Earth Talk: The cost of losing tropical rainforests From the
Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: Do you
have current facts and figures about how much rainforest is
being destroyed each day around the world, and for what
purpose(s)? —Teri, via e-mail Pinning down exact numbers is
nearly impossible, but most experts agree that we are losing
upward of 80,000 acres of tropical rainforest daily, and
significantly degrading another 80,000 acres every day on top of
that. Along with this loss and degradation, we are losing some
135 plant, animal and insect species every day—or some 50,000
species a year—as the forests fall. According to researcher and
writer Rhett Butler, who runs the critically-acclaimed Web site,
Mongabay.com, tropical rainforests are incredibly rich
ecosystems that play a key role in the basic functioning of the
planet. They help maintain the climate by regulating atmospheric
gases and stabilizing rainfall, and provide many other important
ecological functions. Rainforests are