Chico Mendes - A rubber tapper, union leader and environmentalist who was murdered 10 years ago for opposing the destruction of the rainforest. Deforestation - Destruction of forests. Tropical rainforests are being destoyed everyday. Ebony - a rainforest tree that is used to make furniture and other decorative objects. Ecosystems - A community of plants and animals along with their environment which functions as a complete ecological unit.
Water can then carry the soil away and leave little or no topsoil left for plants to grow.
Extinction - The disappearance of an entire species of plants or animals from earth. Once a species is extinct, it is gone forever. Extractive Reserve - a large area set aside in Brazil for the harvesting of latex, nuts, fruits, oils, and other products as a way of creating sustainable economic benefits from the rainforest without cutting it down. Greenhouse Effect - The gradual warming of the Earth's atmosphere because carbon dioxide and other gases prevent heat from escaping to space which makes Earth warmer than it otherwise would be. Without trees, there is more carbon dioxide.