The reforestation challenge
Forests are a key resource in maintaining the equilibrium of our planet
Throughout the world, forests are suffering increased degradation, despite their role in providing invaluable protection from a plethora of environmental disturbances: the shortage of drinking water, soil drought, global warming, the extinction of animal and plant species...
Every year, over seven million acres of forests disappear, or the equivalent of one football field every three seconds! The deforestation rate is alarmingly high, especially since forests need several centuries to regenerate and grow back...
Why should we save our trees?
Because forests are one of the planet’s key ecosystems. Indeed, they:
- Conserve fresh water: Forests play a fundamental role in regulating the fresh-water cycle as well as maintaining water quality. Via their root systems, trees retain rainwater and replenish water tables.
- Fix and maintain soil: The root systems of forests provide a rampart against landslides, erosion and flooding. In climates that have marked seasons, the leaves that fall to the ground in autumn enrich the soil with humus (black fertile earth) as they decompose.
- Combat global warming: Every day, trees absorb CO2 and convert it into energy in order to grow. This phenomenon limits the impact of greenhouse gases that are responsible for global warming. In contrast, deforestation releases CO2 into the atmosphere. Thus, deforestation contributes 18% to 25% to global CO2 emissions. (Réseau Action Climat France / France Climate Action Network, 2007)
- Account for 80% of living species: Forests are incredibly rich in terms of biodiversity, i.e. the variety of animal and plant species within a given ecosystem. Forests thus constitute a key environmental asset as hosts of generic diversity, essential to life on earth. Unfortunately, it is estimated that 100 species are disappearing from tropical forests every day. (FAO, 2004)
- Are essential for health: Plants allow man to create new drugs. Approximately 50% of commercial therapeutic drugs have a natural origin. For example, the celebrated aspirin is a derivative of acetylsalicylic acid, found naturally in willow bark. (Source : WWF)
- Directly support the livelihood of 1.6 billion people: For one-fifth of mankind, forests represent an irreplaceable source of food, fuel, water, building material, medicinal plants, etc. When a forest disappears, entire populations are forced into exile.
