World Rainforest Day
World Rainforest Day is an annual celebration that takes place on June 22nd to raise awareness about the importance of healthy, standing rainforests for the planet’s climate, biodiversity, and cultures. The day was founded in 2017 by the Rainforest Partnership, a non-governmental organization based in Austin, Texas, as a way to promote action that preserves the vital resources that rainforests provide.
The origins of World Rainforest Day go back to the urgent need to address the ongoing threats facing rainforests worldwide, including deforestation, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Rainforests are home to some of the most diverse and complex ecosystems on the planet, providing habitat for millions of species of plants and animals. They also play a critical role in regulating the global climate, absorbing and storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Through World Rainforest Day, the Rainforest Partnership aims to raise awareness about rainforests’ value and encourage individuals and communities to take action to protect them. This includes supporting sustainable forest management practices, advocating for policies that protect rainforests, and promoting ecotourism and other forms of sustainable development that benefit local communities and preserve rainforest ecosystems.
See also: Eight Eco-Startups to Help Reforestation.
On World Rainforest Day, events and activities are held worldwide to celebrate rainforests and raise awareness about the threats they face. This includes educational programs, tree-planting campaigns, nature walks, and other events that bring together people of all ages and backgrounds to learn about the importance of rainforests and to take action to protect them for future generations.
How to celebrate:
- Read up about rainforests and what you can do to protect them.
- When shopping, look for Rainforest Alliance Certified products.
- Host a rainforest awareness day by arranging an event highlighting the cause or contributing to a rainforest protection charity.
- Avoid foods that drive deforestation, such as those containing palm oil.
- Support Indigenous communities and organizations fighting to protect their land from deforestation.
Fun Facts:
- Rainforests are heavily dependent on moisture and do not have forest fires.
- They are an important source of freshwater for humans and absorb carbon dioxide.
- Timber, meat, animal products, plant derivatives, and tourism are other benefits rainforests offer.
- There are ten major rainforests in the world.
- There are millions of undiscovered plants in the rainforest due to the denseness and thickness of the forests.
- Rainforests only cover about 6% of the Earth’s surface.
#WorldRainforestDay
