Understanding Rain Forests.

Mr_DR

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May 12, 2002
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Rain Forest is just a more technical word that raplacced the word "JUNGLE"

What Keith may not understand is that there are many definitions of tropical rain forests especially for scientists which vary around the world depending which scheme classification is used.

One of the most useful of those schemes is the Holdridge pyramid. This is particularly popular in the Americas where it originated, and it?s often used to distinguish between different types of ?rain forest? in parts of the Neotropics, especially Central America. Rain forest in this scheme is actually divided into ?moist forest?, ?wet forest?, and ?rain forest?. It uses the factors of water and temperature, and their variations, to determine the type of vegetation. Within Australia, a system designed by Specht is commonly used. It is based on canopy cover and the height and form of the dominant vegetation. In this classification, tropical rain forest comes under the general vegetation type ?closed forest. So even when we scientifically define ?tropical rain forest? we run into difficulties. For example, what the public would consider ?tropical rainforest? in Australia may be called ?closed forests? by Australian scientists, but would be considered mere ?moist forest? or ?wet forest? by American ecologists. In the end, we must remember that definitions and classifications are all artificial constructs.
 

Chris

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Don't mind me, I like the word. I had the pleasure of visiting Virgin Rainforest in Costa Rica in the Corcovado National Park with local Indians and you could say I was goggling... goggle eyed, goggle brained and my legs were goggling too, as we were on some mountain ponies for about 9 hours. Rainforests (the Costa Rica type) are quite something.. and I have not seen anything similar in the DR.

Wanna know about real rainforests.. Check this out.. http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/protected_areas/parks/corcovado/
 

Mr_DR

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Chris said:
Don't mind me, I like the word. I had the pleasure of visiting Virgin Rainforest in Costa Rica in the Corcovado National Park with local Indians and you could say I was goggling... goggle eyed, goggle brained and my legs were goggling too, as we were on some mountain ponies for about 9 hours. Rainforests (the Costa Rica type) are quite something.. and I have not seen anything similar in the DR.

Wanna know about real rainforests.. Check this out.. http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/protected_areas/parks/corcovado/
Just because there have not been any interests in making a business out of this does not means that these conditions do not exists in the DR
and like the link i posted states" Scientific opinions differs on what others may or may not concider rain forests.

Sorry, did not mean to plagiarise and you can delete it if you want.
 

Mr_DR

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Keith R

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Mr_DR said:
Me and you both...lol
Ah, but the difference is that I google to find out where you're lifting your un-attributed info, whereas I know quite a bit about rainforests without ever having to google because I have been working professionally on environmental issues for 24 years. ;)
 

Mr_DR

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Keith R said:
Ah, but the difference is that I google to find out where you're lifting your un-attributed info, whereas I know quite a bit about rainforests without ever having to google because I have been working professionally on environmental issues for 24 years. ;)
I don't know K,

I will try to believe it.
especially since you said that the carribean islands are not concidered part of Central America.
 

Robert

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Can you take this ping pong match to email or PM.

FYI: Keith is a very well known and published environmentalist and has being covering this region and Latin America for many years. He speaks Portuguese, Spanish and English, plus has lived and worked in many of the countries you have been covering in your debates (ping pong matches).

His website: http://www.temasactuales.com/

One of his publications: http://www.temasactuales.com/temas_in_print/index.php

I'm glad I cleared that up...
 

Mr_DR

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Robert said:
I'm glad I cleared that up...
Thanks Robert,
I believe it now. It just that having him say that DR is not part of Central America surprised me.
 

Robert

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Mr_DR said:
Thanks Robert,
I believe it now. It just that having him say that DR is not part of Central America surprised me.

It's not, the DR is part of the Caribbean, but that's another thread.
 

Conchman

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I know its kind of off topic, but what is The Bahamas part of? If they're not part of the Caribbean (and I know they're not) then are they part of North America or part of nothing at all?
 

Keith R

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Conchman said:
I know its kind of off topic, but what is The Bahamas part of? If they're not part of the Caribbean (and I know they're not) then are they part of North America or part of nothing at all?
You're right. It is off-topic, and this board is not about the Bahamas, and no matter what Mr. DR thinks, the Environment Forum is not the place for a debate about geographic designations. You're welcome to try to post the question on the "General Stuff" or "Debate" Forums, or maybe someone can kindly answer your question by e-mail or PM. But no thread hijacking, folks, or the delete button will be used.

Keith
 

Chris

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Conchman, let's see if I can keep to the letter of the law here (skating on thin ice). This was an interesting question and as I know the DR is part of the greater antilles, (establishing a DR link here) I looked at the rest of the Greater Antilles. Here is a link.. http://www.kwabs.com/greater_antilles.html

I found the description interesting.. "The term Antilles dates traditionally from before the Europeans discovered the New World, when Antilia referred to semi mythical lands located somewhere west of Europe across the Atlantic". You'll all agree that it frequently seems like we're living in a semi-mythical land... ;)

As the Islands of the Caribbean is comprised of the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles, surprisingly, the Bahamas does not seem to be part of our Caribbean land mass as we know it. I've seen it referenced as The Greater Antilles and the Bahamas, so, it seems if you look at the geographical map on the link, it is its own place, or part of the Florida land mass. I've even seen a reference that claims it is part of the Lesser Antilles.

Having sailed most of the Bahamian Islands and working with the greater Antilles and the lesser Antilles, I searched for rainforests, and it seems as if even the smallest little island in the Caribbean chain claims a rainforest of some kind. As we've been to most of the islands in the Caribbean (even the tiny ones), it is quite comical to see all of these islands claiming that they have rainforests.

I came to the conclusion that the word rainforest has become a marketing term. ;)
The Bahamas is not part of the same chain of islands that the DR is part of, but stands on its own, or is part of the Florida land mass.

Sheesh, why am I sweating? its only a moderator and I've had plenty of threads closed and removed before now.. ;)