Rainforests are disappearing from our planet at an alarming rate. Despite our knowledge of the relationship between deforestation and global warming, logging, agriculture, and urban sprawl claim trees and brush from landmasses as large as Panama every year.
Learn more about the amazing properties of this ancient ecosystem (and the dangers in store if totally destroyed) by reading these 25 rainforest facts:
The world's most expensive coffee is made from coffee beans picked from elephant dung. Coffee beans are fed to the elephants in the rainforests of Thailand, then collected and cleaned after the 15-30 hours it takes for them to pass through the elephant’s system. The Black Ivory Coffee costs about $500 per pound, which equals around $50 per cup. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
20 percent of the world’s fresh water supply is located in the Amazon Basin.Mario Tama/Getty Images
Rainforests have been around for tens of millions of years, making them our planet’s oldest living ecosystem.Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
It is estimated that more than 30 million plant and animal species live within the rainforests.Pablo Cozzaglio/AFP/Getty Images
There are 225 species of amphibians found in Amazonia alone.Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images
70 percent of all plant species deemed “useful” in cancer treatment are only found in rainforests. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
The forest floors are almost completely dark, with only about one percent of available sunlight making it through the tree canopy. Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images
Rainforests have been called the lungs of the earth, but this is inaccurate. In reality, rainforests produce around 20 percent of the world’s oxygen, while ocean microorganisms produce the other 80 percent.Mario Tama/Getty Images
Rainforests help regulate weather patterns and temperature, keeping the world’s climate in check.Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images
Though rainforests only cover roughly 7 percent of the Earth’s dry land surface, they are home to more than 50 percent of all animal and plant species.Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
More than 25 percent of medications used worldwide today originated in rainforests. AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Rainforest deforestation has led to the highest extinction rate in history: An average of 137 rainforest plant and animal species are exterminated every day. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
50 million indigenous people call rainforests home, and deforestation is responsible for the depletion of much of their food. Mario Tama/Getty Images
Rainforests are one of the Earth’s primary carbon sinks. A carbon sink is any region that absorbs more carbon than it releases. Mario Tama/Getty Images
If deforestation continues at its current rate, all the world’s rainforests will be lost within 40 years.Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
There are more freshwater fish in rainforest waterways than anywhere else on Earth. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
There are many bird species which migrate to rainforests for the winter; many travel 3,000 miles or more to get there.Pablo Cozzaglio/AFP/Getty Images
Rainforest land is not good for farming. Once cleared, the poor soil quality can only sustain crops for 1-2 years, leaving a nutrient free and virtually useless piece of land.Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
The Amazon rain forest spans approximately 3.4 million square miles — about the same surface area as Western Europe. Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images
Around 80 percent of the natural foods we eat originated in rainforests, including rice, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, black pepper, pineapples, corn, coffee, and chocolate.Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Annually, rainforests can get anywhere from 75-260 inches of rain. At the high end, that is more than 21 feet of rainfall.Raphael Alves/AFP/Getty Images
Antarctica is the only continent devoid of rainforests.Mario Tama/Getty Images
If you enjoyed these rainforest facts, be sure to check out these unbelievable facts about the Sun and interesting facts about the world.
