Time again for our Website of the Week, when we showcase interesting
and innovative online destinations. Our web guide is VOA's Art Chimes.
This
week it's a site aimed at educating people about some of Earth's most
endangered and crucial ecosystems, and urging action to protect them.
BARRY:
"The RainforestPortal.org is a true portal site, which means that it
has a real search engine of the best-reviewed rainforest information.
It tracks news, it provides links, it has a blog. And most importantly,
it allows people to take action to get governments and companies to
protect rainforests."
Glen Barry is founder of
. He says
the site has information for anyone with even a casual interest in
rainforests, though it's really aimed at conservation professionals and
others who are passionate about the subject.
BARRY: "For
example, right now we're running a campaign to protect the major rivers
of the Amazon. And we recently ran a campaign on Laos' plans to dam the
last major rainforest wilderness in their country. So it's very much
towards motivating people, informing them in order that they will make
a stand to protect rainforests for the Earth's future."
Protecting the rainforests, Barry says, is in everyone's interest, no matter where they live.
BARRY:
"They're absolutely essential for climate, for water, for forest
products, and essentially they're our habitat. So rainforests are more
important than ever, and as goes the rainforest will go humanity."
Find
out about the key role rainforests play, whether you live near one or
not, at RainforestPortal.org, or get the link to this and more than 200
other Websites of the Week from our site, voanews.com.
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