Rainforests
Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the equator, mostly in the area between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S latitude). This 3,000 mile (4800 km) wide band is called the "tropics." Tropical rainforests are found in South America, West Africa, Australia, southern India, and Southeast Asia.
The rainforest holds so many resources that we do not appreciate, but it suffers from the tragedy of the commons. Since the rainforest is owned by noone, it is abused by everyone.
Of the more than 10,000 species of birds in the world, the majority are found in the tropics with 50 percent of all bird species found in the Amazon Basin and Indonesia.
Tropical rainforests cover only about 7 percent of the earth's land mass. Although they cover only a tiny percentage of the earth's total surface, these rainforests are home to countless thousands of species of plants and animals. This is because rainforests receive massive amounts of rainfall throughout the year, allowing the lifecycle in these systems to work constantly.
Rainforests exist on almost every continent, including South America, Africa, and Asia. Unfortunately, many of the largest rainforests are found in third world countries where good land for farming and grazing is scarce. Unfortunately, this combination leads to the epidemic of deforestation.
It is estimated that at least 40 million acres of rainforest are cleared each year. This area is approximately equal to the size of Washington State. Although many people are under the assumption that the rainforests are cleared for timber, timber only accounts for about 40 percent of the total annual deforestation.
As more people become informed about the world's rainforests, more and more action will be taken to save them. Unfortunately, the effort may be too little, too late. Even if deforestation were to be completely stopped today, it would take centuries for the rainforests to return to their former state.
Parrots are popular pets throughout the world, loved for their colourful feathers, intelligent nature and ability to mimic sounds. However, this popularity has caused many parrots to become endangered.
Many species have already become extinct. They are facing many threats. Their natural habitat is being destroyed and they suffer from capture for the pet trade, excessive hunting and from the introduction of foreign species.
Of a total of around 330 species over 1/3 are threatened in the wild.
Parrots live mostly in forests and are one of the first birds to suffer when the trees that provide their food and nest sites are chopped down.
The red tailed amazon and golden tailed parrotlet are two parrots that are fighting for survival due to the result of heavy felling of trees in Southeast Brazil.
Here is a good link to read more about this.