Measuring the value of all the plants, animals, and benefits of the rainforest is
impossible. We must show its monetary value to counter the timber and
agriculture interests which want the land cleared. Immediate value can come by
harvesting the fruits, vegetables, wild chocolate, rubber, and other
quickly-replenished items. A study of one hectare of rainforest found that the
final profit from logging was $1000, harvesting earned $422. In just over two
years it's more profitable to not log.
Rainforests patiently hold many available foods we've never tried. Foods are
available which could help to feed the starving nations. New Guinea, just north
of here, has the winged bean, a vegetable which has parts that are similar to
spinach, green beans, peas, potatoes, soybeans, flour, and coffee, not to
mention that it grows incredibly fast and has built-in nitrogen fertilizer.
We know that just visiting a rainforest is valuable. The revenue from ecotourism
is starting to show this. In Costa Rica, a historically agricultural nation, the
revenues from ecotourism exceed those of banana and coffee.
Many of our medicines come from rainforest plants and animals. A
pharmaceutical company paid $1 million to Costa Rica to test some of their
rainforest plants, which is called bioprospecting or ethnobotany. One plant
found, which treats cholesterol, brought in $735 million in one year. I'm sure
there are many other valuable prizes waiting, but by clearing rainforest areas the
size of a football field per second, we're probably destroying them before we
ever know what exists in them. All of the wonderful products and beauty that
the rainforest brings to us are just a few of the reasons to save this disappearing
natural wonder.
