Why Are Tropical Rain Forest Animals Important to People?

Rainforests make up about 7 percent of the Earth's surface, but contain half of all animal species. According to the Nature Conservancy, four square miles of rainforest contain 60 species of amphibians, 150 species of butterflies, 125 species of mammals, 400 species of birds and 100 species of reptiles. Animals are vital to balancing the ecology of the rainforest, which provides 20 percent of the oxygen to Earth --- not to mention medicines, food and other goods.

Pollination

• Plants of the rainforest generate 20 percent of the Earth's oxygen, and animals play a key role in helping balance plant ecology. According to the Rainforest Conservation Fund, bats in Southeast Asia pollinate forest fruits such as durian, banana and mango. Birds that feed on nectar and insects such as beetles, bees and wasps are also important to pollinating plants.

Seed Dispersal

• Animals such as birds and monkeys help disperse seeds of plants that produce fruits desired by people for food. The toucans of the South American and Central American rainforests, for example, help to disperse seeds from fruits and berries it eats. In addition, the seeds of more than 26 species of trees are dispersed by fish, says the Rainforest Conservation Fund.

Balancing Ecology

• Animals that inhabit the rainforest are interconnected in helping to balance the entire ecology of the forest. For example, the poison dart frog of South America eats termites, crickets, flies and ants. The diet of the anaconda snake, found mostly in the Amazon River Basin, consists of rodents, fish, birds, caiman, turtles and other mammals. The chimpanzee --- found in West and Central Equatorial Africa --- is omnivorous, feeding on seeds, fruits, leaves, bark, insects and small prey. Each animal and insect has its own role in maintaining the ecosystem, which is vital for people to be able to gain benefits from it, such as food, medicine and materials for shelter.

Support of Local Populations

• Rainforest animals are important to the day-to-day survival of local settlers in areas where rainforests dominate the landscape. There are an estimated 60 million tribal people living in the world's rainforests. Not only do tribal people depend on the rainforest trees and plants for shelter, crops and medicines, but they also hunt animals and fish for food and clothing.