The largest forests in the world are home to a variety of plants and animals, including endangered species. Unfortunately, these forests are also vulnerable to human activity such as agriculture and logging.
The Taiga forest (also known as the boreal forest) is a huge biome that stretches across North America and northern Europe, reaching into far eastern Siberia. It is dominated by conifer trees like firs.
The Amazon Rainforest
The most famous of the world’s largest forests is the Amazon rainforest, which spans across nine South American nations including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and French Guiana (France). The dense tropical jungle is crisscrossed by thousands of rivers, and it is home to 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 427 mammal species, 2,200 fish species, 400 amphibians and 380 reptiles. It is also responsible for producing 20% of the earth’s oxygen.
Despite the impressive biodiversity of this forest, it is still suffering from deforestation at a rapid rate as people clear land for farming and development. This is due to the fact that the rich nutrient soil in the rainforest is easily depleted over time, forcing farmers to continually clear new land. The Amazon rainforest is currently losing about 17 million acres of land a year, which is twice as much as the average for rainforests worldwide.
Other than being a natural wonderland for wildlife, the rainforest is also very important to human life. It stabilizes global rainfall patterns and stores massive amounts of carbon, which helps to mitigate climate change.
One of the most interesting animal species in the Amazon rainforest is the capybara, the world’s biggest rodent. These creatures spend most of their lives in the water and use the river and streams to find food and protect themselves from predators. Another unique creature is the electric eel, which generates an electric charge from its body that it uses to stun prey and for self-defense.
The Congo Basin is another of the most spectacular of the world’s large forests. It is a real-life Pandora’s Box that brings together coastal forest, swamp forest and savanna forest into one huge ecosystem. It is home to a wide range of animals, including royal Bengal tigers, northern river terrapins and Gangetic dolphins.
Although the rainforests listed above are incredible, there are many other pristine areas of wilderness in our world. The Virgin Komi Forests, for example, are two Russian wilderness areas that were the first to be designated as a natural site of distinction by the United Nations. These forests are home to several endemic animals, such as the Sclater’s guenon and Crested chameleon.
The Congo Basin Rainforest
The Congo Basin Rainforest is a huge ecosystem, home to a wide array of plants and animals, including endangered species. It is the second largest rainforest in the world and is sometimes referred to as the “lungs of Africa.” The forest provides life-giving oxygen, helps regulate the planet’s climate, and helps reduce the impact of floods and droughts. It also helps to sustain the livelihood of millions of people who live in the region. The forest is an important source of food for many people, and it is also a critical habitat for many species.
This biodiversity hotspot is a mix of rivers, forests, savannas, and swamps, which make it rich in life. It stretches across six countries – Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. It is the biggest carbon sink in the world, absorbing more carbon emissions than the Amazon. The Congo basin is home to 39 species of animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and it is one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth.
Like other tropical forests, the Congo Basin is under threat from human activity. The vast majority of this forest is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a combination of poverty and war have contributed to high rates of deforestation. The Congo Basin is a vital resource for the global community, and it must be protected in order to remain resilient.
In 2019, the world’s attention was drawn to the massive wildfires burning in the Amazon rainforest, but those blazes are just a small fraction of what is happening in the Congo Basin. In fact, primary forest loss in this area is quadrupling, and it could be disastrous for the climate and local communities.
The solution to the Congo Basin’s problem is not easy, and it requires significant funding. A $150 million science programme over 10 years is needed, and donors can help by combining funds from governments that have made large forest- and climate-related investments in the region. Other possibilities include international climate funds and private philanthropy.
The New Guinea Rainforest
Papua New Guinea's rainforests are one of the world's most beautiful and biodiverse, hosting many unique plant species. They are also home to some of the most beautiful birds on Earth. The three families of birds referred to as Birds of Paradise are all endemic to the country, which is why it's called "The Land of the Birds." They have extravagantly colored feathers and displays that they use during mating rituals to attract females.
The flora of the rainforest is vast and varied, with many trees that are over 500 years old. The tree ferns (Cyadophyte) are renowned for their sculptural beauty. They form dense colonies in the undergrowth and grow over the trunks of other trees, creating an intricate interconnected forest floor.
In addition to a wide variety of plant life, the rainforest is home to numerous animals. Large raptors like harpy eagles and white-tailed hawks prey on animals living in the canopy, while snakes and spiders hunt on the ground.
There is a huge diversity of insects, too. In fact, some scientists believe that up to 10% of all species on Earth have yet to be discovered in the rainforest.
While the forests of Papua New Guinea are stunning, they're under threat. The region is surrounded by countries that are rapidly developing, leading to an increase in logging and deforestation. The indigenous people of the area are also at risk because the forests provide their homes with valuable timber and other resources, and they have to compete with settlers for land.
Fortunately, there are some conservation efforts taking place. WWF is working to protect these important forests and their ecosystems.
Rainforests and jungles are vitally important for our planet, providing crucial carbon sinks to help keep climate change at bay and supporting thousands of animal and plant species. We need to work together to protect these beautiful natural wonders and ensure that they are there for generations to come. To learn more about how you can help, visit the WWF website.
The Taiga Forest
The taiga forest, also known as the boreal forest, is the world’s largest land biome, covering about 17% of Earth’s surface. It is found in a belt of high latitudes near the Arctic Circle and merges with the tundra biome as it moves northward.
The taiga is dominated by coniferous trees, mainly pines (Pinus), spruces (Picea) and firs (Abies), but also includes a few deciduous species such as birches (Betula) and poplars (Populus tremuloides). It is often covered in a thick layer of snow, which persists for many months during the winter. These conditions have shaped the plants and animals living in the taiga.
Plants of the taiga include berry bushes, mosses and lichens, all of which contribute to the food web. Herbivores, such as deer and moose, feast on the leaves of conifers and other broad-leafed trees that grow in the taiga. Mosses and lichens provide shelter for ground-dwelling invertebrates, such as mites and spiders.
Due to the long, cold winters and short, warm summers of the taiga, animals must be well-adapted for this climate. Most herbivores, such as moose, store fat reserves to survive the winter. Moose also graze on willow and grasses along river floodplains and wade in lakes and ponds to consume aquatic vegetation.
In the summer, moose eats the early growth of broad-leaved trees and willows and eats the bark of conifers. In the winter, they eat twigs and buds that have grown in the early successional forests of recently burned or cut areas. The taiga is home to hundreds of bird species that migrate in the summer and overwinter here. Birds that stay for the winter are mostly carrion-feeders and large raptors, such as golden eagle, rough-legged buzzard and Steller’s sea eagle (in coastal northeastern Russia-Japan). Some 300 bird species breed in the taiga, including boreal chickadee, Siberian thrush and black-throated green warbler. In addition, more than 20 species of owl breed in the taiga, including great gray owl, barred owl and snowy owl. Some birds, such as crow and raven, may prey on dead mammals or scavenge for carrion.
