This
is not a complete list of endangered
species in Asia rainforests, but rather a description of
some more common plants and animals.
Plants
Some of the most endangered rainforest plants in Asia as elsewhere in
the world are orchids.
There are thousands
of species of
them and because of their amazing
shapes and sometimes sizes, they have been popular with orchid
collectors and orchid trade. In the old days, before orchids got
protected, some collectors would collect every single species and then
burn the area to corner the market.
Rafflesia
flower
is the largest flower in the world and one of the most endangered
rainforest plants.
Rafflesia is also an orchid. There are 27 species of
them, all found in Asia.
Animals
Orangutans are only found in the rainforests of Borneo and
Sumatra. They are endangered because of habitat destruction and hunting.
Bengal tigers
- other animals endemic to Asia - are extremely endangered. While
100,000 individuals were once estimated to live in Asian rainforests,
their numbers now are as low as 4,000.
Note:
This site uses British English, which is the English we use in
Australia. Disclaimer:
This website is about interesting facts about rainforests.
It
is not
trying to be comprehensive. Although best efforts
have been made to
ensure
that all the information on this
site is correct, rainforest-facts.com
is
not to
be blamed should
there be a mistake. Copyright
notice:
All contents of this website are strictly protected by the Law of
Copyright. What
does that mean?