RAINFOREST

is an evergreen woodland of the tropics d:istingu:ished by a continuous leaf canopy and an average rainfall of about 100 inches per year. Rainforests play an important role in the global environment for several reasons. They are the most biologically diverse biome on the planet, encompassing just 6-7% of Earth's land, but thought to house nearly half of its species. Rainforests also take up carbon dioxide, helping to balance anthropogenic em:issions. When rainforests are cut or burned, the opposite occurs: they release stored carbon dioxide, adding to the greenhouse effect.