World Rainforest Day, observed annually on June 22 worldwide, is dedicated to protecting, preserving, and conserving rainforests for future generations. These ecosystems provide crucial ecological benefits, supporting diverse plant and animal species, regulating climate, and supplying essential resources.
Initiated by the Rainforest Partnership in 2017, World Rainforest Day celebrates the importance of maintaining healthy, intact rainforests for climate stability, biodiversity preservation, cultural heritage, and sustainable livelihoods. It serves as a global platform to promote efforts in safeguarding and restoring these vital environments.
Rainforests play a critical role in climate regulation and carbon sequestration, influencing weather patterns by releasing water vapour from leaves to form atmospheric rivers, thereby supplying essential precipitation to distant regions.
Recognised as 'living pharmacies,' rainforests harbour untapped biodiversity valuable for developing new medicines and sustaining daily essentials such as coffee, spices, fruits, and vegetables.
Covering approximately 1.2 billion hectares (3 billion acres), tropical rainforests are pivotal in maintaining global ecological balance, often called the Earth's thermostat.
The Amazon rainforest, known as the ‘lungs of the planet,' is the world's largest tropical rainforest, contributing about 20% of Earth's oxygen and storing significant amounts of carbon dioxide, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
Tropical rainforests provide crucial habitats for over 30
million species of plants and animals, and sustain over 30 million people,
including 350 Indigenous and ethnic groups with distinct cultural identities
and traditions.
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