Research Prospectus and Bibliography

How much do you know about the rainforest? There are numerous undiscovered secrets hidden in the quickly disappearing forests around the world. Many of the pharmaceuticals we use everyday originate from deep in the green forests. The rainforests we know today are being destroyed at a devastating rate due to many different causes. These causes are well known, and have been studied deeply. There are many organizations out there trying to slow down or even prevent the destruction, but it is very hard to do considering all the controversy over land, money, and power. The underlying issue today is that there are very valuable resources in the rainforest that are being destroyed. If we can somehow stop or at least halt the destruction we may be able to find more plant species that can help cure many diseases that are devastating people worldwide. The other side of the issue is trying to help the poverty stricken countries that house most of our rainforests. To help these countries we are developing areas for tourism, and for job development, but to do this we must first destroy vast areas of the rainforest.
The development is currently causing more problems than it is solving. These countries allow richer countries to come in and develop so that their debt will be relinquished, however developing some of these areas may displace many families. Many of these people become shifted cultivators. These are peasants that move into the rainforest and establish small-scale farms. There is also displacement of the indigenous tribes that have lived off the land for hundreds of years. If we continue to hurt the people that know the forest, and know some of its well kept secrets, we will forever lose knowledge that could be useful on a global scale. The developers are trying to help bring poverty stricken nations jobs and recognition, but the money that is brought in often times does not make it to the people whom need it the most. The debt burden is one of the biggest reasons for development of these areas. The debt burden refers to the financially poorer countries that must make money by allowing the larger, more powerful countries to come in and exploit the natural resources of the land (Rainforest).
There are many statistics that show how little we know about the rainforest, but also how much it has given us. 25% of western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients. This 25% comes from less than 1% of the tropical trees and plants that have been tested in the rainforest. This statistic shows that the plant species that live in the rainforest are crucial to human lifestyle and survival. As we cut short the lifetime for the rainforest, we may just be cutting our time short also (Taylor).

Bibliography

Newman, Eric B. "Earth's Vanishing Medicine Cabinet." American Journal of Law & Medicine 20.4 (1994): 479-502. Web. 31 Jan 2010. .

"Rainforest Destruction." Save the Rainforest. 2005. savetherainforest.org, Web. 31 Jan 2010. http://www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_015.htm

Taylor, Leslie. "The Disappearing Rainforest." Rainforest Facts. 31 Jan 2010. Raintree Nutrition, Inc., Web. 31 Jan 2010. .

"Saving Rainforests from Planters." Journal of Tropical Medicinial Plants 9.2 (2009): 418. Web. 31 Jan 2010. .