World Rainforest Day: why protect them?

Although rainforests may seem like a remote and exotic corner of the world, they actually affect our daily lives in ways that many of us may not realize. Products such as our daily cup of coffee, chocolate and cocoa that please our palates come from there. What’s more, the rainforests are a source of key ingredients used in drugs for malaria or leukemia. These green lungs of our planet, which absorb as much as 30 percent of the planet’s energy. global carbon dioxide emissions, play an invaluable role in regulating the climate and stabilizing atmospheric conditions on Earth. Today, as we celebrate World Rainforest Day, we are reminded of their irreplaceable role for the health of our planet.

Genesis of the holiday

World Rainforest Day, established in 2017. by the Rainforest Partnership, provides a platform for efforts to protect and regenerate these key ecosystems. Rainforest Partnership activists continually emphasize the crucial importance of rainforests for climate, biodiversity, culture and as a source of livelihood for numerous communities. From 2021 to 2023, with the cooperation of more than 105 organizations, the Rainforest Partnership organized annual World Rainforest Day Summits, bringing together representatives from 77 countries. Participants shared their knowledge and worked together to build a global community committed to protecting these precious ecosystems.

This year, the Rainforest Partnership introduced a pledge program to mobilize both individuals and companies to take immediate action to protect the rainforest. All you have to do is visit the organization’s website to make your pledge through a specially designed form. All the collected declarations will be published to serve as inspiration for others. In addition, the site features blog articles that offer practical tips on specific actions that can be taken to protect the rainforest.

Why does World Rainforest Day matter?

Rainforests, characterized by abundant rainfall throughout the year, are not only key ecosystems in equatorial zones such as the Amazon, but are also found in temperate zones such as Tasmania and the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Their global importance to humanity is enormous, both ecologically and culturally.

• Biodiversity. Rainforests are home to about 50 percent of the world’s rainforests. world population of species. The Amazon forest may contain up to 80,000 species of plants, with scientists regularly discovering new species of flora and fauna. This unparalleled biodiversity provides a valuable genetic base, being the source of many everyday products, including fruits, cosmetics and painkillers.
• Climate regulation. Rainforests play a key role in regulating the global climate. The process of transpiration, or evaporation of water from leaves, enables the transport of moist air to the continents, which affects the distribution of rainfall, including in regions far from the forests themselves.
• Carbon sequestration. These forests absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide, with about 30 percent stored in their biomass and soil. global emissions of this gas. Tens of billions of tons of carbon are estimated to be bound in the Amazon, helping to mitigate the greenhouse effect and supporting the natural carbon cycle that stabilizes the Earth’s climate.
• Cultural diversity. The rainforests are also home to diverse groups of indigenous peoples. The Amazon is home to more than 30 million people who make up 350 different ethnic groups, with unique identities and traditions. Similar cultural richness is observed among the people of Papua New Guinea and Central Africa, including the Congo Basin. For these communities, the rainforests are not only home, but also the basis of their livelihoods, linked to agriculture, fishing and hunting.

Threats to rainforests

Rainforests play a key role in stabilizing the global climate, but human-induced climate change poses a serious threat to them, leading to modifications in species composition and reductions in animal, insect and vegetation populations. In addition, intensive deforestation for agricultural crops and industrial development has a destructive effect on natural habitats. Every minute, about 40 hectares of rainforest are cut down globally, resulting in a loss of 5-10 percent. species of each decade. Poaching and the illegal trade in wild species pose additional threats to these ecosystems.

The deforestation process also causes soil erosion, which in turn leads to a decrease in soil fertility and surface water pollution. As a result, aquatic ecosystems are being degraded, negatively affecting the availability of clean water for local communities. Reducing forest cover also weakens the ability of rainforests to sequester carbon.

In addition, rainforests are vulnerable to degradation caused by industrial activities, including mineral, oil and natural gas extraction. Exploitation of these resources is often associated with negative environmental consequences, such as pollution and destruction of ecosystems. The construction of infrastructure, such as roads and pipelines, fragments forests, making it difficult for many species to move and reproduce, threatening their survival.