Determining the exact rate at which rainforests are cut down is very nearly impossible. However, most experts agree that deforestation of the rainforests around the world occurs at a rate of up to 80,000 acres each day.
Although rainforests cover less than 6 percent of Earth’s surface, they contain approximately 50 percent of the world’s plant and animal species. At the current rate of deforestation, it is estimated that roughly 135 different species of plants, animals and insects go extinct each day. This equates to a total loss of approximately 50,000 species every year. If the current trends in deforestation continue, many experts believe that the rainforests will vanish in less than 40 years.
