Most rainforests too degraded to provide good habitats



The world's tropical rainforests are home to more than 16,000 different mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, from colourful monkeys and parrots living high in the canopy, to weird and wonderful frogs and toads on the forest floor.



But now a study by Canadian scientists has revealed that while there may be tree cover remaining, most of the tropical rainforests across the globe are too degraded by logging, mining and roads to provide good quality habitat for wildlife.



They're calling for urgent conservation action to protect tracts of undisturbed forest before extinction for many rainforest species becomes a foregone conclusion. And they say as rainforests are one of nature's best defences against climate change, this would also help stabilise the Earth's climate.



词汇表

mammal ['mæm(ə)l] 哺乳动物

amphibian [æm'fɪbiən] 两栖动物

reptile [ˈreptaɪl] 爬行动物

canopy ['kænəpi] 树冠，（顶蓬似的）树荫

toad [təʊd] 蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆

tree cover 树木覆盖

degraded [dɪ'greɪdɪd] 退化的；被降级的；堕落的

log [lɒɡ] 伐木，砍伐

mine [maɪn] 开采，采矿

habitat [ˈhæbɪtæt] 栖息地，生长地

tract [trækt] 大片土地

undisturbed [ˌʌndɪˈstɜː(r)bd] 未被打扰的，不受侵扰的

foregone conclusion ['fɔ:gɒn] 定局，预料中的结局

defence  [dɪ'fend] 保护，防御

stabilise ['steɪbəlaɪz] 使稳定，使稳固

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