The Importance of Conserving Forests

Importance of forests

The importance of forests should not be underestimated. Forests give us survival from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Yet, despite our dependence on forests, we are gradually making them disappear.

Why are forests so important?

Forests provide us shelter, water, food, and many more. All these activities involve forests directly or indirectly. Forests provide habitats for many diverse animal species. They are actually home to 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity!

Losing forests

Forests provide jobs for more than 13 million people across the world. In addition, 300 million people live in forests. Yet we are losing forests faster and faster. I wonder if you will believe it if I tell you that we lost 129 million hectare of forest between 1990 and 2015. Well, it's true. Many people think that when we destroy a forest, we take only the trees. But this idea is wrong. When we destroy a forest, we pull apart a whole ecosystem. We might even destroy a whole species and never know it existed.

Forest conservation

Forest conservation is very important. Forests prevent global warming and minimize soil erosion. The forest trees we cut down absorb carbon dioxide, a main air pollutant, purifying the air. Forests play a major role in the water cycle, too. They help us to protect the small amount of drinkable water. If we stop cutting down forests, conserving them will be much easier.

A solution is always there

There are ways in which we could get on with our work without disturbing forests. For example, farmers could grow crops on strips of ground, with forest trees between, without cutting down the whole forest.

The Lungs of the Earth

Forests are known as 'The Lungs of the Earth. In the same way as a person cannot survive without lungs, the Earth cannot survive without forests. We must stop destroying forests and do our best to protect them.