Every year on June 22nd the world comes together to celebrate World Rainforest Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the critical role rainforests play in maintaining the health of our planet and the urgent need to protect these ecosystems from deforestation.
This article explores:
- The history of World Rainforest Day
- The importance of rainforests
- How you can work with SKOOT to protect these ecosystems
What is World Rainforest Day?
World Rainforest Day is a fairly new climate conscious initiative, first created in 2017 by the Rainforest Partnership an international non profit organisation dedicated to protecting and persevering tropical rainforests in the climate crisis.
Their goal was to create a platform to educate the public, inspire action, and foster collaboration among governments, organisations, and individuals to preserve rainforests.
Since its creation the organisation has hosted the World Rainforest Day Summit where 105 different organisations with attendees from 77 countries came together to drive resilient forest protection.
This year they launched the World Rainforest Day Pledge Program which involves a collaboration with industry leaders across a number of sectors to inforce rainforest and biodiversity protection.
The theme for this year's World Rainforest Day is: The Year Of Action, highlighting the importance of acting in the present to ensure a healthy planet in the future.
Understanding the importance of rainforests
Rainforests are often referred to as the ‘lungs of the earth’ as they play a vital role in maintaining the health of our planet here are 6 reasons why preserving and protecting our rainforests is so important;
- Biodiversity: 80% of all the Earth’s species live in rainforests.
Whilst rainforests unfortunately only cover 6% of the earth’s surface it is estimated that they house a whopping 80% of the world’s documented species. They are one of the most biodiverse places on earth home to millions of both animal and plant species. - Climate Regulation: Rainforests help stabilise the global climate by absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
As mentioned they are labelled the ‘lungs of the planet’ as rainforests are what's known as carbon sinks which means they absorb carbon dioxide and store it in their biomass, they store around 140 billion tons of carbon. This helps to regulate the carbon cycle and reduce the amount of warming carbon dioxide trapped in the atmosphere. Rainforests are one of nature's best defences against climate change, helping to mitigate the effects of global warming significantly. - Rainfall: Rainforests contribute to global and regional water cycles by producing vast amounts of moisture through transpiration.
This process of transpiration creates clouds, which travel around the world helping water arid areas to prevent drought. - Medicinal Plants: Over 70% of the plants identified by the U.S. National Cancer Institute as having anti-cancer properties are found only in rainforests.
Plants such as Quinine which is derived from the bark of the Cinchona tree, is used to treat malaria and was the first effective treatment for the disease, remaining an important antimalarial drug. The Madagascar periwinkle produces vincristine and vinblastine, which are used to treat cancers such as leukaemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma, significantly increasing survival rates for these cancers. - Cultural significance: Indigenous communities in rainforests are among the most vulnerable to climate change.
These communities have been thriving in the rainforests for over ten thousand years and the land is considered to be extremely sacred. Deforestation has displaced many of these communities, leaving them without a food source, a home or a way to make a living which is why it is vital to protect against deforestation. - Environmental protection: Rainforests boost soil fertility and prevent soil erosion and flooding.
Rainforests maintain soil fertility through the decomposition of organic matter, which replenishes nutrients in the soil allowing biodiversity to thrive. Additionally, the dense vegetation of rainforests helps prevent floods and soil erosion. When rainforests are cleared for cattle farming the soil is left vulnerable to both erosion and flooding making it harder for vegetation to grow, leaving land barren and infertile.
How you can get involved with protecting and reforesting forest with SkootEco
As discussed in this article rainforests play a critical role in not only climate change mitigation but also a number of other aspects of our planet's healthy functioning. To get involved in World Rainforest Day in 2024 you can;
- Sign the World Rainforest Day Pledge
- Join SkootEco
At SkootEco, we are committed to making a tangible difference. Our projects not only focus on planting trees but also removing plastic from waterways and coastlines, and funding global humanitarian projects. Our projects such as Reforesting mangroves in Kenya and Restoring native forests in Nepal specifically aim to target reforestation whilst aiding the vulnerable communities affected by deforestation.
You can explore all our projects and learn how you can contribute at SkootEco Climate Projects.
Join us in our mission to combat climate change. Visit our Climate Projects page to see the impactful work we're doing and consider supporting our initiatives. Together, we can make a difference.
