an area as a way to preserve the destroyed ecosystems. However, they cannot replace the old-growth forest or biome. Old-growth forests become so intertwined and the organisms become so interdependent and have evolved together that replacing those organisms is impossible. That original ecosystem can never be replicated.

Extinction, many argue, is a natural process that occurs and can also drive natural selection. That sounds like a good thing and in many respects it is. It is a fact that 99.9% of all species have become extinct and without extinction, we would not be here - Interesting to look at extinction that way. However, we are speeding up the rate of extinction to an unnatural level, one at which an ecosystem cannot recover. Scientists estimate that extinction is taking place between 100 to 1,000 times higher than natural extinction and that is not a good thing.

There are many actions that every individual can take to preserve environments either in your local area or around the globe. Follow the links below to learn some of the ways that you can help preserve these fragile ecosystems so that they will be around in your lifetime and the lifetimes of your offspring.

Save the Rainforest Links

http://www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_002.htm

http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review5.shtml