Let’s start with the basics. Rainforests are a type of forest where rainfall is continuous and abundant all year round. Most of our planet’s rainforests are found in the tropics, but they can also be found in temperate zones. Although when we think of rainforests we generally imagine vast regions of land covered in dense vegetation, these ecosystems only cover around 6% of Earth’s surface. However, in such a small area they harbor a disproportionate amount of terrestrial species; around 50% of all terrestrial biodiversity is found in the world’s rainforests.
Not only do rainforests hold invaluable genetic resources and countless evolutionary marvels, but they are thought of as “living pharmacies”. Their great and mostly unknown diversity is an untapped resource for new medicines and therapies. This diversity is also the source of many products we use in our daily lives, like coffee, cacao, spices, common fruits and vegetables– and that’s just scratching the surface. Other products, like beef or the palm oil found in shampoo and many common hygiene and food products are directly related to rainforest deforestation worldwide.
Rainforests play a crucial role in both climate regulation and carbon absorption and storage. By cycling water through their networks of trees, they create currents that serve to transport water through entire continents, cooling them down and providing them with a reliable water source. They also protect from erosion, drought, and floods, keeping the conditions of their perimeter relatively stable. Rainforests also pump carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it in trees and soil, where it is safely captured and used by living organisms.
Their capacity to absorb and store carbon and to regulate climate over entire continents makes rainforests our greatest allies when it comes to countering and reversing some of the worst effects of climate change. Rainforests are the original carbon capture tool, and they continue to play this role as we wait for innovative, scalable technologies to catch up.
These amazing ecosystems are also home to millions of people who represent invaluable knowledge, traditions, and cultural diversity. The Amazon alone is home to over 30 million people, including 350 Indigenous and ethnic groups who directly depend on the rainforest for food, clothing, medicines, and culture. Indigenous and local rainforest communities are crucial in the protection of our planet’s rainforests and biodiversity, and their knowledge and participation are key assets in restructuring systems and developing sustainable, lasting nature-based solutions.
https://www.worldrainforestday.org/
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