Every day an average of two football field sizes of precious rainforest are torn down, killing millions of animals and destroying valuable pharmaceutical plants. A huge amount of these animals and plants have never, and will never be discovered. Experts say, "Close to eighty percent of the terrestrial species of animals and plants are to be found there [in the rainforest],." As people tear down the rainforests they are affecting the ozone layer, and disrupting the process that lets plants fight the deadly amount of pollution the world produces every day.

Over three thousand plants found can help the fight against cancer. Seventy percent of these plants are found in the rainforest. Periwinkle is a very essential plant that produces the drug Vincristine that is the most powerful cancer-fighting drug that has been discovered as of today. Scientists say, "Vincristine is used as a part of MOPP chemotherapy...