Why Is the Rain Forest of West Africa the First for Cultivation of Plants?
Why is the rain forest of West Africa the first for cultivation of plants? In Western Africa, a great deal of the landscape is taken up by rainforest: hot, humid climates, dense tropical growth, and heavy moisture and rain. This isn’t typically what Americans might think of as ideal growing conditions. But it’s important to keep in mind that “ideal” is a relative term, and there are certain very important animals and plants that consider the rainforest climate their ideal situation.
This is the precise reason why the rainforests in Western Africa are first on the list when it comes to growing and cultivating very specific plants. There are three important types of plants which can be cultivated in the rain forest in West Africa.
The rain forests of West Africa is the first for cultivation of plants because it provides the perfect environment for many important plants to grow and flourish. Rain forests in West Africa are wet and warm year round. The plants there receive the nutrients they need from rich soil, the rain fall they need from steady rains, and the warmth they need to grow and thrive.
As such, the rain forest of West Africa is the first for cultivation of very important plants including:
- Plants that provide medication
- Plants that provide food
- Plants that provide wood and timber
Cultivation of Plants for Medication in West Africa
Rainforest plants supply an amazing amount of the medications humans rely upon – in fact, they account for about a quarter of them. Quinine, curare, and a host of other indispensable drugs are found within plants that only grow in rainforest territory.
There are also plants whose benefits may have yet to be discovered. Many scientists are currently examining various rainforest plants because they may contain the potential to cure cancer.
Cultivation of Plants for Food in West Africa
Aside from the obvious banana, the rainforests hold a large variety of spices, nuts, legumes, and other staples of the Western diet – including coffee.
Cultivation of Plants for Wood and Timber
Due to the number of tree species that grow in the rainforest, it’s always been a popular source of timber. This is unfortunate, and many environmental awareness groups are working today to try and stop logging in these regions. Nonetheless, some of the trees grown there produce wood we’ve grown to rely upon, and the trees don’t grow anywhere but in the rainforest climate.
Using the Resources of the West African Rain Forests
The reason, then, that people turn to the rainforests of West Africa first for cultivation is because the rainforest has the potential to produce so many important plants. It is little wonder that commercial cultivation is taking place in the rainforests of West Africa. Everything from coffee to bananas to medication plants is planted, harvested, and re-planted, much like American farmers do with corn and wheat crops.
Cultivation Problems in the Rain Forests in West Africa
The problem, of course, is that over time these activities degrade the environment to the point where the plants no longer grow. There are so few rainforest regions left that many farmers are caught between a rock and a hard place. While the cultivation of plants in the rainforest is environmentally damaging, the need for the plants themselves, as well as the income they generate, is very important.