Why is forest important to us? What are the services get from forest?
The importance of forest cannot be underestimated. We depend on forests for our survival, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans, forests also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate climate change. Yet, despite our dependence on forests, we are still allowing them to disappear. Have you had your breakfast? Travelled to work in a bus or car? Sat on a chair? Made a shopping list? Got a parking ticket? Blown your nose into a tissue? Forest products are a vital part of our daily lives in more ways than we can imagine. Forests provide us with shelter, livelihoods, water, food and fuel security. All these activities directly or indirectly involve forests. Some are easy to figure out - fruits, paper and wood from trees, and so on. Others are less obvious, such as by-products that go into everyday items like medicines, cosmetics and detergents. Forests also provide habitats to diverse animal species. They are home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, and they also form the source of livelihood for many different human settlements, including 60 million indigenous people. In addition, 300 million people live in forests, including 60 million indigenous people.Yet, we are losing them. Between 1990 and 2015, the world lost some 129 million hectares of forest. When we take away the forest, it is not just the trees that go. The entire ecosystem begins to fall apart, with dire consequences for all of us. They provide ecosystem services that are critical to human welfare. These include:
- Absorbing harmful greenhouse gasses that produce climate change. In tropical forests alone, a quarter of a trillion tons of carbon is stored in above and below ground biomass.
- Providing clean water for drinking, bathing, and other household needs.
- Protecting watersheds and reducing or slowing the amount of erosion and chemicals that reach waterways.
- Providing food and medicine.
- Serving as a buffer in natural disasters like flood and rainfalls.
- Providing habitat to more than half of the world’s land-based species.
The importance of forest cannot be underestimated. We depend on forests for our survival, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans, forests also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate climate change. Yet, despite our dependence on forests, we are still allowing them to disappear. Have you had your breakfast? Travelled to work in a bus or car? Sat on a chair? Made a shopping list? Got a parking ticket? Blown your nose into a tissue? Forest products are a vital part of our daily lives in more ways than we can imagine. Forests provide us with shelter, livelihoods, water, food and fuel security. All these activities directly or indirectly involve forests. Some are easy to figure out - fruits, paper and wood from trees, and so on. Others are less obvious, such as by-products that go into everyday items like medicines, cosmetics and detergents. Forests also provide habitats to diverse animal species. They are home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, and they also form the source of livelihood for many different human settlements, including 60 million indigenous people. In addition, 300 million people live in forests, including 60 million indigenous people.Yet, we are losing them. Between 1990 and 2015, the world lost some 129 million hectares of forest. When we take away the forest, it is not just the trees that go. The entire ecosystem begins to fall apart, with dire consequences for all of us. They provide ecosystem services that are critical to human welfare. These include:
- Absorbing harmful greenhouse gasses that produce climate change. In tropical forests alone, a quarter of a trillion tons of carbon is stored in above and below ground biomass.
- Providing clean water for drinking, bathing, and other household needs.
- Protecting watersheds and reducing or slowing the amount of erosion and chemicals that reach waterways.
- Providing food and medicine.
- Serving as a buffer in natural disasters like flood and rainfalls.
- Providing habitat to more than half of the world’s land-based species.
