The rainforest

Millions of people and more than half of the world’s documented plant and animal species live in the rainforest. All over the world, the rainforests are under serious threat. The consequences are devastating.

It has taken humans less than 80 years to completely destroy one-third of what the earth has spent over 100 million years creating. Another third of the original rainforest is degraded. When the rainforest is destroyed, the consequences are severe and irreparable:

  • Unique animals and plants disappear forever.
  • People lose their homes and are forced into poverty.
  • The planet is becoming warmer and the weather is more unstable.
  • Between 10 and 15 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are linked to deforestation.

It is not too late to make a change

The fight to save the rainforest is difficult, but we can do it. Rainforest Foundation Norway contributes directly to the protection of 720.000 square kilometers of rainforest, an area almost as large as Norway and Sweden combined. Have a look at a few more examples of victories we have contributed to.


One-third destroyed, another third degraded

Rainforests used to cover 13% of our planet, but humans have destroyed one-third of the original rainforest since WWII. Another third has been degraded by roads, mining, dams and other infrastructure. Only a precious third is completely untouched. Every year, another 4 600 000 hectares of rainforest disappear – an area larger than Denmark.

Life in the tropical rainforest

The rainforest is warm and wet. On the ground, it is dark and difficult to find nutrition. That is why all the rainforest’s occupants aim for the sky to get their share of the life-giving sun.

The animals and plants of the rainforest

The small, narrow green belt of tropical rainforest around the earth only covers about 6% of the earth’s surface. But despite its size, over half of the world's plant and animal species live there.

The people of the rainforest

Many of the poorest people in the world depend on the tropical forest to survive. They get what they need from the forest, the ground and the water. To support them, we need to protect their forest and livelihoods.

It's good for our climate

The earth’s forests are gigantic carbon sinks that keep carbon in the ground instead of in the atmosphere. When we destroy the rainforest, all that carbon gets released and contributes to global warming. The yearly greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation are equal to the combined emissions of all the cars in the world. Conserving the rainforest is therefore absolutely vital to solving the climate crisis.