“Scientists estimate that humans have destroyed 80% of old-growth forest on Earth, and tropical forests are shrinking at an alarming rate. People level them to build roads, harvest lumber, open new ground for crops, and graze animals. The rate of deforestation has slowed slightly, but each year an area roughly the size of Costa Rica is destroyed. As forests disappear, so do habitats for plants, animals, and microorganisms, whose importance in ecology we are only beginning to understand. Some areas grow back, but most recovered areas support only a fraction of their original diversity.” Excerpt From: Edward O. Wilson, Morgan Ryan & Gaël McGill. “E. O. Wilson’s Life on Earth Unit 1”. Wilson Digital, Inc, 2014. Apple Books. https://books.apple.com/pt/book/e-o-wilsons-life-on-earth-unit-1/id888107968?l=en