13.7.3 Amazing rainforests We use rainforest products every day, plus they help control our climate and our oxygen supply (see FIGURE4 ).
FIGURE4 Rainforests play a vital role in controlling the world’s climate and oxygen supply. Scientists believe that half of the world’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest alone.
Leaves release water vapour, which becomes clouds.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide
and store it as carbon.
The dark canopy absorbs heat rather than reflecting it.
Trees give out oxygen.
Leaves absorb moisture.
The canopy shelters the lower plants, making it cooler nearer the ground.
Water is released slowly into rivers.
Roots absorb moisture.
• Globally, at least 50 million Indigenous peoples live in or depend on rainforests. Examples include the Kuna people of Panama, the Yanomami of Brazil, the Baka of Cameroon and the Penan of Borneo (Indonesia) maintain their traditional lifestyle with minimal impact on the forest environment. • Notable rainforest timbers include mahogany, teak, balsa and rosewood. These hardwoods are decay resistant and attractive for building. Rosewood, for instance, is valued in the manufacture of guitars. In many tropical countries, people timber is gathered as fuel for cooking and heating.
314 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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