The earth’s life support system
The rainforest is more important to our survival than many of us realise. It’s the earth’s life support system – it absorbs vast amounts of carbon, helping to regulate temperature. And it’s an invaluable source of water – responsible for 20% of the world’s rainfall. What’s more the rainforest is the greatest library of knowledge and resource we can leave to our children and grandchildren. Indeed, half of the world’s pharmaceuticals are derived from the rainforest.

The most diverse ecosystem on the planet
Rainforests are also the most diverse ecosystem on the planet, containing more species of plants and animals than all the earth’s ecosystems combined. And it’s not just wildlife that live in the forest – rainforest worldwide are home to an estimated 50 million indigenous forest people; people who rely on it for shelter, food, and livelihoods.

Deforestation causes climate change
All this has been known for years, but what’s become more widely recognised recently is the fact that deforestation contributes to climate change. Worldwide, forest destruction generates more greenhouse gas emissions each year than all the trains, planes and cars on the planet. To tackle global warming, we need to keep the remaining forests standing.