Mongabay.com is considered a leading source of information on tropical forests by some of the world's top ecologists and conservationists. TROPICAL RAINFORESTS: Disappearing Opportunities

Environmental Refugees

In some parts of the world, children are born as environmental refugees. They have no home. Their parents have long since cleared the forest and there is no longer arable lands or clean drinking. They and their families wander the barren land in search of any patch of forest they can clear just to get through the next few months, maybe years.

The Worldwatch Institute estimates today there are more than 10 million such people - those who have lost their homes and land because of environmental degradation - worldwide, making them the largest class of refugees


Continued: Extinction


This article was written by Rhett A. Butler [bibliographic citation for this page] and was last updated on the most recent date listed in the column on the right side.



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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2011

"Rainforest" is used interchangeably with "rain forest" on this site. "Jungle" is generally not used.