The Amazon rainforest is important to both its wildlife and us. It’s important to 10 million animal species and over 40,000 plant species. It’s a home and feeding ground for wildlife. Some homes may include the basin, canopy, and the forest floor. It’s also important to us. More than one-fifth of our freshwater is located in the Amazon basin. 20% of our oxygen is generated by the Amazon rainforest. Also, 25% of our medicine comes from the Amazon rainforest.

After all the things the Amazon rainforest does for us, we are still endangering it. It’s threatened by deforestation and wildfires. Deforestation is a very big problem. One tree can benefit, or can even be an entire ecosystem. But it’s not just one tree being cut down, up to 7 billion trees are cut down each year. Another problem is wildfires. Some people throw matches into the amazon rainforest. But a single match can light the whole rainforest up. A wildfire has cost 7,200 square miles of the Amazon rainforest to be charred up.