What are tropical rainforests?
Tropical rainforests are a forest with many characteristics. They are home to some of the most deadly and dangerous animals in the world. There is a large diversity of plants and the cure to cancer is thought to be hidden among the fauna. Tropical rainforests have been called the "world's largest pharmacy", because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered within them. It is likely that (in the rainforest) there are still millions of species of plants, insects still unknown to man. They have hot and wet weather and they usually have 175 to 200 cm of rain a year. Tropical rainforests are home to hardly any humans. There are a couple of tribes/clans that are brave enough to live life in the wide dense forest. This includes the Penan who is a nomadic tribe who live in the rainforest of Borneo, which is the third largest island in the world. Unfortunately the rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate due to logging and other man made causes. The shocking facts are: in the last 50 years 50% of the rainforests in the world have disappeared.
What is Palm Oil?
Palm oil is a kind of vegetable oil and it can be used in many different substances. It comes from the mesocarp of fruit like oil palms. It can be used in several everyday items such as peanut butter, nail polish, hand cream and many others. There is an increasing demand for palm oil which makes us ever more urgent to find a way to produce palm oil without harming