4 reasons to appreciate forests on International Forest Day

On 21 March we are urged to think about the benefits of forests. Did you know all the things that trees do for us?

By Masa Jamaludeen

Sehr idyllisch, Wunderschön Lake. Credit: Pixabay

1. The world’s green lands shelter more than 50% of the earth’s animal biodiversity and plants

The Amazon rainforest has been recorded as hosting 40,000 plant species, 3,000 freshwater fish species and over 370 reptile species. Since 1999, over 2,000 new vertebrate and plant species have been identified.

An exotic reptile lizard found in the Amazon Rainforest. Credit: Pixabay

2. Forests produce 12% of the world’s oxygen

The Journal Nature has found that there are around 3 trillion trees in the world’s forests, contributing to the release of oxygen and the absorption of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.

The trees of the Green Mountain National Forest, in Vermont USA. Credit: Unsplash

3. Forests provide us with clean water

Our water reserves are cleansed by forests, offering us purified fresh drinking water from the water cycle.

Forest Hintersee is known as the most picturesque site in the Bavarian Alps. Credit: Pixabay

4. The Amazon Rainforest is the largest medicine cabinet

Around 25% of all pharmaceuticals used today are derived from plants found in this rainforest.

For our life, we rely on forests, from the air that fills our lungs to the water that replenishes our cells. In addition to providing wildlife habitats, forests may be doing more than man to alleviate climate change.

The medicine Novacaine, cocoaine comes from the coca plant in South America. Credit: Pixabay